The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
Please vote in the Forum Structure Poll. Polling will close at 2PM EST on January 21, 2025.
Help me think of shit to bring from China
Loren Michael
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm in China, I've been here for about two years. Finally going to go beck to America on the 17th. Help me think of cool shit to bring friends back home.
I'm gonna bring a bunch of high quality tea, I know that much. Not sure what else though.
I'm gonna bring a bunch of high quality tea, I know that much. Not sure what else though.
Loren Michael on
0
Posts
Some Mao paraphernalia such as the little red book, revolutionary alarm clock, or shirts.
The I
Super hot Chinese girls would be a huge hit for your friends, though maybe difficult to fit in your luggage.
I really enjoy play Jianzi (the chinese hackey-sack weight and feathers thing), so I brought several with me when I went back to Canada.
Go (the ancient game).
an Ayi or two.
An 'Eagle DS' (nintendo DS knockoff) plus games.
There's a lot of Chinese snacks I'd recommend you take home and share. Lots of preserved things like chicken feet, spicy vacuum-sealed tofu, milk-replacers, etc.
You can also buy these 'art' DVDs in some shops that are just nude girls walking around in fields and being super sexy. Show them how insanely gorgeous Chinese girls are. Rendering American girls totally inferior.
When my boyfriend goes to the Philippines on business he usually brings back watches, handbags (sweeeeeeet), TV seasons of stuff you can't afford to buy but think you might enjoy (Rome, for eg). You know what I'm talking about here. His aunts are about 45-50 and they were all like OMG FAKE PRADA BAG!
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
The Mao lighters that play a Chinese anthem, or other song. I brought back like 6 of those as funny, cheap gifts for people - I should have brought more like 36. Everybody wanted one, and I don't know many people who smoke at all. Those things are just plain amusing, and I think just about everyone I showed one to agreed on that.
SteamID: devCharles
twitter: https://twitter.com/charlesewise
Same thing goes for copies of furniture classics where you could buy the actual furniture but they will be harder to transport. Also I'm not sure if it's legal to bring in junk like that.
Let me know where I can pick some of this stuff up. There's a decent night market here...
If you happen to know someone's measurements, getting a tailored shirt would be the coolest thing.
Also: wander around some of the flea markets. In Beijing, one of my friends found a 75 round drum magazine for his AK. He bought it for like 20 RMB. You can also get customized chops made at these places, which work for gifts.
Decent pearls? YES.
I know this jewelry store carrying a cheapo set of hideous mismatched cultured pearls for 35$ I'm sure you could find a kick ass set (or two) and be someones savior gift wise. They are light and you could take a fair amount of them without issue. Or better yet just keep them on you so they don't get pilfered from your luggage.
Damn the World is a strange place. I could imagine a 75 round magazine be of use to me in the virtual world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. but in real life - OMG LOL
He more of picked it up for the idea of: holy crap, look what I found someone selling in a place where guns are illegal.
I can't tell because I live in the world's 2nd country with most piracy.
[x] Radisson Hotel Boston
[x] Pre-Pax Dinner
[x] BYOC and 3 Day Pass
Kidding aside, just think about what you miss from America, as its probably the best stuff that they don't get.
EDIT: I... definitely got this in the wrong direction. Ignore me.
Also I don't think the AK magazine would cause any problems either.
I've heard of people bringing back silk scarved before, I think they're pretty famous near where you're at Loren. I'm not personally a fan of that kind of gift, but if you know someone's tastes pretty well, like your mother's or sisters it could work. Pearls are a good idea, but I try to shy away from jewelry because I don't know anything about it.
My friend had gotten one of those from a relative who went to China. That thing was out of fluid within a couple of weeks just from people lighting and relighting it to watch the lights, and listen to the song.
Seriously those lighters will garner the "OOOOH! AHHHH! EEEE!!!" response, and you'll be in the midst of a heated Q&A about China from everyone around when that thing is lit.
I would also suggest getting some traditional chinese jewelry for the ladies. Its usually very pretty, and comes in varieties of colors.
You could also abstain from changing over some of the smaller denominations of money and giving those to people. It seems like everyone always shows off money from other countries. Along with that newspapers, magazines, comic books. Even if they can't read it people would like to see how things are presented, and laid out as opposed to Western/English speaking countries.
That lighter sounds nice, but I have no idea what it looks like. I'll peek around tonight or tomorrow, see if something like it catches my eye.
Those lighters should be easily spotted in almost any store selling cheap trinkets for tourists. There were roughly a bazillion guys selling them at the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, and I saw them in all sorts of store windows and stalls in major cities as well. They look like a basic zippo, in silver or similar, with the same type of flip top, with a little picture/mold of Mao on the front.
The other thing that was amusing about the lighters was that the flame was more like a mini blowtorch than a typical lighter - a blue flame that made an audible wooshing noise while lit.
There were also similar lighters modeled after Mao's Little Red Book that also played music, though it was a different song, and the flames were like a typical lighter. Still amusing, but not as much.
Wait, inspiration strikes - to the youtubes! This is what I'm talking about. Not exactly the same look, but close, and that's definitely the same song and same jet-style flame. Find those. Lots of those :P
http://www.tjgeneralstore.com/ak-47_drum_mag.htm
I would disagree. It's illegal to own in a few states now, why screw with it?
I stand corrected. At first thought I wouldn't have thought it too big of a deal, but I guess its better safe than sorry for this kind of thing.
By few do you mean 43/50? It only lists 7 states (it says NYC, but I know for a fact it's illegal in NY) but "high capacity" magazines aren't illegal in most states.