Need gift ideas

As I've posted before, my daughter is studying in a China for a year. She is vacationing with two friends in Beijing and tonight they had dinner at the (apparently huge and fabulous) home of a Chinese general in their Army and his wife. That came about via a friend from her university who lives with them while working there (and THAT came about when she befriended their son who is a student at their university here. Are you still with me? lol).

Anyhow, at the end of the evening, the general and his wife had instructed my daughter to call them "uncle" and "auntie" and want us (me, the husband, our other daughter and my MIL) to have dinner with them when we visit there in March.

So ...what do I bring as a gift to a Chinese general and his wife? Seriously, I haven't a clue! I think it should be something bought here, and preferably NOT made in China. Any ideas from you traveled folks?

LC,

How much do you wish to spend?

I don't know what's appropriate for that, either. $100? I'm good with that.

A box of Godiva dark chocolate.

The Chinese are quite health conscious, but dark chocolate is now considered healthy and chocolate is the language of love.

You might even have a few bucks left over.

1/17/2010


A beautiful photograph framed of the Washington Monument
with the Cherry Blossoms in bloom, that is a revered gift !


Cheers..Joe

Do not give them a copy of your book.

Joe -one of my gift-giving philosophies is that I don't decorate people's homes or dress them. I don't want them to feel obliged to hang art they don't like or wear things that's not their taste to please me. I prefer consumables.

Alice, I thought of chocolates, but I don't know how well they'll make the trip, and just a box seems kind of cheap. Maybe a box of boxes of consumables? Chocolates and what else?

LOL about not giving them my book. Maybe one of them might be appropriate?

Also, we are all just bringing one small suitcase each, as I've been told that traveling with large suitcases is very difficult on trains. We'll be taking trains to and from various cities.

Nuts and chocolates and the book--can't miss.

LOL, a can of mixed nuts from Walmart always hits the spot for me, for sure.

Not from Walmart, from the Godiva shop. Cashews, etc!

That's a good idea. Some small, boxed, expensive consumables from Godiva or a local specialty foods store. Hmm...

You can get limited edition boxes of chocolate for $65.00 at Godiva .com.

My daughter tells me that the Chinese "don't do candy well," lol, so a good candy would probably go over well. I wonder how it would make the long plane trip, though?

1/17/2011

It's chocolate , it might melt !


Cheers..Joe

Yeah, that's my concern. That they'll open the box, and it will be one congealed lump. lol.

I'm open to non-consumables, too, I'm just hesitant about personal taste things.

Funny -before my daughter left for China, we were at Disney and she browsed the gift shops for small things to bring to Chinese friends she had been corresponding with, such as keychains. Only thing is, every single thing she picked out said "Made In China" on the back. Kind of weird to bring that to China as a gift from America.

It's been many years ago; however, when I lived in Asia and dined at similar places, we always took some type of alcohol beverage in small, decorative bottles and very fancy fruit candies (not chocolate)in gold boxes. When they dined at our home they brought me jewelry, cloisone jewelry boxes, embroidered slippers and evening jackets, and one time a king size satin bedspread (purple) embroidered with golden dragons and flying herons. Cloisone vases, jewelry, etc. were often given to me as well as some very interesting copies of palaces, lions, etc. Additionally I received many Chinese brush paintings as calendars or wall hangings (painted on cloth) The gifts that were given to me for dining in my home always seemed extravagant and borderline excessive. One dinner guest brought an eight panel, embroidered screen of all seasons. It was the most beautiful gift ever received. However, these gifts were received in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The austerity of a Communist regime may contribute to more modest displays of hospitality.

Today, I think I would take a special liquor and fruit candies in elegant packages. I might include a small set of liquor glasses made in the U.S. and/or etched with the host initials or Chinese chop. Personalized items were always appreciated.

We also took touristy things like globes with palm trees, signed pictures from movie stars, movie posters, letter openers, fancy writing paper sets with California dried flowers, etc. to have on hand to take something unusual at the last minute.

