Things I should bring to China from the US?

[Lindsay]

pandaxiongmao-

i've never had the pleasure of eating a kitkat bar that WASN'T chocolate or white chocolate (not a big fan). i know there are green tea ones but we don't get them here. what else am i missing out on?

as much as i want to indulge in all the magically delicious food that is in beijing, i'm really concerned about gaining like a gazillion pounds. really, how do you guys/gals maintain a healthy weight? i know the elderly population gather at local parks to workout every morning but what do the working people do? my mom said she gained like 8 pounds over a 2 month period.. that was last May. i am a picky eater but there are some things i cannot pass on.. like old-school stuff, lamb kabobs and those sugar-coated cranberry sticks. i guess the only solution is to duke it out at the gym an hour a day.

i was browsing through this internet store catered to ex-pats in china, and the cell phones were priced at 2000-5000RMB. Is that a rip off or do the good phones really cost that much? if i can't use any chinese phones with verizon, i think i'll just settle for a dilapidated one.

random but are there artificial sweetners like sweet n low and splenda? my grandma said the shops sell some kind of artificial sweetner by the pound for like 80RMB/kg. are there diff brands or is everything just labeled as "artifical sweetner"? and are the diet-coke and diet-pepsi products as widely consumed in china as they are in the US? i don't drink soda frequently but i do like diet vanilla pepsi.

[heifeng]

really, how do you guys/gals maintain a healthy weight?

answer (as far as I'm concerned): walking /biking

Somehow the weight just comes off if you are on the go alot no matter how much you eat. The summer months, and if you have a chance to go to the south for extended periods of time are even better ways to literally melt off the weight. Nothing says I don't even feel like eating more than when you are sick from the A/C, sweaty when you venture outdoors, and get to fit in the extra calorie burning mosqito swatting workout everyday.

However, if you actually like to keep a healthy weight & body composition, then you may want to consider joining a gym. I haven't down so, but some friends did since it was cheaper than in the US, and they left here quite fit fit. Meanwhile I am convinced any weight I loss was purely due to the muscle=>fat conversion process, except for in those heavily developed walking muscles, that is...so a gym isn't a bad idea depending on your budget.

Diet coke is around, so is the diet lemon (*gag*) stuff. the same with pepsi (*gag* again) but I haven't seen the vanilla diet coke or pepsi(*signal collective sigh, for the coke,not the pepsi*). If you like calorie free beverages consider bringing crystal light over. Or just buy it off of me. USD or EU are very welcome...hehe

Phones:

this is the problem:

internet store catered to ex-pats in china

You can get a good functional phone for reasonably cheap in many places (definitely under 1000 yuan!), but not necessarily where you see foreigners. You may want to check out 公主坟, or if you are only here for a short time you can go to this 2nd hand electronics place on女人街 (this street where there a bunch of bars) called 大世界二手电器 and get a Chinese brand phone for a few hundred yuan and it should last long enough to serve its purpose. Remember, the flashier the phone, the higher possibility it may just disappear...

[flameproof]

really, how do you guys/gals maintain a healthy weight?

There is nothing wrong with sport, gym etc. But the real key is INPUT. Eat less and healthy. Chinese food is often sold as very healthy, but it's far away from it. It's mainly served too salty and too oily. Worst, usually oil of the cheapest kind is used.

The option is really eating less, eating selected, home cooking.

I stay completely away from certain food items, such as fatty meat and all deep fried stuff. The biggest calorie bombs are usually fried rice and noodles.

[Lindsay]

fatty meat and all deep fried stuff. The biggest calorie bombs are usually fried rice and noodles.

This is going to come off as shocking, but I don't eat rice or noodle, period. Unless they are made of whole wheat or whole grain, these foods are pretty much nutrient-lacking and calorie dense products that have little nutritional appeal. But I do understand these carb products are the staple to many cuisines around the world, China being no exception. I don't think I will be inhaling tons of fatty meats or fried things in the near future either...

HOWEVER, I do have a big sweet tooth, at least big enough that I don't eat 100% rabbit food everyday. I like jams and fruit perserve and of course CAKE. What is the bakery scene like in china? I find that the chinese cake made in chinese-american bakeries, compared to american ones, are a lot softer and fluffier in texture. Is that the case in beijing also? Are there healthy/low-fat bakeries around?

You can get a good functional phone for reasonably cheap in many places (definitely under 1000 yuan!)

Oh, yay!! Um.. I don't have a chinese character encoding on my browser so can you tell me what those ?? are. And crystal light? Yuck. I think I'll stick to water.

[pandaxiongmao]

Even at Carrefour you can find mobile phones that are well under 1000RMB. The more features you want, the more you will pay. The 80RMB model I saw was at a local store, was CDMA, and was very, very basic. But it was new. You will probably want something better than that.

