Beijing What to Pack

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: We went to China in early/mid april and it was really cold. See the white thing in the attached picture, that's snow! . So take warm clothes, comfortable shoes, a wind jacket and a comfortable light backpack.

Photo Equipment: Empty your memory cards before heading to the Great Wall, you can take hundreds of pictures in a couple of hours. Every landscape is amazing.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Remember to bring thick coats, jackets, sweaters if you're going in the winter! For someone who came from a country which has tropical climate....the cold was most of the time hard to take! Just a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the train station was enough to numb my lower part of my face...jaw and chin and all.....ugh.

Photo Equipment: Best bring one that can work under whatever temperature to take in the best of the place! :)

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: I was dwarfed with all the things to see in Beijing. The cool autumn weather helped me walked many square meters, miles, hectares. Whatever measurement of distance you use, suffice it to say, that I'm glad I have good walking shoes now that I've come back to China.

I almost went shoeless on the train going to Shenzhen (2000) because my sandals can't take the brunt of the heavy rains. Also, I almost didn't appreciate the ruins of St. Paul's Church, Macau (2004). Rubber bands come in handy to serve as straps for my broken sandals.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Bring some moist towlettes (the kind you get in barbeque and hot wings restaurants, example brand - Wet Ones) since there is not always soap available in public restrooms. They also make good face/skin wipes. You can also bring some hand sanitizer (example brand - Purell). Don't forget toilet paper when you go out! Also, bring some insect spray to keep the bugs off.

Luggage and bags: Lots of space in your luggage for all the things you will buy in the Beijing markets!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Comfy walking shoes! I can't stress that enough! You may be walking all day non-stop in them!
Comfy Clothes! Beijing is hot in summer, leave long sleaves behind.
Not your best white summer dress-sorry dears, but it will be in sore need of dry-cleaning to get the sweat and dust/dirt/pollution out!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: WET WIPES! I bought mine in a convienence store in Beijing, and got addicted to using them. Restaurants & eateries don't usually provide them, and it's real good to wipe off the day's grime before you eat some good food! Also refreshing after walking several hours. Also buy/bring tissues/toilet paper as they aren't provided in most toilets.

Miscellaneous: Medicines-for food poisioning, diarrea, vomiting, headaches, stomachaches, fevers. It is very realistic that you may get one of these symptoms when you're there. Trust me. Personal experience.

Also, my guidebook said to bring mosquito repellent, but I didn't need it at all, I didn't get a single bite. And it was summertime. The mosquitos in Japan are much more aggressive!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: We were advised to take a full medical kit with us on our trip, and laughed it off, thinking how silly is that. We learnt the hard way. We will never travel in China again with inadequte medical supplies for the basic vomiting and gastric problems you can suffer. Secret is "don't eat the lettuce".
Take plenty of Immodiun or similiar product and gastolite to rebuild your energy levels.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: These are available for sale at night markets and Chinese department stores. The zipper front pocket is convenient for carrying cash or other items you wish to conceal. They come in an assortment of styles and colors and usually cost around 6 RMB (less than 1 US dollar), a smart investment if you plan on travelling around China for some length of time.
I know this could have been a shopping tip but I always pack a couple pairs for long trips in China and wear one on the day I embark on a train ride or long distance bus.

Luggage and bags: -Comfi daypack for long city strolls
If you dont have good bags at home: in Beijing you can buy very good hard and soft suitcases for incredibly cheap prices if you bargain. Keeping in mind, that in most airlines you are limited to around 20-25 kg and that you might want to shop for clothes and souvenirs in China come with as empty bags as possible. Airlines are very strict and you will pay ridiculously high prices for every kilogramm extra you bring home.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: If you are tall and not super-slim then enough pants might be a good idea. I wear a German 38-40 (in Levis 30, 34) and found it hard to even fit in Chinese XL pants.
However, at the tourist markets like Hongqiao you get "western" sizes also

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: -medicine against cold and flu
-medicine for all kinds of "female" problems
-any kind of special medicine you might need
- Beijing hotels can be very quiet, but if you are not lucky and have a room facing one of the main streets some ear plugs for the night might be nice

Photo Equipment: - slide film and black and white film
- batteries for your camera
- enough memory cards for your digital camera if you don't bring a laptop to read out the data frequently

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: - warm underwear for the colder season
- comfi shoes for a lot of asphalt-walking
- rain jacket or umbrella

Miscellaneous: - maybe some pictures from your family, friends and hometown for Chinese friends

As a business present in delegations:
- food or liquor specialities from the area you live or work
- any products with your company symbol on it (if company big enough, e.g. Polo-shirts, jacket-pins, calender etc etc)
- wood crafts or arts from your home country