HONG KONG TAIWAN IN APRIL
 

I will be traveling the end of March 2007 until mid April, starting in Hong Kong attending a wedding in Taiwan then traveling to the mainland. We will be touring Suzhou, Hangzhou and Nanging, starting from Shanghai. How is the weather? What should I pack? Are there certain clothes unacceptable, such as jeans or shorts. Also, are there any customs I should be aware of for attending a wedding there?

try this site for weather info

http://weatherbase.com/

Aloha!

Few grown men wear shorts, but jeans are okay. Women wearing shorts okay.

Ask carefully (indirectly, of course) how much cash/gifts you need to bring to the wedding. Yes, that's expected.

I think NT$1000 in a red envelope is a good amount if they are casual acquaintances. You probably wouldn't want to give any less. Avoid any figure with a "4" in it as it's bad luck. (four sounds like death)

People dress fairly casually in Taiwan though shorts aren't common.

http://www.travelsinasia.com/Taiwan/Taiwan.htm

NT$1,000 is only US$30. In Hong Kong, HK$500 (~US$75) is minimum if the banquet is at a mid-range restaurant; up to HK$1,000 expected if it's at a 5-star hotel.

I don't know what's the going rate in Taiwan now, but NT$1,000 seems low to me.

Maybe I'm just a cheapskate.

I did suggest that was a minimum.

I was in HK and Taiwan last week, and Taiwan was warm-ish during the day. I suspect it will be quite warm by the time you get there. It can get quite humid, so just avoid synthetic fibre which clings to your skin.
Not sure how many days and which part of Taiwan you'll be staying, but National Palace Museum was incredible. (Get their early in the morning before the tourist groups arrive.) The Taipei airport was good 45minutes and more like 1.5hrs on the way back because we got stuck in a traffic.
BTW, I presume you'll be flying back from Taiwan to HK as there are no direct flights between Taiwan and the mainland.
Aside from the red envelope, don't wear black or white clothes if you're a woman. Any other colours including pastels would do fine.