Going to China in October. With so many things 'made in China' here in the US, what are some unique purchases/souviners to bring home?

Thanks in advance!

Several special purchases I've made over the years:

Yixing teapots
calligraphy sets (brushes, ink, brush rest, water bowl)
chops with a person's name in Chinese characters
an intricately carved inkstone

The 'chop' sets as mentioned above are definetly worth purchasing and make a great present. We bought them for our children and chose the animal aligned with there year of birth, they came in nice brocade gift boxes and took about half an hour to be made. You can get some beautiful Majong sets and of course there is lots of Mao merchandise and also lots of fancy kites for sale at T.Square.

My husband always brings me lovely (traditional) silk clothing. I get compliments on these items all the time.

Not sure where you're planning to travel (some of the stuff available is regional) but you're sure top find something interesting in one of the markets. The chops (stones for stamping Chinese signatures) make great gifts! They shouldn't cost more that a few $ for each. RMB50 max

Definitely jade, especially if you like it pale - the Chinese value "mutton fat" jade more than the green that I like! I have a beautiful dragon I bought on my first trip. I also have a cloisonne piece I quite like.

I gues the one thing to be cautious about are fakes. You'll find lots of fake silk in the markets and you'll find plenty ofstone sold as jade which is not. So be careful about what you purcahse. Anything sold as antique is very likely not. Buy it if you love it, but don't pay antique prices for it. I have a couple of "Han" dynasty pieces that I love, but as I paid only a few dollars for each, I have no expectation that they are old, let alone antique!

Thank you all for your great ideas - I look forward to getting some chops.

Another question - what are your thoughts of trying to buy cashmere?

Most of the cashmere clothing is fake and low quality such as shedding and balling under the arms.

Yes, you have to know what you are buying or have a reliable source. In the markets. it will all be fake cashmere.

That said, I did buy a gorgeous hand-knit cashmere sweater in China probably 15 years ago that is fabulous. But I did not buy it at astreet market, but purchased it from a reliable store.

As far as clothing, I still laugh at what our tour guide told us: they call clothing sold to tourists the "3 generation shirts" because the first time you try it on, it fits you. After the first wash, it fits your son, after the second wash it will fit your grandson.
Nice things I purchased inexpensively were silk covered photo albums in Shanghai at a small market near the Yu Yu gardens. In the gift shop at the Xi'an soldiers site I bought a very inexpensive beautiful piece of light tan jade I could wear with a chain, at the Children's Palace in Shanghai I bought a gorgeous art piece: a framed embroidered silk on silk of a very elegant vase.
I didn't buy a thing at the shopping stops the guides take you to. I found things overpriced and often of poor quality.
Others in our tour group wree constantly followed by street vendors because they either acted interested, or even by saying "no thank you" Best best is to treat street vendors as if they were invisible, they'll leave you alone. Another hint is that if you decide to buy a trinket or postcards from street vendors, discreetly pull out small bills and insist that it's all you have left while you bargain.
And the last advise: always get small bills from the hotel before going out. There are many, many vendors who will pull all kinds of tricks to switch your 100 RMB bill for a fake or give you a 50 RMB fake note in your change. It happened to 3 people in our small group in one day.

Oh, and I forgot... They were too expensive for me, but the silk paintings you can buy in Suzhou are just incredible.

In addition to local crafts, I've bought five items that I can't get anywhere else:

1. Custom made clothing - Bring your favorite jacket or other clothing item, select the fabric and they will copy it within a few days at a very reasonable price. I had a silk jacket made for less than US$36 ($20 for the fabric and $16 for the tailoring).

2. Ditto for jewelry - you can custom design necklaces and bracelets, pick the stones/pearls and most jewelry shops will make for you at a fraction of what you'd pay in the US.

3. Check out the double-sided silk embroideries. It has a different image on either side and is usually framed in carved rosewood stands that swivel so you can see both sides. The more intricate the design, the higher the price but they are really beautiful.

4. Silk lanterns make unique housewarming gifts. You can find a good selection of sizes, styles and colors in Hong Kong at Stanley Market or in Shanghai at Yuyuan Garden/Old Street.

5. Silk textiles can be used in creative ways. I bought a brocade table runner with tassels, doubled it over a bamboo rod and use it as a wall hanging behind a rosewood sconce. The whole thing cost about $20 and looks like it cost 10x that.

I buy most of the above in Shanghai but you can find these items in many other cities in China.

Be careful of the scams. We were taken into a private room in the forbidden city by a young lady who told us she was an art student trying to raise money for her art trip. She
spoke fluent english we were happy to support her and bought a painting.
We later saw the same drawings in a
museum by the terracota warriors and were told that it was a scam. boy did we feel like fools.

Thank you again, one and all for all your suggestions and tips.

Alets - thank you for your tips on getting away from vendors. It's tough sometimes - mom raised me to always acknowlege my elders and it's hard to ignore even the pushies of people...but I know that I'm not insulting them...there are people behind me that will buy their wares.

Thank you Lia for all the shopping ideas!

I'm ready to take all these tips and suggestions and try not to be taken by anyone, but hey, it's still possible.

But I certainly appreciate all your ideas and look forward to my adventure!

Kathie, our guide told us the antiques the street vendors were selling were from the "Now" dynasty!