What To Wear In China
To sum it up - Pack light and buy here
- China is a huge country with varied climates. In general, the north is cold and dry in winter. In the south, summer is hot and humid. So what to wear really depends on where and when you are visiting.
- Bejing, Xian and Shanghai are very fashionable and have adopted western fashion, but leave shorts and revealing tops at home.
- The Chinese people appreciate it if you dress up and you will rarely find a Chinese woman older than a teenager in jeans.
- Our advice is to pack casual, lightweight layers that aren't too revealing. Light cotton clothing that is easily washed and not too delicate is ideal.
- Trousers are a must for women travelling in China, since many temples will forbid entry to you if you are wearing a skirt.
- A good pair of comfortable walking shoes and stylish flats are highly recommended.
- You can purchase almost any kind of clothing in China although the sizes are far smaller than we in the west are used to.
- Our advice would be to make sure you take enough underwear as Chinese women are a lot smaller than western women, and even their large size is small by our standards.
- The same also applies to shoes... the average Chinese person has far smaller feet than the average westerner.
- Take your sun cream but buy an umbrella there – it can make all the difference in the sun.
- In the winter, most parts of China would be cold, especially in the north. Our advice would be to wear layers. Padded jackets and wool-lined boots are two of the best buys in China, so you can easily buy these if you need to, rather than take up space with them in your bag.
- For travel during the rainy season, from May to August, a raincoat is recommended.
- And for travel at anytime and anywhere in China a versatile pashmina shawl will keep you warm, act as a modesty cover and will "glam" up any outfit.
- Don’t drink or even brush your teeth in tap water. Consider taking a waterstraw water purifier or safe water drinking bottle.
- Look after your mobile phone with a phone bunjee - this elasticated strap will secure it to your bag or pocket, so you don't need to worry about dropping it anywhere.
- Keep your electrical gadgets (camera, iPad, phone etc) fully charged using a solar powered charger. This one gadget will charge most devices anywhere at any time, and it also cuts down on the number of leads and adaptors you need to pack.
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From Our Shop
Great products to pack for a holiday in China:
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