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Whiskey.
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Oct 4, 2015 11:34
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| # ? May 28, 2024 01:21 |
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Jeoh posted:Cigarettes Grand Fromage posted:Whiskey. As above, and from personal experience too.
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Oct 4, 2015 12:00
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All my Chinese bros disliked cigarettes from California because they burn out quicker. They didn't like the taste either. Whiskeys a safer bet.
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Oct 4, 2015 19:52
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Don't use an ATM to get money out of China. Just Western Union it. For just about anything over $500 USD the fee is going to be much less than 3% (which is the most common foreign transactoin fee at ATMs). We have moved tens of thousands for like 1.4%.
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Oct 4, 2015 20:13
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lmao maybe because chinese ciggies are 50% filter, 40% good, and 10% bad
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Oct 4, 2015 20:13
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Jeoh posted:Cigarettes Really? Any particular brand?
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Oct 4, 2015 21:10
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Grand Fromage posted:Whiskey. Would something like Jack Daniels be cool or would it be insulting not to bring a high-end single malt?
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Oct 4, 2015 21:13
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I think they'd be happy for anything genuine
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Oct 4, 2015 22:38
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cigarettes went over really well to my wife's family...i think it's more of a bragging thing than the fact that the cigarettes are really that good
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Oct 4, 2015 22:42
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Ya I should clarify that the guys I gave cigarettes to were either guys playing dota or drunks. The dota guys didn't like the fact that California cigarettes burnt out quick since theyd put them down sometimes while dota-ing. The drunks were just picky. I gave out packs of Camels since they're not really sold in China, those went overwell for showing off.
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Oct 4, 2015 23:00
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Maple products. I usually bring maple syrup and maple cookies when I go to china. People seem to like it.
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Oct 5, 2015 00:25
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In Japan people always ask for beef jerky, which is specifically b&, but easy enough to bring in anyway.
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Oct 5, 2015 00:52
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Tell them how its made. I had people ask me to bring the uncooked sap
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Oct 5, 2015 00:53
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Woodsy Owl posted:Don't use an ATM to get money out of China. Just Western Union it. For just about anything over $500 USD the fee is going to be much less than 3% (which is the most common foreign transactoin fee at ATMs). We have moved tens of thousands for like 1.4%. Western Union has started capping recipients and senders, but if you're sending under 8k USD or 50k RMB a few times it's the way to go. It's become not nearly as good as it used to be.
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Oct 5, 2015 01:35
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peanut posted:I think they'd be happy for anything genuine Ha, that's hilarious. Thanks to all for the suggestions.
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Oct 5, 2015 05:42
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socketwrencher posted:Would something like Jack Daniels be cool or would it be insulting not to bring a high-end single malt? The most popular alcohols here are 2.5% beer and turpentine mixed with gasoline so anything that is actually drinkable should be okay.
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Oct 5, 2015 05:52
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angel opportunity posted:cigarettes went over really well to my wife's family...i think it's more of a bragging thing than the fact that the cigarettes are really that good Whenever there's some major thing going on in my wife's family, everyone buys a ton of cigarettes to give to the party concerned, whether they smoke or not; because that is what you do.
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Oct 5, 2015 06:09
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So, basically you're all saying that Chinese gift giving economics mirrors that of a prison market?
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Oct 5, 2015 07:02
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VideoTapir posted:Whenever there's some major thing going on in my wife's family, everyone buys a ton of cigarettes to give to the party concerned, whether they smoke or not; because that is what you do. Last year, a close friend's father died of lung cancer, under horrible circumstances. He chocked to death on his own bleeding lungs, blood all over the house, then was kept "alive" in the hospital on a machine for forty minutes while the frantic family argued against turning it off. The friend then had to help wash down the apartment of blood, and then sit in the back of a van, staring at the father's body, covered in a single hospital sheet, for two hours in forty degrees heat in summer. He'd been diagnosed with lung cancer years before, and it was a huge ongoing stress for the family. During the frankly horrible week that followed for the funeral rites, each visiting family member and friend was given boxes of cigarettes as gifts. Irony gave up on China.
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Oct 5, 2015 07:16
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socketwrencher posted:Really? Any particular brand? Any big name brand. Marlboro always goes well. I gave my father-in-law a nice single malt, turns out he doesn't drink. His brother loved it though.
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Oct 5, 2015 08:17
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Blinkman987 posted:So, basically you're all saying that Chinese gift giving economics mirrors that of a prison market? Yes. Doubly so if you sneak in a (gold) (i)phone up your bumhole simplefish fucked around with this message at 09:45 on Oct 5, 2015 |
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Oct 5, 2015 09:43
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Quote is not edit
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Oct 5, 2015 09:44
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Jeoh posted:Any big name brand. Marlboro always goes well. Cheers, I'll bring some Marlboros and Camels. And booze. The gift of health!