As for Kit Kat, the green tea ones were a few years ago. It is seasonal, so the flavours change all the time. You can check out the current selection in the Japanese online Kit Kat shop (breaktown.com). Looks like the current special flavour is Cherry Blossom. Not sure if they would ship to places outside of Japan.

[jinjin]

1000 rmb is still around $130--many phones in the US are under $130. Also, of the phones that are around 900rmb-1000rmb, you could get a phone with more features in the US for that price. Being that you can get a pretty good functional phone for $30 now a days in the US, I'm not sure if you'll find the same in China. The same phone in the US sells for cheaper than in China (such as palm treos). So, yeah, you can get a phone for an affordable price, but you don't get as much bang for your buck (which is what I meant when I said that phones in china are more expensive than in US)

also, since you are only going to be in china for 4 weeks, I agree that the 350rmb phone is all you want, but CDMA sucks. If you are long term like me, and back and forth from US to China, then buying a GMS unlocked phone in the US is definitely a better option IMO.

alot of people bought cheap phones but after a month or two, they all spent around 1000rmb upgrading to a new flashy phone with more features. I rely more on my phone txt than email. Almost all of my chinese friends send text and not so much email and my foreign friends (depending on how long they've been in China) do the same. Culturally, your phone is your best buddy. But again, you're only going to be in china for 4 weeks so probably not so important.

anyhoo, I don't eat rice or noodles either. I love eggplant and there are a billion dishes with eggplant and there's always fish and hotpot. I agree that Beijing food is really oily comparatively, though but you can always ask for less oil (sometimes they listen, other times they don't care). However, I lost tons of weight while I was in China, while others gained weight. My friends who gained weight said it was because food was so cheap and there was so many restaurants that they were always going out to eat and drinking beer with each meal b/c of the cheap cost. Also, a lot of them got drunk and then ate tons of food and then passed out--a sure way to gain weight! I, on the other hand, always went shopping and stayed away from beer

also,BLCU has a gym (fusion) from what I've heard, it's pretty bare (but better than the beida gym) and the beida gym has served its purpose for me so I'm sure fusion will work for you for just 4 weeks.

[Lindsay]

I'm actually staying in beijing for 8 weeks, just 4 weeks of classes at BLCU. this is why i'm worried about putting on weight. 4 weeks pass by in a breeze but 8 weeks can give me a lot more time to indulge, in terms of eating and taking off from working out. my nitpicky eating can only help me so much on the food intake side of the equation, but hearing the gyms leave a lot to be desire.. all the odds are against me. are there elliptical machines in most gyms? i was actually thinking of taking up outside sports, like rock climbing and skiing. has anyone done those? i know there are ski resorts on the outskirts of beijing so i'm looking forward to checking that out.

i'm not into beers either but i do like to sip on hard liquor at clubs. coming from a college located in the middle of nowhere, drinking is a big thing. how do you order drinks in chinese? are all the imported liquor bottles labeled in chinese or english? i can just imagine how confusing it'll get.. "hey, can you please pour that bottle into that cup with rocks on the bottom"

does anyone have advice on how to bargain? i just don't ike to do it.. especially if the vendors are older people, like in their 60s or something, i just start to think "gee, they are getting old and they probably need the money more than i do. :cry:" so you can see how bad that'll turn out. i recently saw on a chinese news program that the "homeless" people ARE REALLY NOT HOMELESS. oooooh boy.

[jinjin]

my dear, just breathe!

there are places in beijing that allow for a "slow" and "friendly" immersian into Chinese culture. Places like wudaokou (which is where BLCU is near) has places that have drink menus in English (like at Lush, Zub, or Propaganda). Once you are comfortable with WDK, you can venture out to only Chinese speaking places. Beijing is as "Chinese" as you want it and as "American/Foreigner-friendly" as you want it to be.

RELAX! and yes, most gyms have eliptical machines. You can also run in the summer palace.

[jinjin]

oh btw, if you want to practice bargaining, go to the markets in flushing's china town or the manhattan china town. just ask the vendor to keep going lower. the flushing's china town is a lot softer/polite than the chinatown in manhattan, IMO.

I've heard from chinese friends/teachers not to offer a price (some vendors will ask you to name your highest price--it's almost always higher than you could get it for). I once bought a pair of shoes (they're pretty nice, not your junkie shoes) for 70rmb and the woman started at 450rmb. they start high b/c you think if you offer 225rmb, you're getting it for half off. well, 225 rmb is still three times higher than you could get it for. Just keep asking for them to give you a lower price and if they won't, walk off (the walk off is great).

also, I've noticed that if you go to markets during the weekday afternoon, they are more willing to go lower and haggle with you b/c they are about to close and want to make a sale, and if you don' tbuy it, there aren't a lot of other people they can sell to before they go home. on weekends, they ask for outrageous prices and won't go lower b/c if you don't buy it, there's always some silly foreigner who will pay the outrageous price two seconds later.

