Things to bring to China if thinking about moving here

[Johnny20270]

@liuzhou

The point of my post is to inform new people who are thinking of coming here what they might need. Few of m,y class mates don't know any Chinese people so are clueless sofar. Good tip about the adapter though!

 

As regards Taobao, a few people have told me that you need to be careful about taobao. They have bought western cosmetics from stores, even have thousands of excellent reviews, yet the products were clearly fake. They think its because many Chinese reviewers have never seen the real product so don't know its fake. They told me they did a side by side comparison, i.e. compared the remaining stocks from UK to the one bought of taobao and it had a different smell, texture etc

 

Anyone had that experience? I have not bought anything on taobao so don't know

 

But my point stands, why take the chance? Just bring it all with you!

[ChTTay]

@liuzhou

The point of my post is to inform new people who are thinking of coming here what they might need.

 

 

 

You did also say 'thoughts welcome'! Some peoples thoughts are... don't worry too much, taobao has everything.

 

Could be right about fake products but I've not encountered that myself. My girlfriend orders quite a bit of stuff from there of Korean and American origin and nothing has seemed off. You are that we may not know what it should be like. Hard to say. All seems to do the job!

 

There are also online guides floating around how to use Taobao without knowing Chinese. They just take you through step by step with screen shots. Might be easier just to make a Chinese friend though.

[abcdefg]

But my point stands, why take the chance? Just bring it all with you!

 

@Johnny -- You may not yet realize the full resources available here.

 

When I first arrived, I thought, "Oh, I can't find this and I can't find that. Wish I had brought some along." But gradually, over time, I've discovered that the same items actually do exist here or at least that there are acceptable substitutes.

 

Sometimes takes a bit of looking and asking around. Old timers like @ChTTay and @Liuzhou can help with that process.

[XuanWu]

if you are from south europe, than bring one luggage with olive oil . Big mistake i didnt..

[abcdefg]

if you are from south europe, than bring one luggage with olive oil

 

That's an example of what I meant in post #23, above.

 

Olive oil is readily available in almost every supermarket, but you have to ask for it because it's usually not sitting out together with the other less expensive domestic cooking oils.

[XuanWu]

sorry i was not clear. It is availiable but is expensive and low quality(for my spoiled tongue).

[abcdefg]

I understand, @XuanWu. There's nothing quite like the products from home.

 

I feel the same way about cheese. The cheese I can buy here in Kunming is imported, expensive, and not very good.

[Johnny20270]

@abcdefg: yeah, your right, many things do exist here and can be obtained, but you many have to go out of your way to get them such as a good cheese as you mention. Its very easy in the UK to pick up a nice strong french cheese in just about any supermarket but here its not that common or you have to go out of your way. I hate shopping at the best of times so will have to do with out.

 

(I don't think bringing a mature blue cheese on  a 12 hour flight is a good idea lol)

 

Oh a very important one which I recommend first timers to pack is their own countries diarrhea tablets. Sure you can get them here but when you really need them the last thing you want to be doing is leaving your apartment to go off and find a pharmacy and try explain what you want.  I had a god-awful experience in Kunming when I got food poisoning! Had a ten minute window. 

[abcdefg]

Oh a very important one which I recommend first timers to pack is their own countries diarrhea tablets. Sure you can get them here but when you really need them the last thing you want to be doing is leaving your apartment to go off and find a pharmacy and try explain what you want.

 

I sure do agree with that!

[hedwards]

I was lucky in that the main thing I couldn't find was peanut butter. I could find Jif, but that is not peanut butter, it's what chemists think of when they are in the lab. Fortunately, peanut butter is easy enough to make for yourself as I never had any trouble finding peanuts and I'm sure there's plenty of places to get grinders for it. Or at least Taobao.

 

One of the things I'd recommend is bringing luggage like http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=8&id=139 , it was an absolute God send with all the travelling and transfers I was making to be able to just pull out the backpack straps and wear the thing like a backpack. What's more, even after all that abuse it still looks practically new.

[Simon_CH]

Many stores in Beijing have different imported peanut butter, Jenny Lou's and April's Gourmet, but also Metro for example.

 

I think generally you can get almost anything here, not too much things I truly miss, though many imported things are a lot more expensive.

