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Recommendations for Souvenirs in HKG?
Need to pickup some cheap souvenirs for friends/family/co-workers. Don't want to spend too much money - just want to get something that is somewhat unique to HKG or the region. Candy, trinkets, beverages would be great. Thinking $100 or less per person. Would prefer $50 or less.
Can you help?
I see a lot of Hello Kitty stuff here, so some of that might be going back for the kids, but I thought HK was more Japanese than HKG/Chinese? Also got some Milk Coffee Candy, but that again is produced in Japan. Oh well, no one is going to know the difference back home...
Any tips on buying tea/tea serving sets? I have no idea what I'm looking for, but after going through the tea museum at Hong Kong Park, it seems like it might be nice to bring some stuff back.
Go to the Temple Street Night Market. You'll find all sorts of neat things there, but you probably won't find junk souvenirs there.
Or get Ying Yang balls at the Cek Lap Kok Airport. They're the balls in a box,
and when you shake the balls they have a bell inside. Two balls in a colorful box, and each one has a different tone from the other.
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Mong Kok street market is a good place to get cheap trinkets. I I can breeze through and get that kind of cheap stuff for half a dozen family memeber in less than half an hour.
You can find it by getting off at Mong Kok MTR station, and heading a few blocks east - it stretches several blocks north/south parallel to Nathan Road, so you can't miss it.
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Fake antiques (which include fake antique tea sets) are nice. The quality isn't bad -- just realize that, regardless of what you are told (and irrespective of the "authenticity" seal from China on the bottom), what you are getting is fake. Pay accordingly, and feel free to bargain prices down to what you may think is a ridiculously low level.
Tea makes a good souvenir -- it's packaged quite differently from what you're used to in the west. However, tea ranges dramatically in both quality and cost. Some teas cost hundreds of dollars a pound. It would be helpful if you can get some local to advise you if you're unfamiliar with the different grades and qualities.
Avoid electronics and camera gear. The chances of getting scammed are great unless you shop at a reputable store, e.g. Fortress, but you'll be paying more than what the item costs via good mail order in the U.S.
Chinese liquors also make good gifts but, for the more popular brands (Mao Tai, e.g.) you need to buy from a reputable store, as there is much counterfeit product around. It used to be that you could recognize the genuine alcohol goods by the hologram on the box, but the holograms have been counterfeited in the last few years so they no longer provide guidance. A good supermarket will have the real thing.
I don't know where you got the idea that HK was Japanese. Except for a brief period of occupation during WWII, HK has been British and Chinese for two centuries, and is now a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.
Got to Yu Wah department store. Tons of stuff you can get. Silk table cloth, silk robe, crafts..etc. My favourite is those sandalwood fan, they smell so good when you use them.
Another option to think about... The jade market at the intersection of Kansu and Battery streets, in Kowloon.
You could spend a little or a lot here, but there are many options to purchase small, inexpensive trinkets for the ladies. Mrs. Rawan got a lot of nice pins, ear rings, broochesf or female friends/relatives. And they were well received back in the US.
Also, in the Stanley area, there is an open air market that has lots of inexpensive clothing options. Much of it is actually decent quality. I bought a bunch of silk ties here (around $2 USD/each) and gave them to friends/relatives. They were also well-liked.
Remember to haggle here We often got vendors to come down 50-60% on the prices. The ties, for example were being offered $100HK for 3, and I got 6 or 7 for $100HK.
Tough one. I sometimes get souvenirs from HK Disney (which has a shop at the airport) or Oceanworld.
Normally, I pick up my souvenirs from other areas. There's nothing really indigenous to Hong Kong. Only other suggestion are the boutique shops in the duty-free area of HKG airport. I was told that, because it's owned by the duty-free shop and not the brand, they are are free to give higher discounts than outside. I've bought quite a few items there.
I see a lot of Hello Kitty stuff here, so some of that might be going back for the kids, but I thought HK was more Japanese than HKG/Chinese?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PTravel
I don't know where you got the idea that HK was Japanese. Except for a brief period of occupation during WWII, HK has been British and Chinese for two centuries, and is now a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.
I read vysean's post 3 times before I finally realized that HK referred to "Hello Kitty" and not to "Hong Kong".
I also finally figured out how to do a multi-quote.
I read vysean's post 3 times before I finally realized that HK referred to "Hello Kitty" and not to "Hong Kong".
Hahhaa... now it makes sense! Hello Kitty is definitely japanese, from Sanrio. Just very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. BR even has a couple of Hello Kitty-themed A330s.
Highly recommend Ming Cha for tea and contemporary Chinese tea sets. Just lovely. Have quite a bit of it myself, and been sending a lot of it abroad as gifts recently too.
Easiest place to find them is in Citysuper in Times Square (Causeway Bay), or Great in Pacific Place, Admiralty. They do have a fabulous stand alone shop in Star Street off Queens Road East, next to 3 Pacific Place, but it might be a bit tricky to find unless you're familiar with the area.
I'd leave the Hello Kitty stuff alone!
For children's gifts, try the vendors in Li Yuen Sts East and West in the heart of Central, known as "The Lanes" which run between des Voux Rd and Queens Rd. Lovely cotton or silk Chinese pyjamas and little cheongsam, should be able to negotiate to about US$6 per piece if you buy a handful at once.
Got to Yu Wah department store. Tons of stuff you can get. Silk table cloth, silk robe, crafts..etc. My favourite is those sandalwood fan, they smell so good when you use them.
It's Yue Hwa, and there are locations all over HKG. Good source for tea, authentic silks, nice quality polyester embroidered robes, etc. Also a good place to get custom carved "chops" - think your kids names carved into stone stamps. Price range of products from pennies to $thousands.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rawan
Another option to think about... The jade market at the intersection of Kansu and Battery streets, in Kowloon.
Good idea - lots of jewelry - low quality "jade." Don't spend more than $10USD on anything, and you'll still be overpaying. Avoid pierced earrings - definitely not hypoallergenic.
__________________ I'm not afraid to look like a big, hairy, smelly, foreign devil in Tokyo, though I do my best not to, I really do. A.Bourdain
My friends have always liked the painted and calligraphy scrolls that I bring to the states. At the jade market they sell "pillows" which are actually wooden boxes with a curved top. They are decorative and people go crazy for them. Ladies love the pearls from the jade market.
Shanghai Tang is very Hong Kong. In fact, CX gives out Shanghai Tang pjs for their F passengers. It's worth a pass thru one of their shops to see if anything appeals. My college aged niece loved a set of candles in a beautiful silk box from them.
We often got vendors to come down 50-60% on the prices. The ties, for example were being offered $100HK for 3, and I got 6 or 7 for $100HK.