I didn't like bartering at first, but now it's great. you can get almost everything cheaper. it also works in the US too. word of advice, when bargaining in chinatowns in the US (whether it is Houston, LA, Vancouver B.C. or NYC--I've been to all many times), always offer to pay in cash at the end and get them to go lower that way (they don't report it when you pay in cash and they don't charge you tax if you pay in cash).

also, just because alcohol might have a label, alot of time they are fake. Propaganda is known for selling fake alcohol. even in grocery stores, the alcohol is fake. it will still get you drunk, but I've heard of people getting sick from the fake alcohol. I'm pretty sure I've drank some fake alcohol, b/c after going to Prop I started feeling pretty bad and woke up feeling horrible (my friend had the same symptoms as me) and we both didn't drink that much (3 drinks throughout the whole night!) our arms were a little numb and we felt poisoned--not hung over. it took a day to get over, but it is a little worrisome especially since we didn't drink that much. on the other hand, my guy friends get faced there often and none have fallen over sick, so who knows. there's no question that the alcohol is fake, it's just a matter of whether you will get sick.

[Lindsay]

Hi friends!

I have been so busy with errands that I forgot to come online and post. I just got my passport & visa from the chinese embassy yesterday and I am leaving in about a week! Woohoo!

Does anyone know what the current airline requirements are for carry-ons? I flew last November and went through the whole less-than-3-oz-liquids-in-baggie ordeal so does anyone if they did away with that yet? I guess I can always check on the fed's TSA website. I want to bring bottled water onboard since I know I will dry up like a beef jerky during the flight. I am flying Air China out of JFK and if JFK is as badly managed as LaGuardia, do these airports care about bottles in your carry on at all? I went through LGA in a breeze and it seemed like no one cared about the baggies or bottles. Instead, the regional airport near my college searched every imaginable item in my bag. Anyone know the # of carry ons I can bring with Air China? Oy vey, their website is in chinese and I can't find the ENGLISH link.

[Lindsay]

Jin- thanks so much for all your wonderful advice!!

I am just so worried about going to a country whose language I am foreign to. I guess you just have to live and learn right? I have decided to stick with Verizon because I want to keep my # so I'm putting my account on suspension for the duration of my travels. I originally wanted to just terminate and get a blackberry or motorola's Q when I come back. Then I figured, I'll get one soon enough from the company I am working for.

What is the deal with all this counterfeit alcohol? Gosh, there sure are imaginative people in the world. On a side note, how many coats/jackets are you bringing to beijing? I was thinking of just bringing a lighter one and I will go buy a thicker one if needed? My problem is that I don't want to stuff my luggage with so much clothes that I won't have room to bring back other things that I will purchase. What are the good name brands in China and where can I go to shop? Thanks for your help!

[Impala1ss]

Lindsay - I'm also attending the BLCU 4 week program starting Mar.1 and living with a Chinese family. It is being arranged through Lotusstudy.com. I arrive in Beijing 2/21, am staying at the Novotel Xin Qaio hotel for 4-5 days first just to get accustomed to China. I was there for about 25 days on a tour in 2001 and loved the country. That's why I'm coming back in a few weeks. I'm different than most I'm reading about who are going in so far as I'm 64 yr.s old, but a very young 64 :-). MAybe I'll see you over there. Don S.

[jinjin]

I flew airchina here from beijing (and flying it back). I think the service was great, but I've heard from online reviews that a major complaint is that they don't speak English well. If you speak Chinese, I think you will like it. Also, Air China was awesome in the sense that the stewards walked around with a large bottle of water and cups up and down the aisles all the time, so dehydration wasn't a problem! United could care less (that's who I've been flying with internationally). Also, I'm sure if you asked the Air China people for a bottle of water, they will give you one. They were all very friendly.

Air China has an English website, they also have a phone number for English speakers. Anyway, the limit is 50lbs, but you only have to pay $25 if it's over. I flew from China to US so it was 200rmb, I'm not sure if you fly US to China if it will be $50USD like United, etc. so bear in mind I flew Beijing-JFK not JFK-Beijing.

There is a label in China called "Only" and there are even knock offs of that label (heh), but I don't really think there's anything great about them. Nothing you couldn't find in urban outfitters, mudshark, YRB, H&M, etc. in New York. And their jeans fit funny. I'm sure if you search the forums, you will find tons of suggestions for shopping. If you are living in WDK, there is a WDK market. There's also the Silk Market, the Russian Market, etc. There are also a lot of malls. There's also places up and down Chengfulu (near Lush, Propaganda, etc.) There is a place with a red horse on the sign that sells down jackets, but they are more pricey, but I think their clothes are made very well. They use all natural clothing and some of their stuff would be great of a business casual office.

