Job Discussion Forums

TuckerP · Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 3

I am new to the forum and just wanted to say hello to everyone out there. I will be traveling to Yangshuo on the 16th of November and was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to bring and what not to bring as far as clothes and other personal items go. I have read quite a bit of the logs and just wanted to say what's up to ChinaMovieMagic. I have enjoyed reading your comments and I hope that we can meet up at some point. I don't drink or smoke either and I have started to learn Tai Chi here in the states (Yang long form) and would like to continue over there. Drop me a line if you read this.

thanks.
Tuck

erinyes · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 272 Location: GuangDong, GaoZhou

Bring money from your country
Bring a bunch of the smallest denomination (eg 5cents)
Bring big pictures, posters to introduce your country
bring photos of your family they will LOVE them and you can use them. Who is she, who is he, who are they etc.

Yangshuo's west street is unlike china in every way possible, you'll be ablt to buy clothes there in your size or get someone to make you anything you need.

I don't know about anyone else but have noticed that even OS brand razors are crappy here. Oppinions?

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Well, well, my suggestion is not to buy clothes in Yangshuo unless you can drop your western attitude and expectation that marked prices are last prices! The dealers there are extremely hard-nosed because so many touroids pay the first asking price without so much as blinking.

Having said this, Yangshuo is a fantastic holiday and China immersion centre, and CMM will be happy to show you the most valuable parts of the place.

Bring the right sort of clothes; it gets pretty cool in November - think of autumn in a temperate-climate place. In January it will be the coldest, and in March misery is not far from you if you have no dry clothes as it may drizzle and rain a lot, with the mercury being below 15 degrees centigrade! .

Super Mario · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:58 am Post subject:

Ignore most of the above [5 cent coins??] as the locals who frequent Xi Jie are not infatuated with things Western, unless they're pretending to be so they can sell something to you.
Roger's weather comments are accurate. It will occasionally snow ; every 10 years maybe, but can get cold.
Bring yourself, basic clothes, camera, phrase book, money and an attitude that will get you out and about.

oprah · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 382

I have found that you need natural fabric clothing.. such as cotton, flanellette. You will wear your socks to bed, probably and your long underwear.. Most of the clothes here are small sizes. I am glad I brought a few sweaters from home, as most things here are synthetic fabric.. Shoes are hard to find here, good ones..

erinyes · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 272 Location: GuangDong, GaoZhou

Well ?Super?Mario, maybe you live in Yangshou but I only speak from personal experience.

SO MANY TIMES people have asked to see Australian money, and then asked for some. So bringing a large quantity of the smallest denomination has proved useful to me.

erinyes · Joined: 02 Oct 2005 Posts: 272 Location: GuangDong, GaoZhou

I have found plenty of natural fibers in Yangshou... and it's not the only place either... yes China is synthetic wonderland, but if you look hard, you'll find everything you want in the way of clothes - Yangshou is the capital of anything you need that's just the way you like it.

Serious warning about bartering though; you really need to work out what you want to pay, and stick to it.

Sometimes returning the next day and offering a price just lower than you are willing to pay is really helpful. Don't even ask the price, make an offer. If you do ask the price, laughing and then asking again is sometimes effective. The catch-phrase in Yangshou is "cheaper for you" - get used to hearing it.

Once I could have bought something for 15RMB when the offered price was 90RMB. DON'T be ashamed of going REALLY low. They are not ashamed of going really high, and if you feel bad about it, remember, the Chinese workers in my home town are happy to receive 500 a month. I know a girl who gets 2.5 RMB per hour.

dajiang · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 663 Location: Guilin!

Just get your warm clothes in Yangshuo I'd say.
It's not much anyway (but bargain for sure), and it saves you from carrying a ton of stuff.
Take pictures of home yes, and a frisbee if you like frisbee-ing (can't get them there...).

I suppose you're going to be teaching there?
In that case don't worry about the locals cheating you that much.
Just mention to them you're going to be staying for a while, and when they get to know ya you'll be one of the locals yourself in no time.

Take some locals out for dinner and lunch a few times. Get them to show you the cheaper and better places. The nightmarket, where to get the best Lanzhou Lamian, the best Wonton soup, Qinbuliang fruit salad, Dog hotpot, etc.

Oh and if you're gonna be teaching, take some resource books for ESL. they're worth their weight in gold. Magazines from your country, with lots of pictures are great. Take em.
Take books! lots of em, even old ones. You can swap them at Cafe Too.

Some great places you got to go to:
Drifters, the Stone Roses, Morning Sun hotel (wil open a bar soon I heard, but they're just great people out there.), and actually they're all pretty good. The Green Lotus is cool, and the Buffalo bar is the place most FT's go to. Red Star has brilliant pasta's and serves a good steak.

Enjoy,
Dajiang

TuckerP · Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 3

I didn't know what to expect as far as replies go. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to write. The advice will be taken to heart. I will make sure to bring plenty of razors from home and also some magazines and pictures. I am a very small person so I think the clothes over there will fit me perfectly. Does anyone know if they have any good tea houses over there? Can you buy oolongs and greens (loose tea) to brew yourself there? I imagine you can!

Again, thank you for all the replies!!!!

hengyangdave · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 7:19 pm Post subject:

be sure to head into the Buffalo bar and speak to Alf for me....and bring some porn....hard to get here if you are into that kind of stuff.....or get a chinese gf!

Super Mario · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 8:10 pm Post subject:

mis-post

Super Mario · Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 8:15 pm Post subject:

erinyes wrote:

Quote:

Well ?Super?Mario, maybe you live in Yangshou but I only speak from personal experience.

I worked in Guilin for 2 years and went to Yangshuo for countless weekends at different times of the year. I scripted and narrated an "Around China" segment titled "A Day on West Street". It's true people there do have a fascination for Western money: accumulating it!

ChinaMovieMagic · Joined: 02 Nov 2004 Posts: 2102 Location: YangShuo

Yes...YS is truly a special place in China/the world
There's even a weekly TRIVIA Quiz w/teams of foreigners...at the Buffalo Bar...and a weekly Book Swap...also at BB...

It's easy to meet foreigner folks who know the bar scene etc. (I don't)

Just yesterday I moved out of my apt. to a place in the countryside...
slept last night on the roof
w/my cat pacing/purring around
to the 360-degree GreenLand-BlueSky--BrownPsychedelicHills...
as the barks of the dogs bounced off the valley...

I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of my cat...directly above me...on the mini-roof of the staircase...walking along a clothesline pole...doing a show-off balancing act...with a mini-mouse in her mouth...

"Look Ma...no hands!!!"

Looks like she's adapted to the country living...

At a DVD shop in YS, I just bought the Musical CATS
I watched it while doing packing/moving
It's clear to me there's a Cosmic good-and-meant-to-be
CATS...I will use it to develop
MovieMagic-based presentations/trainings
Live Theatre in Yangshuo...
segments from CATS
http://www.catsmusical.com/contents/

and...segments from FRIENDS

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

Super Mario · Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:09 am Post subject:

The OP didn't mention students: he/she sounded like a tourist.
And isn't showing coins a little..........pointless, or another P word?