summer clothing?

[Wahed]

I live in tropical place where it is warm (not hot) almost every single day of the year but I still choose to dress up everyday whenever I go out and do anything. For me this means always wearing pants and long sleeve shirts. When I go to class at my uni, I always wear dress shoes, dress pants, a collared shirt, a tie, and a straw driver's cap. (the clothing is cotton and the tie is silk)

 

http://www.travelchinacheaper.com/china-travel-packing-checklist

 

^ So, I was reading this article about what to wear in China. The article mentioned something that picqued my interest:

 

- "It is very difficult to locate a dryer in China."

^ The article then recommended that one should only use "quick dry" clothing. I was wondering if my usual attire will be an issue for Chinese summers in Beijing?

 

I would think that a lot of Chinese people dress like this (collared shirt with slacks) daily so I should be ok...??

[Lu]

Consider leaving the tie home and wearing short-sleeve shirts in summer. Beijing summers are very hot and sweaty.

 

To my knowledge there are plenty of drycleaners in Beijing, so that shouldn't be an issue. (I don't know about the rest of China, quite possible that they are harder to locate in smaller cities.)

[ChTTay]

By "dryer" I think the OP means the things like look like a washing machine... But are used to dry clothes, rather than a dry cleaner. Could be wrong.

If you mean a dryer in that sense, I've never seen one here. However, in Beijing they aren't necessary. Just hang your clothes up to dry.

For dry cleaners, I lived in a smaller city, albeit a capital of a province and there were dry cleaners.

[889]

Nothing to worry about. Dress as you feel comfortable. Not odd at all in China to dress a bit formally.

Easy to find a laundry, not self-service, that will handle wash and dry. Or do what most people do and let your clothes just dry themselves.

[roddy]

You're going to be quite a bit more formal than the other students, but if you're happy with that, no problem. Bear in mind that, as Lu said, Beijing (you're going to Beijing, yes?) has hot and humid summers (and maybe non-airconditioned classrooms) so you may want to consider sandals, shorts and short-sleeved shirts. Assuming you're in dorms I'd imagine you'll have laundry facilities. 

[Lu]

I also don't recall ever coming across a dryer in Beijing, but I agree with ChTTay that you don't need one. It sometimes takes barely half a day for clothes to dry and never longer than a day. That's at least a big advantage of Beijing weather.

[ChTTay]

Agree with student attire in summer ... shorts, flip flops, t-shirts all round! the odd vest thrown in. Smart!

[Brian US]

I think a collared shirt is doable, but you are going to need an iron. I've had thin collared shirts dry quickly on the porch (couple hours with breeze), but you will rarely find a dryer machine.

 

I didn't think a buttoned-up shirt with the rolled up sleeves, and first button or two undone, was too bad in the summer (especially at night).

[Wahed]

1.

Thank you for the replies for the clothing. I think I will have to pass on the casual attire. But I have decided to purchase semi-formal clothing made of fabric suitable for hotter areas. It is always warm here and never hot so I never considered this before now. With the holiday this weekend, I am planning on purchasing linen, seersucker, and twill clothing. That should take care of whatever hotness that Beijing weather will try to throw at me. (and body powder, of course)

 

2.

What about the rain? I have been recently reading about the summer being the rainy season in Beijing. I am considering purchasing a full body rain suit and maybe rain boots. I say maybe because I am having a hard time finding rain boots here and I am hesitant to order online since my flight will be leaving pretty quickly.

 

But if the rain isn't really a big deal then I will forego all of this.

 

Also, the dorm has washers and dryers. (and they're both free too!) I received an email about this earlier. So, that takes care of that concern.

[ChTTay]

It doesn't rain much whatever time of year, at least not by UK standards. Certainly not enough to merit full body rain suit. I assume you mean fully waterproof pants and jacket here ... not a poncho type thing.

 

A decent umbrella will be fine.

[889]

While things like good shoes and good socks can be difficult to find in China, decent outerwear is everywhere, so I wouldn't worry about packing that sort of stuff.

[Wahed]

Another small thing I read online before I bought the new summer fabrics I mentioned in my last post is that I should not bring very nice clothing to China because the water will ruin it or something like that. I think this may be totally inaccurate and referring to the countryside or something. I don't see Beijing being any different from any other major urban city in Asia such Tokyo or Seoul in this regard. I never had an issue in either of those cities. So, I just wanted to quickly ask here before I brush aside that information. Is there anything to worry about regarding this or should I just ignore it and bring any type of fabric I like? (linen, etc.)

[889]

I don't know much about either fine clothes or washing, but the water in some areas of Beijing is hard -- with a high mineral content -- and perhaps that has an effect on fine fabrics. In any event, if I had something of very good quality I'd probably have it dry cleaned, not washed.

[Wahed]

Dry cleaning is very expensive here. I'm curious the costs there and if it is by piece or by load, etc.

 

I'm not sure if what I have is "fine" fabric though, it's linen and pima cotton mostly. (and a bit of silk)

[889]

I don't think dry cleaning is that expensive, and I assume it's charged by the piece.

 

Linen and fine cotton with a bit of silk mixed in doesn't sound like stuff I'd hand over to a commercial wet laundry, but what do I know.

[Lu]

Dry cleaning is charged by piece (at least it was at my dry cleaner's). I don't recall it being particularly expensive, but that of course depends on how often you need it and what your budget is.

I also don't recall my Beijing washing machine or the water in it as being especially bad for my clothes, but then I tend to only buy clothes that are very washable, ie not linen or silk. Chinese washing machines usually only have cold water. Quality of washing machines in dormitories may vary, and depending on the dorm, its inhabitants and the general washing machine setup, theft of clothes is something to perhaps take into account if your clothes are especially nice.

 

I don't see Beijing being any different from any other major urban city in Asia such Tokyo or Seoul in this regard.

I don't have much relevant knowledge of Beijing water (apart from that it's not very healthy to drink), but why would you see Beijing as similar to Tokyo or Seoul? It's in a completely different country, with water from different sources, different regulations on water cleanliness and a different (political) system for enforcing these regulations.