Comments on: From China

Question: From China

Napierzaza — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 11:03:05 -0800

I have a friend coming in from China in a few weeks and they offered to get me anything I wanted (cheap of course). But I'm stumped, what is really good that is made from China that I can ask for?

By: SpecialK

SpecialK — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 11:13:19 -0800

Depends on your tastes. I had a friend bring my sister some carved jade jewelry... astoundingly inexpensive over there.

By: Slothrop

Slothrop — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 11:15:20 -0800

I brought back kites for some relatives (fun to play with, very cool to look at). Also silk. Some people purchase pearls there, as well. And finally scrolls (aka Chinese writing) although this takes some discrimination.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 11:32:29 -0800

ibm laptops? ipods? isn't everything made in china these days?

By: stet

stet — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 11:50:53 -0800

One of those really cool harps from the movie Hero. A guqin, by name.

By: ajbattrick

ajbattrick — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 12:02:31 -0800

Made in China

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 12:43:40 -0800

ibm laptops? ipods? isn't everything made in china these days?

Seriously, not a bad idea. Electronics purchased in the Pacific Rim are, without fail, less expensive and about 5 years ahead of what you can get in the States.

The caveat, of course, is that the opearting instructions and operating systems involved will all be in some f'r'nr language. Damn f'r'nrs.

By: lorrer

lorrer — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 12:56:13 -0800

cheap dvds

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 13:19:22 -0800

Bamboo flooring!

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 13:47:07 -0800

what might be fun would be an obvious knockoff of something: Diar or Gocci clothes, a Ralex watch, an IBN computer... : >

(and i don't think dvds will play here--different regions)

By: matteo

matteo — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 14:01:27 -0800

cheap, excellent green tea.
flawless silk.
pretty good cashmere.
original Mao gadgets

amber, knock-off Chinese dvds are set to Region 0, no Macrovision

By: Staggering Jack

Staggering Jack — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 14:05:36 -0800

How about a cheap suit or, better yet, a silk comforter?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 14:13:34 -0800

ahhh

silk would be a fabulous gift--just enough for pillows or curtains or something.

By: Snyder

Snyder — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 14:23:23 -0800

In China, they have these kick-ass thermos type things, which keep tea steaming for, like, days., with just a cork on top. No glass either, if memory serves. I still kick myself for not getting one when I was there.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 14:36:14 -0800

I second a silk comforter! if someone brought me back a silk comforter from china, or anywhere else, I would tumble for them.

By: Staggering Jack

Staggering Jack — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 14:48:16 -0800

Sleeping under a silk comforter is like sleeping with the gods (or at least their bed coverings). Keep in mind, though, that they usually have a cotton cover and are not necessarily silky on the outside.

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 15:04:00 -0800

A mate got me a North Face hikers jacket that definitely was not Gore-Tex, though the logo, labelling and all else asserted it was. Be careful - seems that there's a fair amount of stuff that the chinese can fake. As i suppose, any one can...they're just the current masters of it.

By: vronsky

vronsky — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 15:27:44 -0800

My parents brought me back a mao type jacket ( short collar, dark blue ) from China and I loved it. One of the best jackets I have ever owned.

I slept under a silk comforter for years and can attest that it is pure heaven. Mine was silk on the outside with raw silk filling. i think Garnet Hill sells pretty much the same thing for around 200 dollars.

By: graventy

graventy — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:54:05 -0800

How about one of those funky instruments from Kung Fu Shuffle? Any instrument that shoots invisible weapons at people is cool in my book.

By: IndigoJones

IndigoJones — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:54:34 -0800

pretty good cashmere.

Be aware- Chinese cashmere has been known to be cut with angora.

Scratchy.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 18:09:21 -0800

How about a wife?

By: Scoo

Scoo — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 18:36:50 -0800

A Chinese friend of mine surprised me with a beautiful Double Happiness table tennis paddle when she returned from a trip to the mainland. It's awesome.

By: Wolof

Wolof — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 19:28:09 -0800

Get the silk doona. You'll never look back, and they last 20-30 years.

By: alidarbac

alidarbac — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 19:55:15 -0800

Seriously, not a bad idea. Electronics purchased in the Pacific Rim are, without fail, less expensive and about 5 years ahead of what you can get in the States.

For the most part, electronics are not cheaper in mainland China. Yeah, you'd think with the fact that so much is manufactured there that they would be cheaper, but for the most part (except for low-quality stuff like a knock-off flash MP3 player) they're not.

By: sour cream

sour cream — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 23:13:29 -0800

amberglow: (and i don't think dvds will play here--different regions)

In that case, why not ask your friend to bring you back a region-free dvd player? They go for about 50 bucks over there.

And, DON'T ask him for Maotai. Unless you want to poison someone.

By: randomstriker

randomstriker — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 01:10:22 -0800

cheap dvds are pirated dvds. I have no moral qualms about them but would advise against going through customs with them, espcially under the current DCMA regime.

By: Slothrop

Slothrop — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 06:46:27 -0800

I went through customs with a few 'cheap' DVDs (5) and a friend went through with 50. We were told ALL DVDs in China are pirated. Our Chinese hosts advised us to take them out of the cases. Leave the cases in China and carry the DVDs interspersed with CDs in a CD booklet. We mostly bought Chinese movies that wouldn't be available here in the US.

And yes, many things seem to be knockoffs even though they have all the correct appearances. I bought a pair of Pumas for $20 that have very hard soles and didn't appear anywhere on Puma.com. My friend bought some retro Air Jordans, which also ended up having very hard soles, so we dubbed them Air Gordons.

By: MrZero

MrZero — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:11:12 -0800

I personally will be placing an order for a faux Rolex the next time my friend flies to China. But that's just me.

By: trinarian

trinarian — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 14:01:55 -0800

Dude... ask for a Mao pocket watch. My friend got one for me. Greatest. Gift. Ever. When someone asks you the time, you get to say, "The Chairman says,..." !!!!