What to buy in China…What not to buy in China

This past week I’ve been spending my time getting everything ready for my upcoming trip to China. This will be the fifth time traveling from the United States to China, so I have my routine down pretty well. Before my first trip to China, I distinctively remember a feeling that I would need to buy all necessary items for my trip before I left the US. While there certainly is worth to the old Boy Scout adage of “always be prepared,” you can save yourself quite a bit of money buy waiting until you arrive in China to buy certain products. Here’s a rundown, from my experience, of what to buy in China, and what to buy before you go to China.

过去一周我都在为即将到来的中国之行做准备, 这将是我的第5次从美赴中之行,所以准备工作倒也也驾轻就熟.我记得第一次去中国前那种打算把所有必需品都买足的感觉,当然,就像那句成语"always be prepared",当你到了中国的时候,会发现这其中有些东西确实能为你省下或多或少的钱. 那根据我的经验,来小小总结下，哪些东西应该在中国买,那些应该在去之前买.

Contact and glasses

The last time I bought a pair of glasses in the US, they cost me $250 USD. The last time I bought a pair in China they were only 400 RMB (approx $60 US). The frame quality was similar, and I could see perfectly out of both of them. For this upcoming trip to China I plan to buy 2 new pairs of glasses, a full-year supply of contact lenses, and athletic goggles. When I figured everything out, I estimate I will save around $500, compared to buying them in the US. Moral of the story: stock up on eyewear in the Middle Kingdom, and save yourself a bundle of money.

眼镜

我在美国买的上一副眼镜花了我$250,但在中国买的上一副眼镜却仅花了RMB 400元(约$60),完全看不出两者在质量上有什么区别.此次中国之行我打算再买两副,一副年换隐型眼镜和一副运动护目镜,粗略计算了一下,与在美国购买相比,大概能省$500.在发展中国家买眼镜够便宜，这点是绝对没错的.

Footwear

Last week I bought a pair of Teva sandals. They cost me 50 dollars. I bought my previous pair of Tevas for the same price two years before I first left for China. I wore them throughout my junior and senior year of college, before finally throwing them out after my first semester in China (a total of nearly 3 years). After that point, I went through a series of Chinese Teva
knock-offs each purchased for around 100 RMB (approx $14 USD). The longest any of them lasted before completely falling apart was four months. I’ve had similar experiences with athletic shoes and hiking boots. Additionally, if you wear bigger than a size 10 US, don’t even think about shopping for shoes in China. You’re wasting your time. Footwear may be cheap in China, but when you consider how often they need replacing, you pay almost the same as you would had you bought the name brand. Do yourself and your feet a favor and buy your footwear before you go to China.
Note: Name brand shoes such as Nike and Reebok can be purchased in most Chinese major cities, but will typically cost more than they do in the US.

足部用品

上周买了一双$50的Teva凉鞋,我的上一双也是Teva,是两年前第一次到中国之前买的,穿了2学年,直到去中国读书的时候才扔掉,加起来穿了差不多有3年.之后我在中国穿过起码一打RMB 100多($16)一双的Teva鞋,最坚挺的差不多能坚持四个月不完全散架,在运动鞋和旅游鞋方面我有太多相似体验了.如果你在穿的鞋尺码超过size 10,那么就别浪费时间试图在中国买到你能穿的鞋了.中国鞋是很便宜，不过你要考虑一下更换频率先哦,总价算起来差不多和一双品牌鞋价格差不多了.为了你自己还有你的脚着想一下，最好要在去中国前买鞋.
Nike,Reebok这样的名牌在中国大城市都能买到,不过售价明显要比在美国贵的多.

Cigarettes
Chinese cigarettes come in many varieties, both expensive and cheap. The ones I most often see smoked by foreigners cost around 7-8 RMB a pack (approx $1 USD). Currently cigarettes in Chicago are selling just under $8 a pack. So from a cost-basis standpoint, it’s certainly worth it to puff on those Zhong Nan Hai’s while you’re in the Middle Kingdom. Be warned however, from my limited cigarette smoking experience, Chinese cigarettes are considerably stronger than American ones, and contain more even tar and nicotine. Most Chinese kiosks do sell “Marlboros,” but 99% of them are just Chinese cigarettes in Marlboro packaging. If by chance you are looking to gain some face with Chinese men, bring a carton of real Marlboro cigarettes to distribute as gifts. Make sure the recipients know these Marlboros are the real ones, purchased in the US, not bought in China. Do not give cigarettes to Chinese women as gifts.
香烟

中国香烟种类繁多,贵的便宜的都有,我见的中国人大多抽的价位在RMB 7-8一包的的香烟(大约$1),现在芝加哥香烟卖价一般也在$8每包以下,对比来说，在这样的发展中国家抽中南海对我们来说还是比较划算的,需要注意的是,从我有限的抽烟经验来说，中国烟和美国烟比起来,味道够狠,尼古丁和焦油含量较高.也有许多报亭卖万宝路,不过99%的都不过是装在万宝路盒子里的中国烟,有机会的话，给中国朋友带一些正品万宝路,还是能赢得一些面子的,最好让他们知道这是真货,是在美国而不是中国买的,另外,绝对不要把香烟作为礼物送给中国女孩哦。

Toiletries
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, combs, brushes, cue tips, hairspray and just about any other bathroom product imaginable can be purchased in China for a fraction of their cost in the US. There’s no reason to risk having them leak or explode during your flight, when you could just buy them in China cheaper than they would cost back home. The one exception to this rule is deodorant, which by in large the Chinese do not use. When it is used, it is somewhat of a low-volume specialty item and can be more expensive than it would be abroad. In major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, deodorant can be purchased in most department stores, but if you’re going anywhere else, you may want to bring your own, just to be safe.