Regarding coats: I know you don't want to bring a puffy coat because it will take up a lot of space, but since you aren't familiar with China, you might freeze your butt off before you find a jacket you like. I'm bringing a down jacket back b/c you can pack those up into a tiny ball. Also, Flushing sells tons of long hooded down jackets for $80USD, no tax cash only.

There are tons of cheap places to buy down jackets in China, the problem I found was not the price, but the style. I think for the style I wanted, I would spend around $80USD for a long jacket in China anyway. I think you will find, depending on what your fashion is, the problem is not finding cheap stuff, it's finding stuff that fits you right and looks good. I bought a short down jacket in China and I searched high and low for one that I liked (I'm a medium in China so it wasn't the fitting issue, it was the style issue) and I ended up spending 660rmb, which is $84USD on a jacket that I would actually wear in the US. So, I actually found a long down jacket that is much warmer in Flushing for cheaper! (the jacket, of course, was made in China and I did have to do some haggling, but this way I have a down jacket to take back with me).

[zarathustra]

Lindsay,

I few United and arrived a few days ago. That plane (and others I've taken before) usually have some water faucet in the back near the restrooms. Cups are easy to get.

someone else mentioned weight. It seems there are thin people (more than America) though there are more slightly overweight people than I had imagined. I probably have about 10 extra pounds and people said I was really thin. Kinda was surprised.

mobile phones - Cingular (now AT&T) and T-mobile use GSM. Not sure how easy it is to unlock (never tried) though people say it's easy.

power adaptors - China does use the same 2 prong as the US but it seems to be of a slighly different shape. the US plug does work as I found out. The China plug doesn' have the holes on each plug like America. Not sure what the purpose of that. I had bought the Apple World Traveler Kit. Apple power plugs usually have the plug detatchable from the adaptor and you can get interchangable progs ($40 US for a box of 6 of them for most countries). Seems like I don't need it. Though the US 3 plug with ground won't work here. So a power strip from America wouldn't work.

[liuzhou]

Oy vey, their website is in chinese and I can't find the ENGLISH link.

Er. it's at the top where it says "ENGLISH"

Anyway, here's a link

[jinjin]

Air China: filtered bottled water from flight attendants walking up and down the aisle so you don't have to squeeze past the two sleeping people next to you is GREAT.

otherwise, I agree, you can drink water out of the faucet from the bathroom.

Air China also played some good movies, but the earplugs are usually screwy. From online reviews, that was also a common complaint so it wasn't just my earplugs (the sound would fade in and out at times). Otherwise, they were very nice. Flying in from Beijing to JFK, both my bags were a few kilograms heavy and they didn't charge me or make me take things out. Flying United from O'Hare to Beijing made me take out and carry around a towel when it was .7 pounds over or else they would charge me $50USD. I hate United.

It might be different flying out of the U.S. and JFK no less on AirChina. I'm sure the flight attendants are just as nice, I'm just not sure if they are lenient on the baggage weight.

But the good news is if you end up buying a lot and your bags are overweight, you probably won't have a problem with AirChina bringing your stuff back, which is what you seem more concerned about.

[Lindsay]

I've flown both United and Air China a few times when I was younger. I thought United had better in-flight service where they give you toiletry bags and such, but maybe that was in the olden days?

As far as seating goes, I think Air China uses 747-400s so any advice on which seats to request? My mom is also traveling with me so ideally, we want to be in the two-seaters at the back of the plane. Are those reserved for special guests? My mom also flew with them last year, but after the New year festival and she said the plane was so empty that the flight attendants took the liberty of scattering all the passengers so to give everyone more leg/sleep room. But I think the flights will be packed in this post-spring festival rush. Hopefully not!

I went onto the english version of Air china's website and it is very basic. Their flight schedule checker only gives general information. I was hoping it'd be more up to date with current information, like Delta or US airways... I browsed onto Air China's wikipedia page and it said there was a recent "incident" last month involving a flight from JFK to Beijing where the plane clipped off a part of the wing to a Delta plane...

[jinjin]

I can only speak to my experience on AirChina versus United and I prefer AirChina.

As for clipping the wing off the delta plane, I'm hoping that was when both planes were on the ground!

I sat in the two-seater in the back flying United. I don't think it is restricted. Just call AirChina--I'm sure they can help you!

[Lindsay]

Thanks for the info! I will def call Air China to ask about the seats.

Are there self-tanning lotions in the walmarts and carrefours? Even though pale skin is considered "desireable" I am not so crazy about it. Is there a huge selection of the stuff? I need to tan myself so I don't look like a pale & pasty ghost.

[zarathustra]

Speaking of health stuff, anyone know if there are health food stores? I miss my Whole Foods. I was hoping to find fish oil (liquid, have found capsules), acidophilus, and bentonite clay. Any decent natural foods store or a vitamin shop significantly better than GNC might have 'em. Hope someone can point me in the right direction.