lilazncanadian

if you go over to their house, a bag of oranges obviously not brought from America.

letdasunshine

I know my parents make gift bags of vitamins from Costco and bring perfumes or makeup for their wives. If they are in the medical field, I would suggest something that is exclusively New York. Maybe a bag filled with a variety of NY favorites like chocolates, cookies, cookbook from a famous chef or restaurant, classical or operas CDs or DVDs from the MET are always great gifts. Think touristy but not cheap stuff that would be "Made in China."

My Dad travels to Taiwan/China/Japan and they always ask him to bring back the newest opera DVDs and Classical CDs. You really can't get that overseas so they really appreciate it.

Hope this helps.

iancanton

i think classical opera might be a bit highbrow for most people. i suggest dvd or vcd versions of broadway musicals instead. that would tie in with ur being new yorkers.

ian.

Steve007NY

Thank you all! What I think i'm coming to realize is that my problem comes from the intersection of two separate issues: buying a gift for someone in China, and buying a gift for someone you don't know! Given that all the hosts are physicians, somehow bringing vitamins feels even stranger. But the bigger issue is I have no idea how old he is, what his interests are (opera? jazz? Yankees cap? Scotch or bialys?

I've asked the person who we know in common to tell me a bit more. IF he doesn't know much, ow does something like a Tiffany key ring or some such sound? NY based, taste independent. Then after we meet, can mail something more personalized?

moondog

I personally like the duty free booze idea (zero time wasted). Patron is always a big hit, but so is the more run of the mill stuff because it's almost impossible to guarantee authenticity locally. Even if the guy doesn't drink it, he can stick it in his trophy case for all of his houseguests to admire.

In the old days, Godivas were my favorite duty free gift..... more PC than booze, I felt. However, I've since discovered that, much like that bottle of Patron, there's a good chance those guys will hang out in the trophy case for 5+ years (that's 5 insanely hot summers and 5 bitterly cold winters). In other words, they will be inedible by the time their day of reckoning arrives. Meanwhile, even if the guy is teetotaler, when that bottle finally gets openned, it will still be in good health and you'll be remembered fondly.

I'm not a fan of your key chain idea because: 1) it focusses too much on the individual; 2) I can buy a plastic knock-off of the same key chain for less than a dollar; 3) it's possible to buy the real thing right here; and 4) his friends will assume he bought it at Yaxiu no matter what.

That said, just go with your gut instincts.

Skyman65

FWIW, my brother-in-law who always asks us to bring vitamins is a physician in Taiwan.

Moondog is right about chocolate. The Chinese are not big chocolate eaters, and it is more likely they will like the fancy gift box, put it on display, and never crack it open--or, they will end up giving it to someone else.

Steve007NY

Letdasunshine- An HONOR to be your first post!! Welcome!

Wish i could remember the exact Lewis Carroll line, which is something like "the more I learn, the confusider I get!"

MrZhu

MrZhu likes many of the suggestions here.

Wisconsin ginseng is great. MrZhu thinks this is the brand he usually gets: http://english.hsuginseng.com/product/102153691.html

Fish oil and vitamins are always good. Esp. Centrum.

Godvia=good.
Tiffany is building brand in Shanghai=good

CDs/DVDs = Bad Bad Bad Bad

(Mr Zhu reminds you that in China CDs and DVDs costs about 5 yuan).

Alcohol and tobacco are overplayed. Unlikely to be consumed by your host but instead passed into an endless cycle of re-gifting. At least until given to Mr Zhu when it will be consumed.

Jam and Jelly can be good.

mosburger

That depends, I'd say. My Chinese colleagues devour chocolate boxes in record time and a close (Chinese) friend just schlepped 12 boxes of Godiva for relatives in Beijing.

slickalick

Ok this is a serious question...are you guys suggesting a gift of Centrum to the OP for someone they **do not know personally**??

In every response people are saying things like 'yeah my brother who is a physician asks me to get vitamins' etc etc.....but wouldn't it be a tad strange if you were gifting it to an almost total stranger??

Ginseng is a great idea, A coffee/cafetiere set, a coffee table picture book of your city, or good old Godiva or Hershey's chocolate are also good bets. But vitamins for a first time meeting....i don't think so....

For CNY, I gave a bottle of Chung Hwa XO to a lot of suppliers...and it was very very well received. Chung Hwa is a famous brand of cigarettes in China who teamed up with LVMH to create their own XO, but it's not sold in China - only in Singapore and a few other locations. May not be PC, but in China - what is?

moondog

FWIW, the company I visited yesterday in Tianjin in which we're planning to invest, among other things, OEMs American (Wisconsin, in fact) ginseng and they gave me a bunch of boxes.... that I'd be happy to let you guys use for gifts in a pinch.

The wierd thing was that while some of the boxes are capsules where it was easy to identify the Chinese company's value added, the majority simply contain the root itself.

I wanted to ask more questions, but that wasn't their core business so I let it slide. In any event, I'm currently "ginseng rich".

anacapamalibu

Hey don't knock cheap stuff made in China. America has an addiction to
the stuff. It made Walmart the richest family on the earth. Maybe you
should give your host a red envelope.

anacapamalibu

[QUOTE=slickalick;7525008]

For CNY, I gave a bottle of Chung Hwa XO to a lot of suppliers...and it was very very well received. QUOTE]


Here's something they probably don't have : A Chonghwa Cell phone.Slide open its battery cover and you'll see the strangest addition ever developed for a mobile phone: ten real Chonghwa cigarettes.
The phone's even been designed to look like a packet of Chonghwa.

http://mobilementalism.com/2007/03/2...10-cigarettes/

bobes

how old are they? if they are in their 20s, american ginseng and vitamins would prolly not go well.

I usually bring chocolate. it's pretty neutral.

slickalick

[QUOTE=anacapamalibu;7525578]Yeah, i saw this in the IHT last week....and i've actually been trying to find one in HK or GZ but no luck thus far (i even tried looking on ebay!) - so if anyone knows where to get one...i need to indulge the owner of one of our partners.