Thread: china visit

Originally Posted by schaf

Hi Members
I have a 3 week holiday in China in April. I would like to put together a list of places to visit who specialise in this great craft of woodwork.Places like galleries or shops that deal in hand tools in cities like Beijing Xian and Shanghai.
Any advice or help would be very much appreciated.
Regards terry

i have been to china for trade and I think(pretty sure)that the cities you have mentioned do not have a hand tools base,to see these you will have to go out to the smaller communities that survive by making things for us lazy westerners,ring austrade for places to go or do a search on the net,be prepared for your eyes to be opened wide as china is a sense as well as a cutural shock for us,another peice of advice is if you are eating out anywhere dont accept a tour of the kitchen as you will starve yourself after that rather than eat the food,the poeple are polite and helpful the machine guns at sensitive points do have some troublesome thoughts,you will get a great deal of pleasure at watching the pedestrins crossing the road with the lights,by this i mean that when the lights turn to red on a street the pedestrians all move in a line across the road to the next lane and so and so till they are across the road,i was told by my host in china that if you are ALLOWED to drive a car on the road and you hit a chinese citizen on the road, get out of the car and move as far away from the scene as you can, your hotel room was his suggestion and say nothing about it to anyone,
prepare yourself as it is a wonderous place but also theres no place like home

1. Take very big suitcase.
2. Fill with Mijingfang Planes.
3. Sell when you return, (guaranteed market)

Originally Posted by Termite

1. Take very big suitcase.
2. Fill with Mijingfang Planes.
3. Sell when you return, (guaranteed market)

But you'll have to make a detour to Hong Kong for that...

...who was that bloke selling wood earlier maybe he could get us some mujingfangs he's in HK...

HH.

Ive been to China many times on business, buying power tools and electrical equipment but didnt see much in the way of galleries etc. Mind you I was always busy working but nothing springs to mind to suggest it as a woodworking paradise.
The hotels are getting much nicer though and some are even on a par with the good HK ones. The country is certainly worth seeing and the people are great and I think youre going to be very busy taking so much in to be upset by a lack of woodcrafts.
All my power tool buying was around the Bejing and Shanghai areas in the north so if your going there from HK i would suggest you fly as its a long way and driving can be quite an experience!
Whatever you end up doing over there you will enjoy it all, its a country that has to be seen. Do some reading on it beforehand, keep an open mind when youre there, and have a great trip.
beejay1

china is gorgeous!!!!

however the toliet hygiene is alittle breathtaking!!! i suggest emptyin ur tummy before u exit ur hotel every morning, as finding a clean toliet out in the city is rare

secondly, ALWAYS bargain whenever ure buying stuff - cut at least 40-50%!!! if not walk away
keep an open mind and enjoy ur tour!

I've said it before: avoid anything politically or religiously sensitive, unless you like being locked up. An acquaintance was travelling in China when 'security' found a picture of the Dalai Lama in his luggage - what it was doing there is anyone's guess as he is a Muslim! He lost 28kg while in the pokey & was only released when the Australian Embasy started making noises about a 'missing citizen' - and he's pretty skinny to start with.

If you are going with an organised tour group, you may have difficulty finding hand tools, the guides are likely to take you to well worn tourist shopping destinations to separate you from your money - $2 DVD's etc. If you have your own tour & dedicated guide you -may- be able to talk him/her into taking you around some of the people's markets - Another friend had good luck in Vietnam getting away to some of the local markets when he explained things to his guide/interpreter.

Also be aware that you will be buying rough finished items - the buyer is expected to be expert enough to do the final finishing & fitting handles etc to suit his own style. Second hand tools may exist, but they will be totally st#ffed & un-repairable, sold to (s)wanky 'antique' dealers at ridiculous prices.

Your going to love it, the people are some of the friendliest that I've had the pleasure of meeting in all my travels. One thing on top of what others have said. It is a predominatly cash based society, very few places have credit card facilities so before you leave the hotel make sure your cashed up.

Hi Members,
I wish to thank everyone for your replys to my post on China. They were enjoyable to read and the advice will go with us when we arrive in China.
It sounds like we should just enjoy the people ,culture and the country and forget woodwork for a time.
Many thanks to all.
Regards Terry.

schaf:
A must go:

www.redsandalwood.com