So its final. We are moving to China. After soul searching we have agreed to move to Wenzhou.

Since we plan to be there for at least a few years (visa complications not withstanding) we want to not just bring life's necessities but make it home for the period that we are there.

We want to bring all our kitchen stuff, our Kitchen Aid stand mixers, food processors, Lifetime cookware and memories like a lifetime of photo albums & comfort books etc. This stuff is heavy.

Any suggestions for how to pick a shipping / moving company to China?
When you folks move for an extended period of time, do you make the effort to make it your home or is it just a place you live for a few months/years?

What things should I also consider in bringing / not bringing?

We have lived abroad before but the difference then was we knew it was temporary and relatively a short period of time so we can endure thus we never bothered to make it a home.

Hi, if you're moving a container, you can bring life's little comforts.

You've hit the nail on the head...

We have lived abroad before but the difference then was we knew it was temporary and relatively a short period of time so we can endure thus we never bothered to make it a home.

I haven't been to Wenzhou but I have been to a number of the smaller internal cities in China. If you are not native PRC but are from one of the Western countries (not just by birth but by outlook) China can be a wearing place. Therefore it makes sense to set up home as a sort of sanctuary where you can be yourself. Additionally Chinatown in New York seems to have a lot of Wenzhou folks that are running small businesses and the like - my sense is that they're pretty sharp operators. Combined with the fact that cultural diversions may be limited compared to living in either PEK or Shanghai, my comment on sanctuary might apply double.

For commentary on shipping companies, better you make contact with expatriates from your country (Canada?) who have made the trip or better yet, are living in China now. The embassy of your country in China should know if there is an association of your fellow countrymen in China. With all due respect to my fellow FTer's, many are falling in the category of folks that are temporary soujourners to the places that they are traveling to. Five star hotels, C cabin travel, three week long business trips provide good insulation from experiencing culture shock. For me, speaking as a Chinese American living in Singapore for the past 18 years, there are still subtle things about my neighbors that trip me up unexpectedly and make me look dumb every so often. The learning curve was pretty steep in the beginning. It's a little hard for me since I look like the locals so they expect I would behave like them; same applies in China. What I mean is that in the interim you might want to see if there is another online forum that is analogous to FT but which caters to expatriates living outside their home countries to ask some of your questions.

Bring your books and mementoes. Your kitchen stuff (KitchenAid especially) I suppose you know that the electricals need to be 220V 50 hz. There are big transformers you can buy in China to convert 220V to 120V but they don't convert frequency. If your big electrics are strictly 60 hz, they may work funny on 50. Frankly you're better off buying the big electric stuff in China. If you don't trust the China made stuff meant for sale and use in the China domestic market you can buy the European made stuff meant for use in Europe (expensive though to buy in China). You may not want to bring your wooden furniture as the different climate may cause it to crack. (Think of this as an opportunity to buy Chinese style furniture cheap to bring back when you finish your stay.) Don't bring your flat screen TV unless you know that it's compatible with China broadcast standards (I'm guessing it's PAL). And before you leave, be sure that you are up to date on your inoculations - tetanus for sure, also Hepatitis A and B. BTW hepatitis shots are done multiple times over six months. Get them started now and get advice about a reliable Western clinic in China where you can get the final rounds done. Oh yeah, bring a couple of Brita water jugs and a whole bunch of filters. You won't be sorry.

Your time in China won't be easy even if you are able to live in a gated community with other expatriates, and less so if you have to live with the locals in a local way. But I'm sure that when it's all done and over you'll be glad you did it.

Good luck!