First Trip: Customs and Wardrobe
 

Hi all,<BR>I am going to China in Mid-October, it is an organized tour which includes a 5 day cruise down the Yangtze, and I am already learning some pinyin..I have been reading like mad, and am wondering about all the "warnings" in all the guidebooks on "don't take any printed material, music etc that could be interpreted to be a slam against their government, or it will be confiscated...I was going to take an MP3 player with audio books and music...but would rather not lose it at the border..has anyone had experience with this? Also, I have been reading that crowded, dusty cities means take a minimal, easy wardrobe that is easy to wash ... dressing casual and/or down is better so as not to insult the average citizen or flaunt the typically spoiled western lifestyle (I guess I am a normal American which means I am way above their poverty line..). Any advice there? I want to keep minimal, like 9-11 pieces of clothes TOTAL which would include good, alpaca sweater and raincoat. Any advice will be taken to heart. Thanks!

I was in China last yeat in late August til Sept. 14 (got stuck on 9-11 trying to come home).<BR><BR>I found the people there to be very fashionably dressed in western clothes. We wore shorts and t shirts because it was still fairly warm. They outdressed us! We never felt uncomfortable or out of place dressed as we were. <BR><BR>There definitely is a class system so yes, there will be people living in poverty who are not dressed as well as you but the average person in the cities will look just like a person in a U.S. city. I was very impressed.<BR><BR>I never had any trouble with anything I brought. I even had my Bible with no problems. Actually no one ever searched our bags until we were going through security to come home. People brought cd players, laptops, etc.<BR><BR>The laundry service in the hotels is very good and fairly cheap. I got really spoiled having someone else do my laundry!<BR><BR>Relax, and have a good time. Traveling in China was not much different than traveling anywhere else I've been. The people are friendly and helpful and being in a group will smooth the way.

Connie,<BR>Thanks a million. I was wondering if I should not wear my cross and Virgin Mary medallion but I always wear them, and since you had no trouble with your bible, I will be fine. Thanks so much. I can't wait now!<BR>Stacy

The Chinese gov't very rarely bothers Western tourists. They couldn't care less about your bible, cross, or VM medal. And yes, there are shopping malls, supermarkets, drug stores, etc. in China. In Beijing, I have seen malls that rival Short Hills Mall or King of Prussia Mall. And in Shanghai, they have Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. China is not the backward country the US gov't has brainwashed people into believing. Yes, of course, there is terrible poverty, and people live day-to-day existences, but, you will see in many places, life lived just like in the US or Europe.

You will find that the people in these Asian countries dress as fashionable as Europeans (in other words, much better than US). One can always spot American--because they wear t-shirt and shorts!

Agree with the other replies, the Chinese government doesn't care about your MP3 player, books, or music. I don't recall ever being searched or questioned about what I was bringing. <BR><BR>As far as clothing, you will find that in the major cities, people really dress up. My husband and I felt a little underdressed on occasion when going out to nice restaurants and nightclubs.<BR><BR>Sometimes I have to wonder if those guidebook authors have ever been to China or if they are just quoting outdated warnings???

I agree with the above posters. But one comment about dress--my daughter did wear some rather skimpy tops and she got more stares and attention than she liked. She only dressed like this twice and then added a light sweater during tours.

I have never had any problems bringing books of all kinds into China in my luggage (I'm an American living in China, and always bring back a couple of books, some of which could have been considered politically sensitive).<BR><BR>That being said, however, I have some friends who are taking a class here and each ordered a specific book on China from Amazon (along with others) - all of the banned books were confiscated at customs. These were shipped in, not brought in luggage, but it does go to show that they are serious about their regulations. <BR><BR>I highly doubt that they would take any notice of your MP3 player, but do be aware that you *COULD* theoretically run into problems, particularly if they don't understand which audio books you have on the system. <BR><BR>I have a dedicated e-book reader that I always travel with in my carryon, and no one has ever asked to see it or its contents. Again, I think it's highly unlikely, but do want to warn you that the possibility does exist that you could run into problems. It's not likely, but it is possible.<BR><BR>Personally, as I said, I travel in and out of the country with my e-book, even knowing that the possibility of problems exists, so I would recommend that you go ahead and not worry too much about it. Just keep it tucked in your carryon and don't bring attention to it and you'll probably be just fine.