It really depends where you go. If you're in the big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hefei, etc.), you'll be fine without Chinese. If you go into more rural areas, Chinese would certainly help, but you'll certainly still be able to buy food, live in hotels, and ask for directions (look for the younger crowd; they've had mandatory English classes).

You need some Chinese to get around in Beijing. Shanghai is much better, however. First time I've heard of Hefei referred to as a tier 1 city!

Thanks for the info, both of you. Much appreciated!

I'm living in Guangzhou at the moment, you could get by here with only English, and only a couple of hours by train to Hong Kong.

Not at all. As long as you know the ones you'll be using a lot (food, water, thank you, how much, etc.) you'll be more than fine. Honestly, all you need is body language. I actually have a couple of Korean friends whom I whent out to eat with and without us having a common language. This was back when I knew very little mandarin.

Book your flight and go. Hit me up if you need anything!

It can be very difficult here to get by without knowing chinese unless you live in a foreigner-friendly area (i.e. a tourist area or near a university).

I'd suggest using a tour company if you want to travel more widely. Having a translator at least would be very valuable.

I know very few expats in China who can really speak Chinese. I've been here for about 2 years (Shenzhen) and barely know a few words. You should at least make a Chinese friend who can help you out when you really need it.