 

What I always bring in is electronics, even Hong Kong is not a great choice anymore nowadays. Though careful about bringing a smart phone, you are limited in which telcom provider let's you use 4g/3g. But that's another thread.

 

Biggest difference in prices I've found so far is Nespresso coffee capsules. The machines are very cheap in Europe too, with the free capsules coupon they're about 25% of the price in China. So whever visits me always brings loads of capsules for me and friends.

[ChTTay]

Yeah, Peanut butter is fairly easy these days BUT it's usually not that good quality and, if it is, it can be around 70+ RMB for a normal sized jar of it. Too much.

 

These days I buy 'JIF' peanut butter that seems to be American. It tastes less fake than Skippy.

 

I miss organic peanut butter from home though. It's about 15rmb a go at home but no doubt it would be 70 or more if it was in Beijing.

 

Maybe next time I go home I'll just bring a suitcase full of the stuff and hawk it around Wudaokou.

[beaver4199]

Loo paper. Don't forget the loo paper!

Yes, I know its readily available, but you may need it from the start, especially away from the biggest cities, or if you are taken straight to the suburbs.

Best to have some on you (in your pocket or bag), and only have to buy replacements when it runs low, and you've have a chance to practice your Chinese.

[MarsBlackman]

Gum. This sounds silly but if you're a gum chewer, the gum in China (even foreign brands) loses its flavor pretty quickly. I always make sure to throw a couple packages of Orbit in my suitcase whenever I'm in the U.S.. 

 

Boots and shoes. I have a size 13 US and its impossible for me to buy shoes in China with any kind of comparable quality and price as home. I hear of many people having trouble finding suitable winter boots when winter rolls around.

[Johnny20270]

actually few others things are beginning to crop up like:

herbs and spices (European/US and Indian varieties). They are expensive and very few supermarkets near me have anything except "mixed herbs". Easy to carry, especially if you opt for the 'refill packs'.

Sweeties. Most seems to be on the US. I miss my Rowntrees Jelly babies  

 

As I mentioned earlier, yeah you can get a lot of things but if you really can't be assed spending half the day looking around like me I'd just throw a few into the bag.

[spiff]

I would definitely agree with some of the previous suggestions:

 

- shoes (if you have large feet, above european size 42)

 

- travel power adapter

 

- diarrhea medicine. Ask a doctor or travel clinic for something that you can take in case of a severe case (ie recurring or something beyond normal travellers' darrhea. I needed tinidazole for a giardia infection and Chinese hospitals merely told me to drink hot water). Also bring an anti-motility medicine like loperamide to reduce symptoms and let you get through the day. And bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to a public or restaurant toilet that's provided soap!

 

I'd also urge new arrivals to bring a few pairs of good earplugs. Ones sold here are mostly foam and nigh-on useless. Get beeswax or silicone plugs and you'll be glad of the respite from construction noise/snoring/music/ whatever.

 

Taobao is great but if you're starting from scratch it can take a while to get set up with an account and payment method etc.

[grawrt]

@ johnny20270~

 

BHG has herbs that are not mixed, but there isn't much of a selection. I found Oregano, Parsley, Dill, Rosemary, etc. They're not super expensive, maybe less than 15 if you get the ones in the packets.

 

But I agree, I wish I had brought spices from back home. I think when I go back for the winter I'll be bringing back quite a few

 

heres my addition:

Red Lentils. To make mercimek corba

 

btw does anyone know where I can buy barley or what the name for it is? My dad swears it can be found in China because when he lived here something like 50 years ago they had it.

[Johnny20270]

BHG has herbs that are not mixed, but there isn't much of a selection. I found Oregano, Parsley, Dill, Rosemary, etc. They're not super expensive, maybe less than 15 if you get the ones in the packets.

 

ok great, cheers for that

 

My dad swears it can be found in China because when he lived here something like 50 years ago they had it.

 

 

lol Sounds like my Dad, he says "go to so and so shop ... and ask for Jimmy".

er ...well ... that shop closed down in 1972 and Jimmy has been brown-bread for the last 20 years  

[roddy]

大麦 for barley. Don't know how available it is. 

[ChTTay]

@grawrt - Did I read somewhere you live in Wudaokou? D-Mart in WDK has a better selection of herbs and spcies than BHG. They have a better selection of everything. Including red lentils.

 

It's oppose the U-Centre mall, across the street, down a small 'walking street'. Before the cinema, after the subway.