Packing for Taiwan...
Packing for Taiwan has been a challenge. There are two reasons for this: 1) Weather differences between Northern Taiwan and Southern Taiwan. Since we'll be traveling from Taipei in the North to Kenting in the South I have to account for differences in weather. 2) Chinese gift giving culture. When a Chinese family returns to see family back in the Motherland, you have to bring gifts. Anyone with Asian parents can probably attest to this. My luggage is no longer just my clothing, shoes and electronics. Stuffed into the corners of my luggage are vitamins, snacks, and other questionable items.
A day or so ago, my mother and I went to visit my grandmother (my mom's side) to drop off some snacks. We weren't sure if we'd be visiting her again before departing for Taiwan so she gave us some gifts to give my father's parents whom we will be going to see in Taiwan. Gift giving is an important facet of guan xi 关系. Guan xi is the elaborate network of relationships that is a traditional aspect of Chinese culture. Gift giving culture stems beyond the simplicity of just giving a gift and receiving one in return. Certain gifts are deemed appropriate whereas others aren't, and it can vary depending on the situation (ie. business, family, or gratitude).
For further reading on the subject I recommend:
"Gifts, Favors, and Banquets: The Art of Social Relationships in China (The Wilder House Series in Politics, History and Culture)" by Mayfair Mei-hui Yang (AMAZON)
My grandmother gave us Yanwo 燕窝 which are bird nests and Korean ginseng. These are medicinal gifts, which are popular to give to the elderly. Awhile back I actually assisted my friend Alexis who wrote an article for Into the Gloss about these two items (LINK).
So stuffed into the crevices of my luggage are bird nests and ginseng... I'm glad I don't have to explain that to the TSA. We will also be bringing back vitamins, beauty products and Transformers toys as gifts for other family members.
**Please excuse my poorly taken photos... and the random Santa.
