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Post by Dragonsaver on Aug 24, 2005 10:06:29 GMT 7
 I was asked an interesting question today. I'm sure all you experts will know the answer.  In Canada, when we go to a souvenir shop, most of the items are made in China.  A friend was in France, and the little Eiffel tower was ' made in China' In China, are the little tourist stuff made in 'North America" Seems like a good idea to me. 
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Post by Jollyjunklass on Aug 24, 2005 11:41:27 GMT 7
Funny that you mention that, my dentist and I were discussing the same thing today!
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Non-Dave
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Post by Non-Dave on Aug 24, 2005 18:46:27 GMT 7
As I was standing in the shower of my Beijing hotel this morning I noticed the shower curtain - "Made in the United Kingdom" - does that count? - I only looked coz I asked myself a similar question...
I also had problems in Oz trying to find Australiana that didn't have "Made in China" all over it, in fact I failed completely.
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth on Aug 25, 2005 7:11:15 GMT 7
That really surprises me - the UK shower curtain that is.
Last Christmas my sister-in-law sent us a care package. Our mail is delivered to the school, so we opened the box in the office with many curious onlookers. They were thrilled to notice that all of the Christmas decorations, hand towels, pot holders, etc. that she sent were - hold your breath for the surpirse - Made in China.
Likewise - all the Dollar Store items with Canadian flags, etc. on them that I wanted to bring back for gifts are stamped Made in China.
To answer your original question, Dragonsaver, maybe all the souvenir items here ARE made in North America (except for Non-Dave's shower curtain), but I just can't read the language to know for sure.
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth on Aug 25, 2005 7:15:08 GMT 7
I have to correct my above statement. Lei Shan just brought me a metal key chain, Canada flag on one side, maple leaves on the other - Made in Canada. I got it at a Dollar Store (in Ontario) and never paid attention to where it was made. My bad.
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Post by Shane on Aug 25, 2005 14:58:24 GMT 7
I once picked up a souvenir model Space Needle in the gift shop at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle (funnily enough), and it said 'Made in England' on the bottom.
In addition, when I went back to the UK last summer with Viv, she got annoyed pretty quickly because she couldn't find anything to buy as gifts for her family, that wasn't made in China. Heh.
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gengrant
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Post by gengrant on Aug 27, 2005 13:37:48 GMT 7
I'm going to get a tattoo on my daughter's foot that says "made in China" - she is from Jiangxi province.  The only things I think that are not made in China are those silly Aussie Hogan wind-up thingys.  |
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Post by George61 on Aug 27, 2005 14:21:39 GMT 7
Some of them are, GG. But made by genuine Aussie Craftsmen, that's for sure.
Are you sure about tattooing your daughter's foot?? That could be cruelty!!
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Post by acjade on Aug 27, 2005 14:28:24 GMT 7
And maybe an oxymoron?
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gengrant
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Post by gengrant on Aug 27, 2005 20:55:24 GMT 7
on our last tour here, we found stickers in a shop that said 'made in China', so maybe we can find them again and use those instead of the tattoo...not so permanent and just as effective.  it looks much bigger in person, i'm told. |
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Post by Mr Nobody on Aug 30, 2005 11:36:48 GMT 7
on our last tour here, we found stickers in a shop that said 'made in China', so maybe we can find them again and use those instead of the tattoo...not so permanent and just as effective. it looks much bigger in person, i'm told.  Yeah, but who cares? It's in France, so you would have to speak to Parisians. They wouldn't tell you where it was. Everything is made in China. The Chinese people I give these souvenirs to seem to like a koala made in china from Oz. |
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth on Sept 1, 2005 7:45:42 GMT 7
It's almost a standard question in my office now: Where was it made? That's if I'm wearing 'new' clothes (ie clothes they haven't seen before), or if I received a care package from a relative, or brought back a souvenir. I think there is a certain pride that 'everything' in the world was made in China.
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Post by Shane on Sept 1, 2005 11:58:53 GMT 7
It's nice to know that the new Chinese owners of the defunct Rover Longbridge car plant in Birmingham have got the workers working again. ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by Dragonsaver on Sept 1, 2005 20:05:14 GMT 7
I went to a couple of stores yesterday to look for 'Canada' stuff to bring over. Everything was made in China.  I will keep looking. I'll be darned if I will bring something to China made in China. Somehow that just isn't bringing a Canadian gift. |
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth on Sept 1, 2005 20:22:48 GMT 7
But if it has a Canadian flag on it, or a moose or a beaver, etc. it will count as being a Canadian gift. My coworkers get a kick out of the fact that stuff bought in Canada was made in China. They can't buy it here. It's all made for export. It's okay, DS. Hit the dollar stores and never mind where the stuff was made. (some of the made in China labels peel off, too) Maple syrup, authentically Canadian, is too expensive to bring for gifts (except you could probably suck up to our illustrious leader if you brought some for him).
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Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 1, 2005 22:15:43 GMT 7
First time I came to china, i tried to find lots of inexpensive things made in Oz. Failed miserably. My freind who came with me said stuff that, and bought lots of chinese made cheap tourist stuff.
They loved it. I don't even take the labels off any more, they like it. So, a lesson was learned.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Sept 2, 2005 6:50:04 GMT 7
I thought that was "Badgers? We don't need no stinking badgers!" Which is much more understandable. Who needs to have a large and enraged mustelid pinned to their chest, odious or otherwise? (yes, I know, weird al said it first)
My friends, especially the younger female ones, ask for such souvenirs. It wasn't simply bringing gifts.
And Slim, your link didn't work for me.
Edit later: Yes it did, eventually.
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Post by con's fly is open on Sept 2, 2005 20:52:14 GMT 7
DS, specifically SEEK OUT stuff that says Made in China, for reasons already pointed out. Big hit, guaranteed- goes over huge, plus the Chinese love the colour red.
Slim, trinkets for the natives works in both directions: I ended up giving away all the cheesy gifts I got from Chinese folks to frineds back home- they couldn't get enough. I'll take coloured beads with me whenever I hit a new country from now on.
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth on Sept 4, 2005 13:20:54 GMT 7
What Con said. When I go home to Canada, I take gifts that I think of as typically Chinese for the folks back home. When I return to China, I try to bring gifts that represent Canada. When one is shopping for a great number of people (I have 22 Chinese English teacher co-workers, let alone students and the admin), dollar store trinkets are the least expensive route. Last year we brought back a T-shirt with a university logo on it for a special friend. He wears it often. His friends ask him where he got it, 'cause they can't get it here.
Pick up a carton of Canadian cigarettes at the duty free shop. Good for gifts. They'll compare them with Chinese cigs.
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Post by con's fly is open on Sept 4, 2005 17:44:04 GMT 7
Pick up a carton of Canadian cigarettes at the duty free shop. Good for gifts. They'll compare them with Chinese cigs. Unfavourably. That will charm them too, though. |
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth on Sept 4, 2005 19:11:21 GMT 7
Lei Shan brought back some Cafe Cream small cigars. Gave a tin (pack?) to the friend we went out for dinner with on Friday night. We were at a table on the sidewalk eating barbeque with his wife and 4 year old daughter. This little girl is just precious. Dad's English is better than most of our English-teacher coworkers and he spends time speaking English to his daughter every day. So, he lights up a cigarillo after we finished eating. His daughter was downwind and clearly didn't like the smell. Out she comes with an emphatic, "Bad". Cracked me up.
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