My husband & I are travelling throughout China on a tour, in May/June. What kind of clothing needed?

May is generally very pleasant; June is starting to get hot and humid. I usually bring light cotton clothing and a hat. If you're on a tour, casual clothes will be just fine. You might like to have a skirt and a nice blouse for the cities -- I've noticed that the Chinese women are starting to get quite fashion-conscious and you won't want to seem out of place!

Also, don't forget to bring rain gear and layers for cooler weather as well. At that time of year, you might be blessed with clear skies and warm temperatures, but you could also face rain and cooler weather.

I'll be in China for 3 weeks in April - Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, Xian, the Yangtze River cruise, Guangzhou and winding up in Hong Kong. I know I'll need casual clothing for the tourist sites and river cruise, but I am wondering about evenings, especially dining out in nicer restaurants and attending the Peking Opera in Beijing. What's appropriate for dinner on the giant boat in Honk Kong harbor? Do I need a nice dress and heels? Can I wear tennis shoes at night? <BR> <BR>Any advice will be appreciated.

Linda, <BR> <BR>Dress casual will be fine for any function/meal in China, including the opera. Actually it's OK to wear casual clothes, including tennis shoes. Same for the big boat restaurant. (I assume you are talking about Jumbo Seafood Restaurant in Aberdeen harbor as I know of no large floating restaurant in Hong Kong harbor)

While the above poster is correct that you will find other tourists at the Peking Opera and the Aberdeen floating restaurants in tennis shoes, they will be on the "low" end of the casual to dressy casual spectrum. I've never seen anyone in even semi-formal wear, but you will see women in, say, a plain black or Chinese print silk dress with high heels. I think the "dressiest" you'll see men will be in slacks and a shirt and tie. So, it's up to you where you want to fit in on the spectrum, but you don't need to worry about formal dresses and a suit, IMO.

Andrea and Michael, thanks for replying!

<BR>I was in CHina last Sept and wore skirts and casual blouses at nite, low heels. I took 3 sets and wore each twice. I would not have felt comfortable in anything more casual altho during the day I wore nice shorts and shells.