Author Topic: Bringing gifts into China  (Read 2042 times)

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brett

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Bringing gifts into China
« on: September 26, 2009, 01:02:35 pm »
Hi guys,

Is it OK to bring food gifts into China or will customs get twitchy? I thought I'd bring my lady and her family some iconic English food (Heinz beans, biscuits etc.). Obviously I won't bring cheese or meat or stuff that will arouse suspicion :dodgy:.

Is there anything in particular the Chinese like, or is difficult to get over there? My lady comes from a smallish city, so I guess there isn't a foreign food supermarket there like there will be in Shanghai or Beijing.

Also my prospective father in law likes red wine (believing it to be beneficial to health) - is it easy to find decent bottles of French plonk over there? I don't really want to take glass bottles in my luggage. He drinks Chinese red wine apparently, but how good that is I have no idea!

Cheers guys!

Offline maxx

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RE: Bringing gifts into China
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2009, 01:05:23 pm »
Chocalate and wine will be fine.Just wrap the wine bottle up good before you put it in your bags.

David5o

  • Guest
RE: Bringing gifts into China
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2009, 01:20:26 pm »
Brett,

I can assure you they will have Hienz baked beans in the bigger supermarkets and an array of biscuits from several different countries. Your assuming that China is still behind the bamboo curtain/wall, ...it isn't!!

You'll obviously be very surprised when you visit a decent sized supermarket in China, there won't be many things that your familiar with, that you wont see....

Your still thinking that her city of 4 million inhabitants is small, ....it isn't small at all, not even by Chinese standards.....

If you want to take something over to China, take something that is from your neck of the woods, a specialty item, that is unlikely to be found in China. Be it some sort of craft, speacialty foods, or Brew, just about anything really, but nothing that  will be common garden type stuff that you find in our supermarkets. The chances are.... they have it there too!!!!

David.....
« Last Edit: September 26, 2009, 01:22:48 pm by David5o »

brett

  • Guest
RE: Bringing gifts into China
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2009, 01:47:39 pm »
Well I got some posh tea from Fortnum & Mason for my beloved's mother. I'll bring some classic English stuff as well.

I know that you can get all kinds of stuff in China these days, but I've heard conflicting stuff from my lady. I know there is a Pizza Hut there, but she didn't know the Yoshinoya noodle chain, and she didn't have much luck finding the Besta translator I was after.

I did get a moon cake in China Town this afternoon, she will be impressed with that!

David5o

  • Guest
RE: Bringing gifts into China
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2009, 01:56:01 pm »
Brett,

I hope you got green tea for her mother, and not our black tea that we all drink?? Black tea, posh or otherwise is regarded and seen as not being good for you in China!!!!

David....
« Last Edit: September 26, 2009, 01:57:46 pm by David5o »

brett

  • Guest
RE: Bringing gifts into China
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2009, 02:08:32 pm »
Yes, it is green tea. They are the most health obsessed couple in all of China! But I suspect a lot of re-gifting goes on.