护理用品

只需花美国物价的一小部分便可以在这边轻易买到牙膏,牙刷,漱口水,洗发水,护发素,梳子,刷子,定型膏,cue tips(台球枪头??)这类用品,实在没理由冒着渗漏和破裂的风险,带着这些玩意漂洋过海,就算如此,到了中国你只会发现你够蠢的.有些特别的小量装的产品可能会比国外要贵一些。在北京，上海这样的城市里，通常能在百货商店买到除臭剂,你去别的地方的话，为了保险,最好自行携带.

Electronics
These days, many name-brand electronic devices such as laptops, cell phones, PDAs, and cameras are produced in China. However, this does NOT mean they are cheaper when purchased in the Middle Kingdom. In fact, most name brand electronics are actually more expensive in China than they are in the United States. The only electronics which will be cheaper in China are inexpensive, off-brand, Chinese-made devices such as MP3 players and cell phones. However, the quality on many of these devices can be suspect. From my experience, you’ll be lucky if they last more than a few months. To avoid any hassles, buy your electronics before you go to China.

电子产品

尽管中国现在是许多名牌电子产品,诸如笔记本电脑,手机,PDA,还有摄影摄像机的生产地,却并不以为着这些东西在发展中国家卖得便宜,相反,大多数名牌电子产品的售价远远高于美国本土,只是那些中国国产的,非名牌的电子产品，像MP3,手机这类的卖的还不算贵.尽管如此,这些产品的质量依然值得怀疑,如果你能用几个月应该算幸运,为了避免争议和纠纷，电子产品还是去中国前买.

Cell Phones
Chinese cell phones all use SIM cards. The SIM card can be taken out and replaced by another one, effectively switching your cell number. If your phone uses SIM cards, try taking it with you and buying a Chinese SIM card (approx $5 USD). For owners of phones which do not have a SIM card slot, you are going to need to buy a new phone in China, which is not cheap (the cheaper ones start at around $100 USD). However, the service will be much cheaper than what you would pay for an international plan. If your phone uses the cards, take it with and try your luck. If it doesn’t, just leave it at home.

手机

中国手机用的是SIM卡,通常可以随意更换，如果你的手机可以用SIM卡,那就带上,去中国买一张卡，大约$5,对于手机不能使用SIM卡的用户,那就不得不在中国买一支新手机了，价格也不便宜，稍微便宜点的一般都是$100起,尽管如此,如果订购某项国际业务的话，费用会有所减少.如果手机用SIM的话,带上试试,不用SIM卡就丢家里拉.

Clothing
Most clothing in China comes in 2 kinds. There’s the expensive, glitzy, name-brand stuff, of which each article costs more than the average migrant worker’s monthly salary. Then there’s the cheap stuff, in which each item usually costs no more than a meal at McDonald’s. I have encountered two major problems with cheap Chinese clothing. Firstly, like shoes, the quality is generally not good. If you buy a shirt for 20 RMB, look at it like clothing rental, since it’s probably going to fall apart after a couple washes anyway. The other problem is that Chinese clothing styles are very different from those worn in the West, and finding clothes which appeal to Western tastes can be a taxing experience. If you’re tall, matters will be even more complicated. I’m 6 feet 1 inch. When I would finally find a shirt or pair of pants in China which appealed to my tastes, more often than not it wouldn’t come in my size anyway. Make matters simple and buy your clothes before you get to the Middle Kingdom.
With all this in mind, my bags are packed—clothing, shoes, deodorant, and electronics all in place. Next post will be coming from Beijing.
*These comparisons all come from US prices. I can’t vouch for prices in other Western countries.

服装

中国的大多数服装分为两种,一种是昂贵的名牌,一件衣服通常可以花掉一个平均收入水平的中国人一个月的收入还不止,另外一种就是便宜货拉,通常在麦当劳吃一餐的花费就可以买一件,不过我通常会遇到两个最严重的问题,一个是质量,就像鞋子一样,质量通常都不怎么好,一件RMB 20的T恤,洗两水之后,看起来就像租来的破烂货.另一个就是款式和西方区别实在太大，要找到适合自己口味的实在是难.如果你够高，尺码问题将更让人郁闷,我身高6尺1寸,我最终发现解决自己的尺码问题要比解决自己的品位问题更为困难,解决方法就是去中国前还是最好买好衣服.

鉴于上述考虑,我的行李中包含衣服,鞋子,除臭剂,以及电子产品.
以上价格均参考美国本土状况,并不代表其他西方国家.

Bosco's note:This article wrote by FuzhouBen from Haohaorepor.com in 2006, the improvent displayed in the reply of this article is coming soon.