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[xwarrior]

Cries of disbelief rose from the throng of foreigners assembled on Queen's Wharf that fateful day in 2010.

Word had just come through that the Chinee authorities had reduced the number of porters allocated to each foreign teacher from the promised 40 to a nominal number of 38 per household.

Mrs Prendergast was beside herself when informed her trunk of toothpaste would have to be left behind. Efforts to convince her that she could buy a 1000 different flavours in China fell on deaf ears and she was last seen piling copies of Shakespeare's 'Plays and Sonnets', presumably destined for consumption by her prospective students at a third tier trade college in Inner Mongolia, on what looked like the makings of a funeral pyre.

In the meantime, her husband was busy secreting bottles of food colouring in the special pocket of the suit he had bought in the expectation that it would be the required mode of dress for a foreign teacher in an Asiatic nation.

'At least,' he muttered to himself, 'we shall never starve.'       

[CaTigeReptile]

Right, so ignoring the last post . . . I've decided to necro this because that's always better than starting a redundant thread.

All right, here's my list of questions about the packing list!

Drinking Gift-giving: Do they have Mezcal in China? Is that "price of gifts should correspond to recipients' job ranking" thing still true? Will giving gifts accidentally send the message that I'm wealthy?

Clothing: Work clothing, in particular. Did anyone go out and buy any work-clothes before leaving (Beyond one top, blazer, and pair of slacks, I mean)?
    Regarding sizes: Based on the info I can find, I'm petite enough to easily buy clothing that "fits." Since clothing doesn't even fit me back home, I need to know: Ladies . . . how well does it actually fit? How quickly did everyone find a tailor? (I'm sort of excited that I can get things tailored easily.)
    Also, I try to Google "Women's fashion in China" and, of course, don't get the results I'm looking for: what young women are wearing in China. I don't want to be dressed inappropriately.

Shoes: I'm apparently at the maximum-purchasable shoe size in China (around US women's 9 . . . narrow), but am I only going to be able to find shoes in Beijing/Shanghai/etc? Should I just bring all of my boots? Two of the pairs are broken; should I get them cobbled beforehand or in China?   

Makeup: Before or in China?

Toilet paper: No one's really mentioned this, yet I've heard it from all of my family and friends. Should I bring massive quantities of toilet paper?

Phone: International smart phone before China? Buy a separate phone for communication within China?

And finally . . .

I have a million-pound PS3. Should I bring it or leave it?

Thanks so much, guys!

[Pashley]

Clothing:... How quickly did everyone find a tailor? (I'm sort of excited that I can get things tailored easily.)

Shoes: ... Two of the pairs are broken; should I get them cobbled beforehand or in China?

Lots of both shoes available, generally cheaper than in the West. Tailoring and shoe repair much cheaper here.  

Toilet paper: No one's really mentioned this, yet I've heard it from all of my family and friends. Should I bring massive quantities of toilet paper?

Do not bring it; it is available in every supermarket. Do carry some in your purse once you are here; public toilets here almost never provide it.

Phone: International smart phone before China? Buy a separate phone for communication within China?

If you already have a GSM phone with 900/1800 MHz frequencies used here (& Europe, Australia, Africa, rest of Asia, ...), bring it. You can just buy a SIM card here & away you go. The frequencies used in N & S America, 850 & 1900, will not work here, so the typical US or Canadian GSM phone will be useless.

More at: http://wikitravel.org/en/China#Telephone

I have a million-pound PS3. Should I bring it or leave it?

Does it run on 220 volts, the standard current here? Can you bring just the box, buy a monitor here?

For this,or other heavy stuff like books, it is worth checking whether mailing it to yourself will be cheaper than paying excess baggage fees.

[The Local Dialect]

As for how to dress, I wouldn't recommend dressing like a local young Chinese woman. Chinese fashion tends to be sort of ridiculous. Dress the way you would back home, but maybe a knotch more conservative than usual. You don't have to dress like you're out of Little House on the Prairie or anything like that, but stay away from spaghetti straps, low cut shirts, super short skirts, and open toed shoes, at least at work. Getting some sensible work clothes before you leave might be a good idea, because for women it is kind of hard to find sensible clothes off the rack here, especially if you're not into ruffles or sequins.

I have big feet too and I did have trouble finding shoes until I started shopping online. Before that I could find shoes but oftentimes they would not be in the style I really wanted. Hiking boots and sneakers were usually ok, but if I wanted something dressier my options were limited. Now I just shop on taobao, which is this Chinese online shopping site (kind of like ebay except most everything is new) and you can search specifically for larger sizes.

[El Macho]

One benefit of purchasing a mobile in China is that many have Chinese-English dictionaries installed. The dictionaries vary in quality (many don't include pinyin), but it was always helpful for me to be able to find a word and point at it when trying to get a point across.

[Borkya]

Shoes: I'm apparently at the maximum-purchasable shoe size in China (around US women's 9 . . . narrow), but am I only going to be able to find shoes in Beijing/Shanghai/etc? Should I just bring all of my boots? Two of the pairs are broken; should I get them cobbled beforehand or in China?   

Well as a size 8 and a halfer I can say that buying shoes IS a big problem for me. I just spent a few days in Suzhou and my shoes had really, really deteriorated (one makes me bleed, the others soles ripped off, yet I was still wearing them). I went to a number of stores and was unable to find any girls shoes that fit including those Ugg ripoff boots that are everywhere. Most girl sizes end in 39 or 40 (and I am ever so convinently a 41). So I had to buy guys shoes.

Of course, I am living in southern China, a little outside Hangzhou, and I've heard this is only a problem down south, and up north bigger sizes are more common. so maybe it depends where you are.

[fullricebowl]

I also need to agree with Local Dialect and Borkya, shoe shopping in China has always made me feel like a giant/monster. Even after living in Beijing, I don't really think it was much easier to find sizes in the 40+ range. (Thankfully, around this time Taobao also became my footwear savior)

It's a tough balance, shoes are really heavy with your packing- so try to be smart about it. When I came over the first time, I brought several pairs of shoes I never really used (like chaco sandals and sneakers). For me personally, I brought a pair of athletic shoes, dressy shoes, and 2 pairs of boots (perhaps excessive, but I like my boots). I guess try to think about what you'll be doing and how you'll usually be dressing and pack accordingly.

I'm also glad I packed a few pairs of dress slacks. Although you can for sure find a pair here, womens clothing here tends to lean towards over-decoration- so I was glad I brought a couple over with me that were simple and of decent quality. If you live in a normal residential area, I've found there is usually a tailor for at least every complex.

[CaTigeReptile]

Thanks for all the helpful info, everyone! (Although the Mezcal is a pretty important issue . . .)

Also, wow! Taobao even has my bizarre bra size! No cheaper than here, but still. I guess I could always buy a "sister size" and have the band taken in by my future amazing tailor.

Edit: So, to get an overall idea of what to bring, how heavy is your checked bag?

[ericthered]

Do not mail electronic stuff to yourself. One of my colleagues tried to send a wii to himself, the package was confiscated in customs and sent back to the US.

Buy a Kindle, download books and bring it. You will not regret it and you will also not have to schlep a heavy bag of books around.