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Oct 5, 2015 17:15
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When I travel to China/Taiwan, people there usually ask me to bring vitamins, supplements like "Move Free", powdered milk (China only). And of course, you never go wrong with cigarettes and alcohol.
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Oct 7, 2015 03:13
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Check with your local hosts whether they go mad for American ginseng. Some do, some don't
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Oct 7, 2015 03:17
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Oh yeah that's a good suggestion. The sadness of Appalachia makes the ginseng have super properties if you know the correct sorcerer or some poo poo.
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Oct 7, 2015 03:19
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simplefish posted:Check with your local hosts whether they go mad for American ginseng. Some do, some don't oh yeah, we had to buy like $200 of Ginseng from Wisconsin to give to my father-in-law's boss
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Oct 7, 2015 16:51
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That's wild about the ginseng. You'd think they'd have that covered over there. Here's a dumb one: I travel light, which necessitates cheap/fast laundry service. Are there places in Beijing and Shanghai to drop off clothes and pick them up next day (or sooner)? I'm not above washing in the sink and hanging to dry over the tub, but this method can be ineffective in colder climates. ETA: Just read about Laundry Town and other services, but no mention of prices. socketwrencher fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Oct 8, 2015 |
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Oct 8, 2015 01:14
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no there are no chinese laundrys in china
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Oct 8, 2015 06:12
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simplefish posted:no there are no chinese laundrys in china Guess I kind of walked into that one. And I guess it goes without saying that they're fast and cheap. In fairness, I did say it was a dumb question.
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Oct 8, 2015 06:35
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Actual real question- I got invited to a former colleague/friend's wedding. He's a western-educated, well-off Chinese guy and this is the first Chinese wedding I'm attending for an actual friend rather than as someone's weird white person token attendee, so I figure I should hongbao it up. How much is appropriate? I really have no idea whatsoever. He's a little older than me if that factors into this equation at all.
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Oct 8, 2015 07:19
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It will really depend on the hotel and the food and how good you consider him as a friend, I think. For example, at the Ritz-Carlton in Tianjin, it's about 1,000rmb per person. So you probably want to give more than 1,000rmb in the hongbao. The Ritz-Carlton is obviously a super nice place to have a reception in Tianjin, and maybe if you're good friends with the person you'd give them like 1,500rmb? If you're super good friends with him, maybe 2,000rmb? If you're going to a place and it is like 450 or 500 a head maybe you could throw him a little more than that to cover it. This is what I've just kind of figured out from talking to co-workers, no idea if this is wildly inaccurate, just for Tianjin or if this is rather acceptable all across China, FYI.
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Oct 8, 2015 07:29
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Magna Kaser posted:Actual real question- What I've done in the 2 weddings I've attended is asked other mutual friends who were also attending and asked how much they were giving. One wedding I ended up giving 688 RMB and another it was 888. I don't know
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Oct 8, 2015 07:38
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Magna Kaser posted:Actual real question- Give 444 and you'll never have to deal with this problem again
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Oct 8, 2015 07:41
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Daduzi posted:Wuzhen or Zhujiajiao are cool little water towns near Beijing (Zhujiajiao is closer but correspondingly more busy). Zhujiajiao is a replica water village with one looping canal, ye olde shops, and a construction site that you pay 200 rmb entry for. No street making GBS threads but 8-10,000 people walking around with selfie sticks. Around the reservoir though is chill. Rent a place for 100 rmb and eat chaer all night with beer looking at the reservoir was better. Better air quality might have been imaginery but it felt different.
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Oct 8, 2015 07:47
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Magna Kaser posted:Actual real question- Just ask him. Last time I got invited to a wedding here I was just like "I guess I should bring some money, right? How much is appropriate?" And the inviter was like "most people are bringing $800" or something like that. And then I didn't go anyway so it didn't matter.
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Oct 8, 2015 08:20
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Even if you can't or didn't go you are "supposed" to give a red pocket
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Oct 8, 2015 08:40
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Hahaha gently caress your culture. "I'll just send an invitation to everyone in China. Assuming they all give around 8 yuan I'll be a fuckin billionaire." 
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Oct 8, 2015 09:07
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caberham posted:Even if you can't or didn't go you are "supposed" to give a red pocket I've also done this.
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Oct 8, 2015 09:23
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| # ? May 28, 2024 01:21 |
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socketwrencher posted:That's wild about the ginseng. You'd think they'd have that covered over there. They do but the stuff from the US, especially West Virginia for whatever reason, is supposed to be special. It was overharvested and now is almost all grown in Wisconsin.
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Oct 8, 2015 12:13
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