What should I get while in China?

I am going to be in Shanghai and Beijing at the end of the month for a couple of weeks - what should I grab? I know there is quite a bit - so open ended, what would you all grab if you could if you were spending time out and had the ability to buy local while there?
Just curious really - I know of some gadgets and the like that are not currently available in the US - so just probing to see for ideas. :slight_smile:
Thanks!

Go to Shenzhen and pick some flashlights. Romisen brand are good (RC-W4, RC-N3, RC-F4, RC-T5, RC-T6 models). Pick one based on SSC P7 C bin. That is the currently brightest led on the marked. There you could also buy electronic devices and board.

EDIT. I guess it is going to be to far to go from Beijing or Shanghai to Shenzhen.

Thanks! i will look for those still :slight_smile:

One Beijing Bus ticket,
Two pair of traditional cotton shoes,
Three bags of Cheap gadgets from Silk Street,
Four types of Chinese Cuisine,
Five vanished bamboo sticks,
...
and Ten giga of photos! ;D

The thing I missed most while I was in US is decent Chinese casual food, and of cause the crowded markets of various kind. ^^

Go to Silk market, Pearl market or Yashow market in Beijing.
They are indoor markets filled with all kind of copies, such as clothes, watches, dvdยดs, consuls, electronics...
Be prepared to bargin a lot and do not buy before you have bargined a couple of times over an item at diffrent shops so you know the price that is acceptable. It is a hard task and many will try to sell you stuff draging you to there store.
Yashow market is the best one according to me.
There is a electronic market, but can not really explain the location of it :(.
There is a lot of other things to do in Beijing then just shopping, eating good food and checking out history known spots.
Party life is not the best so spare yourself from late nights.

In shanghai, you should try to go to the "fake market" (that's not the real name, but everybody knows it like that ^^)
I bought a nice 3-channel RC helicopter (quite a big one) for about 350 Yuan. The guy first asked me for 800. I could have gone lower but well, the exact same one is about 100 euros (1000 Yuan) in France ^^ I think you can find a lot of nice things hoping to be hacked.
You should also go around Beijing Dong Lu, that's a street with a lot of shops who sells about every mechanical items you'll need : linear actuators, ball bearings, etc... And there also is a place (I don't remember the name, but it's around Beijing Dong Lu too) dedicated to electronic components, some kind of small mall on 4 floors with about everything you'll need.

Have you ever been to china ? because you have to be careful about one thing when you talk with the people : sign language. For exemple, in china, 6 is done with the thumb and pinky extended, like the "aloha" sign of the surfers. Ten is a fist, One is the pinky extended, etc... It's really different, and the best way to bargain is to always have a calculator with you, so that you can write the price on the screen ^^

Also, you should go to the Bund. You'll be amazed by the sightseeing ^^

Thanks!
One person I was talking to said that at the markets, expect to bargain to about 1/2 the price listed. :slight_smile:
I am really looking forward to the food, it is one of my most favorite parts of traveling! I love to find and eat the local authentic foods, not the tourist foods - those many times are made different. I love very spicey food, and most of the tourist variants tend not to be so.
Two of the historical aspects I am for sure spending a day each at - Forbidden City and Great Wall. Also Museums are great to go see, and from what I can gather there are a few in the area around the Forbidden City that sound good. Unfortunately, one of my favorite things to use to lookaround for stuff like that - google maps - doesnt seem to work well for the china regions. :confused:

I also forgot : you should at least try to go to a strictly chinese club. Those are huge clubs on various floors, with amazing lightning. The music is not so good, but the giiirls, hoo, the giiiirls ^^
Baby Face / G Club, are the only two I know.
Also, if you want to have a nice drink in the afternoon, go to the People's Square. There's a bar (I don't remember the name) with an arabic decoration, but it's on the middle of a pond full of coy fish. Really relaxing. The Urbanism museum is a must : the model of shanghai is just amazing.

Damn, I hate editing my posts ^^
For the clubs, I must recommend you 2 adresses : The Shelter and The Logo. Those clubs are not huge entertainment complexes, but they have good music, there's a lot of foreigners, and the atmosphere is really nice ^^

To answer to your original question : you should absolutely get on of those hologram caps with a huuuuge "sun blocker" (I don't know the english name, it's the rigid part of the cap). You can turn it on your face, like a welding mask, and you'll look totally Daft Punked next time you'll go to coachella ^^

Excellent - thanks!
You shen me Pi Jiu?
One thing I always learn for sure, is how to order a beer! :smiley: Oh, and I am a zombie without coffee in the morning - but that one is easier - Ka Fei. :wink:
Any particular local drinks/beers that are must not miss?

Haha, Melka should be talking about this cap? Ladies wear this while cycling under harsh sunlights. :smiley:

b94cast - If you are looking for spicy food in Beijing, you must not miss a chain restaurant called [ch40635][ch36771][ch35825][ch24785](Mala You Huo). It's perfectly tasty and spicy, I'm from Sichuan and quite enjoy the real spirit of Sichuan Food. Check out the address here: http://www.mala.com.cn/ May the spice be with you ;D

Coco Banana and MIX are the best clubs I have been to, they are both near the workers' stadium. Check them out :wink:

Another great fun if you have some free time, is to rent a bicycle and wander freely in the city.(watch out the bus of course)

Enjoy China one way or another :slight_smile:

Electrical parts are sold in malls, but more like a bazaar to me. You may look around, pinch for the quality, and ask freely. I don't see much foreigners there, you may need a model number and pics if you are looking for something specific.

In Beijing, it's near Zhongguanchun, which is the No.1 IT street of China. you will need to look for cross of ZhiChun Road and ZhongguanChun Street for the electrical parts.

In Shanghai, you may ask for Qiu Jiang Lu Rd., it's another huge bazaar with components and second handed stuff. My suggestion is just sight seeing and small souvenior...

lol - that hat is crazy :slight_smile:
Thanks for all the info!!!

Seedstudio : that's exactly the one ^^ I did not have time to buy one while I was in Shanghai, but next time I'll go, I'll bring tens of these ^^

get me a oscilloscope or else I will have to steal one from my school haha

heheh :slight_smile:
I will actually be looking for one if it is the right price. I hate having to borrow one from friends.

If you haven't left yet, look for high-power green lasers. :slight_smile:

You can't order anything over 5mW anymore. I remember playing with a 150mW green laser last year and they're amazing.

Since it seems to be an FDA "recommendation" that is stopping the flow of green lasers, I don't know if it's actually illegal to bring one back with you in your luggage. Might want to check first.

Oh great idea :slight_smile:

I remember playing with a 150mW green laser last year and they're amazing.

Can these be used to cut paper and/or other materials (pop balloons). If yes, no wonder they are not allowed in carry-on luggage on airplanes.

It seems they are pretty expensive too.

JDS