Chris

My 15-year old son is going on a school trip to Bejing and Xian in Spring 2003. He will spend time in a Chinese high school and have other opportunities to meet Chinese kids his age. I am looking for ideas for a small item he can bring to share as a gesture of friendship--small enough to carry some in your pocket, that a teen would like, more symbolic than valuable...your ideas? Also, he will have some spending money to bring back some gifts for Mom, Dad, and his girlfriend...what could we suggest he look for that isn't a tourist rip-off, special things he can pack and take home safely? Thanks SO much for your ideas.

Andrea

The &quot;fits in your pocket&quot; thing is getting me stuck. The best gift I can think of would be a t-shirt (or cap) from your local university, with as much English writing on it as possible, specific to your hometown/state. Chinese people (and teens specifically) love clothing like that with English writing, but generic &quot;State University&quot; t-shirts/sweatshirts are readily available here. <BR><BR>CDs, DVDs, game boy games and other items like that are also readily available here.<BR><BR>Aha - how about a keychain with your city or state on it? He could carry that in his pocket and I think it would be a well-liked gift.<BR><BR>Since your son will be there for a while, I recommend he takes a look around and lets you know what he finds that he thinks you might like, then you can decide. There is an endless list of possibilities - anything you want made out of silk (bathrobes, PJ's, placemats, runners, duvet covers), jade jewelry, vases . . . <BR><BR>What a wonderful experience! He'll have a great time!

Chris

Thanks, Andrea! The keychain is a good idea, as is the English writing. I appreciate your thoughtful response.

Lynne

Hi Chris-I just returned from China with my 13 year old son. We are Californians ans brought along surf board key chains which were a big hit. Also a big hit were trick or treat sized bags of M&amp;M's. <BR>The best souveniers we got were obtained from the street sellers at a very low cost. Olympic 2008 hats were offered to us for 3 for $1.00, also little silk purses for the same price. We stocked up on these. It allowed my son to bring back small gifts for everyone for cents. Upon return, I saw the purses at the local mall for sale for $7.99.<BR> Also purchased cheap jade carvings from street vendors in shapes of pigs, dragons, buddahs, etc. It helped them make their living, so we decided not to really negotiate since items were dirt cheap already.<BR>The best bargains were from the vendors on a Houtong tour that we took on rickshaws.<BR>The idea of a tourist rip-off is somewhat bothersome. While there are vendors everywhere, and some are pretty agressive, you are not forced to buy anything you don't want. This is how people make their living. Have your son stick with basics, things that are not mechanical or electrical, and he will get fun, inexpensive souveniers that are a nice memory of a once in a lifetime trip.

Chris

Thanks, Lynne, I love all your ideas. My comment about a tourist rip-off is based on my ignorance--sometimes a group tour can be so organized that the travelers are only allowed to shop at certain limited places...do you know what I mean? The Olympic hats are a TERRIFIC idea--thanks so much!

Lynne

Chris-another thing I forgot to mention was in Xian, if your son's trip includes a trip to the Muslim temple there, the walkway into the temple is lined with shopkeepers selling fabulously cheap incense burners and incense, religious icons, etc. We rushed thru there in an effort to catch a flight out, but all on our trip thought that would have been a great spot to pick up gifts.

Maureen Murphy

Your son will be a BIG hit with the ladies if he brings sample cosmetics....we brought lots from Clinique, Este Lauder, and several others. The girls were crazy about all the little lipsticks,powders, etc. If ever you want to be a hit with little kids, bring bubbles and watch them surround you. We've traveled somewhat but our trip to China this past September keeps me remembering an event every day....it was wonderful. How fortunate for your son to go at his age. Tshirts are great. We brought some from Vegas and though we wore them, recipients along the way were thrilled to have them.

Ann

My daughter went to school in Beijing for 4 months while in HS. She also had to take little gifts. Be carefull that what you buy here doesn't say &quot;made in China&quot; and you'd be surprized at how difficult that was! We bought a bunch of indian head nickles from a local coin dealer. Key chains are a good idea (small and representative of whatever). Sports stuff is always good. I wish I could think of more. We've had many visitors from Beijing and some of the gifts they've brought have included paper cuttings, leaves with paintings on them, little masks from the opera. Gifts to bring home are really inexpensive if you don't want jade! My daughter bought three lovely cloisone vases for under $20 I think, and gave them to three different people (they came boxed together). My daughter is back in Beijing again for six months, and took things like small calenders (movies, etc.) books, etc. but this time she knew who the gifts were for! Hope your son has a great time. Is he from Newton South HS by the way?

jane

Go to this link and you will find a picture of the best thing we found for gifts for people back home. It meets your criteria--inexpensive and very easy to pack without damage. http://www.geocities.com/janelp2/Hongkong. Scroll down to bottom of page where there are some tips and hints. Hope this helps.