I made this list for someone in the US. It assumes that Nanjing is the destination, but it probably applies to a lot of places in China.

What to bring
1. Clothing unless you are petite. The department stores are full of clothing but since the local people tend to be smaller than Westerners, you may have trouble finding your size. You can find a local tailor who will copy your clothes.
2. Spices for Western style cooking. For instance, vanilla, basil, oregano, black pepper, thyme, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cranberry sauce. Mixes for chili, tacos, salad dressings, etc. in foil packets are a good idea.
3. Decaffeinated coffee if you drink it. Coffee brewing equipment (not electric), as instant coffee is all you can get.
4. Holiday items. Artificial Christmas trees are available but Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter are not celebrated.
5. Reading material. There are few English language books and magazines available. Subscribe to your favorite magazines before you come.
6. Portable computers and printers are just appearing so bring yours from home. Desktops and office size printers are readily available. Computers are all PCs. Few Macs and accessories available. Cartridges for the most common printers are available, as is other computer-related equipment. (ed., see computer hints messages)
7. Videotapes of favorite films. You can buy VCRs in international format here that will play US (NTSC) tapes. (ed., see Can I play that tape in China?
8. Deodorant. The Chinese just do not use it. Other personal care items are available in local and international brands. Bring hair coloring if you use it, as the only color here is black.
9. Don't bring small appliances such as hairdryers, irons, etc. Instead buy in China to get 220 volts. You can buy truly universal appliances here that are not sold in the US such as irons you can use with any current as well as video and music disk players that convert from DC to AC (110 and 220)
10. Good short-wave radio such as Sony or Grundig. If your housing complex does not have a satellite dish with Star Network or CNN, the Voice of America and BBC will be your main source of international news.
11. Small gifts for Chinese friends and associates. Calendars with photos of your hometown or local area, US commemorative stamps, small items with US or local logos on them. Avoid expensive items.
12. Multiple copies of snapshots of you with family and friends at home. If you give a personal photo, you are on your way to making a friend. The Chinese love to get to know you in this way.

Hope this helps

Linell Davis

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You can bring small appliances if they are switchable from 110 to 220--many, such as hairdryers, are. I think a converter and a complete set of plugs--there are some really weird wall plug configurations in China--would also be a good idea. We in Kunming tried buying Chinese electric hot plates and room heaters--with electrifying results--most got thrown away because they operated pretty dangerously--like, lots of sparks!--little quality control on what doesn't leave the country! If I had it to do again and was bringing an electrical appliance that was costly(tape recorder or laptop, for instance), I'd bring a surge protector, after first ascertaining that it would work with your equipment. Some cities--Kunming was one of them--have rotating power outages, and worse, brownouts.

Right about clothes, and Chinese friends warned me before I left about shoes--even with relatively small feet(I'm a women's size 7)I couldn't find shoes with decent support or that were built for any mileage, even in Hong Kong. And believe me, you do a lot more walking(unless you're in a huge city, I guess)in China than you do at home. You may, as we did, have to wash all your clothes in your bathtub, trying to rush both your laundry and shower into the one(capricious, especially if the boiler fails)hour they have hot water in the teachers' accomodations! Right, no deodorant, and the(otherwise surprisingly comprehensive, in some departments)department stores don't know what a nightgown is--neither did the Chinese friend who took me shopping to find a summer one(my box from home didn't arrive til after it turned warm). Special contact lens solutions probably won't be there, either--plain saline, maybe. Women, no tampons when I was there.

Linell's gift suggestions are great, especially the photos! the smallest things please immensely.
--
Nancy Hilty
ESL Instructor
South Seattle Community College
Seattle, WA USA

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Nancy, Susan and All

I guess there is a lot of variation from place to place in China, but I have bought numerous high quality electrical appliances in Nanjing. I do know what Nancy is talking about as the situation she describes is what I found when I first came to China 10 years ago. In smaller cities and more remote areas, that is undoubtedly still the case. I live along the Yangtze River, a rapidly developing area, so the quality of life has improved astonishingly in the last 10 years. I have never been to Tianjin, but I suspect it is more like Nanjing now than the Kunming Nancy remembers.

You do do a lot of walking, so good walking shoes from home are certanly a good idea. I also wear a size 7 shoe and have a wide choice of footwear in Nanjing - from cheap and shoddy to expensive and high quality. In every city I have visited recently, they are busy building temples to consumerism (department stores) and the range of goods available is excellent. I recently bought a great halogen lamp - lots of choice of styles and as far as I can tell it is as good as anything I could get in North America. I also experienced the shoddy goods problem when I first arrived, but that is no longer the case.

My first year here Nanjing also had rotating power outages. The streets were dark at night. Now the power supply is very reliable and the streets are all lit up at night. I am a regular customer at my local computer mall, so I know surge protectors and the most common computer accessories are available. Did you ever try to discuss power requirements with a clerk at Radio Shack? Good luck. They don't have a clue. Did you ever try to get a North American salesman of computer equipment to discuss international use of their products? Again, they do not have a clue. In my experience, Chinese vendors are much more sophisticated in this area.

I have hot water 24 hours and think that is the case all over this area. It has been a long time since I registered at a hotel where they told me the hours for hot water. My building has laundry service; I have a washing machine; the students use laundromats.

One of my students broke my glasses with a snowball last winter, so as penance he was my interpreter when I went to get them replaced. Highly professional eye exam. Detailed description of how my new prescription differed from my old one. Wide choice of frames, bifocals, UV protection, photo grays all available. Lots of my students wear contact lenses.

Five years ago the statue of Mao in downtown Chengdu was seen against a backdrop of huge advertisements for Tampax. I thought it was an ironic fate for the Great Helmsman.

Also on this thread, Bill Holm's book Coming Home Crazy was recommended. I agree that it is worth reading and charmingly evokes the human quality of teaching in China. Even so, he makes it sound like a camping trip. After you read it, you want to go out and buy flannel shirts. Remember the chapter on the Swiss Army Knife? I prefer silk dresses myself. The Chinese think Americans are sloppy dressers. Isn't this another form of prejudice? Treating China like a hardship post? I also carry a pocket knife (high quality Chinese made) when I go traveling on local buses and hard sleeper trains. I like camping, but that is not what living and working in China is like.

I read Holms' book in 1990 so it must have been the 80's when he was here. China has changed. Let's not have the Bill Holms myth replace the Pearl Buck myth as the standard western perception of China. Which is not to say that the conditions he describes have entirely disappeared. They are probably still the norm in less developed and poorer provinces, but in major cities, provincial capitals, the eastern and southern coast, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River it is not like that.

In the end as long as you have your passport, you'll be fine. I even got that replaced in China - just a few hours at the US consulate in Shanghai. No problem.

Good cheer.
Linell Davis
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Re gifts:
Some things I brought, in addition to some of the things already mentioned were: bookmarks (nice for students and teachers); refrigerator magnets, e.g. of places or with nice sayings on them; scenic postcards; classical music tapes; T-shirts with your hometown/state/local sports team on them. You can also call your state bureau of travel and tourism and ask if they have any free souvenirs they could send you that you could bring with you to China. When I called the New Jersey office in 1990, they sent me eight posters, stickers, lapel pins, and brochures about the state. The posters were great!

Have fun shopping! :-)

Susan
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One more suggestion...women, if you're subject to urinary tract infections, bring a supply of over-the-counter medicine for that.