Things to pack for 1 year study travel to Hangzhou

[Jamuna]

Hi friends,

 

September 7th I am travelling to Hangzhou. Joining in Zhejiang university for 1 year chinese language course.

 

What's troubling me is about packaging. What am i suppose to pack? I am from india, should i bring indian groceries from here? if yes, is there any food item banned in china? 

 

what kind of dresses should i bring? what is the weather in hangzhou is about? what are the must takes and what are the no need items? pls help.. i have not yet started my packing yet.. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[Shelley]

I am not sure if you need to take any foods but it would be best to check with the Embassy or some authority.

 

 I know some countries can have some very severe penalties for taking food across the borders.

 

Some foods are ok, but you need to very careful what you take and what you declare.

 

I am sorry I don't know the answers to the rest of your questions but I am sure someone will.

 

 

Hope you enjoy yourself and do well in your studies.

[Silent]

Basicly you should pack the same as for an ordinary vacation, however a little more may be handy as clothes will wear and tear and you probably don't want to wear the same couple of items everyday.

 

In the end it doesn't really matter what you pack as long as you have access to money (international atm-card/credit card) Everything you need can be bought locally. If there are things you really need like medicine or emotional items these should be brought too. Some medicine can be tricky due to drug laws, so check it well if applicable as the consequences may be severe..

[SER]

Hi Jamuna!

I'm also in the chinese language course and will go to Hangzhou in a few days. Don't worry if you haven't packed yet - neither have I! And I only have two days here left.

Basically, I will bring most of my clothes. Normal trousers, shirts, jackets, shoes, everything. I won't bring my winter coat or really warm boots, don't think it will be so cold (I don't know where you're from in India, but I'm from Germany and I guess it can be colder here than in Hangzhou). Here, you can see the average temperature: http://www.sonnenlaender.de/img/china/klima/klimadiagramm-hangzhou-temperaturen.gif

Apart from this, I'll pack things like my laptop, camera, some books, a few towels.

All in all, a bit more than for a usual trip, but no more than one suitcase.

Hope I could help a bit.
See you soon in Hangzhou!

[ChTTay]

If you intend to cook Indian food you may want to bring some spices with you. It's hard to find herbs and spices generally in China and they will likely be more expensive. You can probably buy them on taobao (huge online store) thoughh if you need to. Also, if you are in Hangzhou, Shanghai is not far away and it's likely they would have a lot more Western shops that might carry some of this kind of thing.

I recently brought back tea, chocolate, pickle, spices, sweets, and some sauces. Didn't have any problems.

No "groceries" as such, although usually some sealed sauces in jars or dry goods can be okay. Best not to bring too much. You can't bring meats, fruit or vegetables (or seeds) I don't think.

For clothing, you can buy anything extra you need but I would just pack a little bit for both summer and winter as you are here for a year. Winter's can be very cold here, although i'm not sure about HangHou specifically.

Bring any medicine that you think you might need. You might find you prefer the brands from home, rather than Chinese ones. You also don't have to worry about finding a certain medicine in China when you need it. You just have it ready.

[prateeksha]

Jamuna, I would recommend carrying spices. They are difficult to get and expensive, especially on Taobao. If you use ghee in cooking, you won't find it in China, in fact most fresh dairy products. But since you are from south India, I assume dairy won't be such an important requirement. Carry hair oil if you use. 

 

Pack a couple of saris for some occasions when you want to stand out 

 

 

EDIT: Carry pickles.

[Jamuna]

@Prateeksha.. Thanks for the information. I definitely would be carrying pickles.. 

 

@SER.. are you in Hangzhou now? Did you manage to find accommodation there??

[SER]

Yes, I am. I wrote about the accomodation in the other forum.

So far, I think I didn't forget anything I wasn't able to buy here. There is a shop just next to the international dorms on Yuquan Campus and a walmart not far away either. And lots of smal stores eeverywhere, of course. Most of the things here are cheaper than in Germany.

Maybe something against mosquitos, they seem to be everywhere.