For really higher ups, we had gold and silver U.S. mint coin sets. Oh well, memory well is dry. People in the Orient were always gracious; you'll never know if your gift was grand or not. They bowed and took the gifts and put them somewhere and that was that...we never knew.

DK -from what I've heard of their house, there's nothing austere about it. In fact, there's nothing austere about a lot of China, from the pictures my daughter has been sending. Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermes have set up shop there.

And now after reading your post I'm worried that I'm expected to bring over-the-top stuff to them, lol. I can't bring big stuff with me, I'm only packing a small suitcase. I don't know that I want to carry glass liquor bottles. Expensive touristy stuff maybe? The coin mint sets sound intriguing. Is it appropriate to bring fresh flowers, too?

After all the list of extravagant gifts - flowers are as appropriate there as here. In fact, if I were you,I'd take a small, decorator box of those nutty fruit candies like they sell in Florida at holiday time in many colors, flavors and little stamped designs on top and add a bouquet of flowers in a pretty vase. it doesn't even have to be a big bouquet if you select unusual flowers or flowers with meaning. Bamboo in a pretty vase; one of those miniature trees in a pretty pot (anything from those little oranges to a little pine tree - bonsai I think is what they are called (tired). I think because we were American, some of the gifts they brought were very extravagant, almost to show us how elegant they could be in spite of us being from such a wealthy country. Remember to be prepared to remove your shoes (I always took a pair of those thin, satin slippers in my purse).

Most of the Asian homes in which I dined, we sat on cushions instead of chairs and the tables were low. Sometimes they had an American style home and chairs for guests. I attended one banquet where we sat yoga style on the cushions, side by side for miles, and they brought in the low tables and set them over our knees. By the time the dining was over, my legs were asleep and I had to have help to stand up. Then, the pain was excruciating.

Also, steel and sterling silver chop sticks are not like the wooden ones; everything slides off until you get the knack. Some of our hosts went to great lengths though to make us feel welcome from chairs to actual silverware.

lol about needing help to stand up after dinner.

re bonsai trees and bamboo -I don't want to bring an "Asian" gift. Aren't those Asian-type gifts?

I'm going to look on eBay for mint silver coin sets. I really like that idea.

I think I mentioned it before; but when my husband brought home big bouquets of flowers, the young Korean woman who cooked and kept our home running smoothly would break it up into enough flower arrangements to fill the house. She'd add a stick, a rock and with three flowers in a dish make the most elegant art out of those flowers. So, I think elegance is more important with flowers than quantity.

1/17/2011

LC..

In China and other parts of Asia Miniature Orange
Trees are a great idea they all love them and give them
at New Years, it can be bought over there, the Miniature
orange Tree is suppose to bring good luck, I have a
variegated one..Photo enclosed. You can buy one in China
in any market or floral shop there, have your daughter check
it out, a 1 gallon size is good, easier that way.


Cheers..Joe

How about two very elegant pen and pencil sets? One for him and one for her. They are small, won't melt and everyone can use an extra pen.

Alice, I actually thought of that. It's a possibility. But I also thought that the Chinese probably make tons of fakes of nice pen/pencil sets, like they do everything else. lol. I don't want them thinking I'm giving fakes.

Joe -you never miss an opportunity to buy a plant. lol. That is a good fall-back idea, if I end up buying something there instead of bringing something from here.

'Actually, those orange trees come even smaller in the bonsai version I mentioned, in pretty ceramic dishes. Wish I had a picture. Regardless of what you take, the gesture and the thought are the critical point. A touch of elegance is nice. I do know they like something that is from America - and everything these days "from America" is made in China.

My friend buys expensive shoes and has always bragged about how one brand is one of the few still made in Italy. We were shopping for her the other day, and happened to look at the label of her favorite shoes, still an astronomical price "Made in China." We are not the only ones sending our specs to China to produce the product.

We want to hear what you got, where you got it and how they liked it.

Thanks!