Pack as little as possible.Pack lightly rather than heavily.Lightweight and concise are two words that should be etched on your mind when you are deciding what to bring. Today's China is well stocked with most personal items, you will have many opportunities to buy.I'm sure that it is much better to buy things as you need them rather than to throw them away because you have too much to carry.

However, there are some things you will need to bring from home:

Luggage

If you plan to travel in China, essential is a sturdy, large, soft-sided internal frame backpack with several compartments to fit all your things. Don't bring anything too expensive as it may get damaged, but durability is a must.Label everything with tags inside and out in English and Chinese.

• Passport Bring three to four photocopies of the first page and the visa page.
• Emergency card with a U.S. contact, address, and phone number.
• Extra passport photos (at least three to four)
• Nalgene one-liter see-through hard plastic water bottle. The water can't be drunk straight out of the tap in China so most places have boiling water available. It takes a really long time to cool in those big thermoses they offer but not long at all in the Nalgene. These bottles, once filled and sealed with the boiling water are also good hot water bottles in the winter. They are also odor proof.
• Other ID International Student ID may be helpful (they have several types of insurance too).
• Neck or waist pouch which you can wear under your clothes. This is to keep travelers’ cheques, passport, and other important papers very safe and together. This is the safest way to go when you’re traveling.
• Travelers’ cheques US$500-800 for four months should be enough for extra travel on the weekends, gifts, or travel after the program. Double or triple this amount if you plan to stay longer, depending on your circumstances. Travelers’ cheques are pretty secure so bring more than you’ll need. Go American Express.
• A credit card (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are recognized) may be a good idea for security especially if you plan to travel on your own for a long period of time.
• Cash cards are still not widely used in China, and almost every cash machine you will find requires you to have an account with the Bank of China (not a good idea).
• Lonely Planet China Guide Despite some of its faults, the LP is really great for getting around a town. It also gives interesting historical backgrounds on cities and provinces. This is almost an essential if you’re going to travel around on your own.
• Ziplock bags are a basic that are wonderful. They are reusable, very dependable, and clear. Bring lots of sizes to fit your shoes, clothes, toiletries, etc. When you travel it’s a good idea to wrap everything in your pack in its own bag. When a man lost his lunch in a rickety long-distance bus in Yunnan all over one of our packs that was on the floor, the bags saved our stuff.
• First Aid kit Medical facilities are not reliable or of the highest quality in China, and if you don’t speak Chinese, seeking help will be even more troublesome. This is very important.

Backpacks

Investing in a good backpack is one outlay you will never regret.

A sturdy backpack or a rucksack is much easier to carry than a suitcase. Bring suitcases only if you know you won't be carrying your luggage on buses and trains.

A frameless or internal-frame pack is preferable, which is generally easier to store on buses and trains and also more comfortable to walk with.

A small shoulder bag or a bum bag is essential for carrying your camera and other daily items around after you have deposited your backpack at the hotel or railway station. But do not use it for valuables such as your traveller's cheques and passport as it can be an easy target for pickpockets.

Clothing

Clothing is inexpensive and one of the best buys in China, so you need not bring too much from home. Theoretically you need only two sets of clothes, one to wear and one to wash.
You can bring Underwear,Swimming suit,Summer clothes, Long johns, Spring clothes, Shoes,Raingear, Athletics,Each of which are very important.
If you are traveling in northern China during winter, prepare yourself for incredible cold. A good down jacket, hat, mittens and boots are necessary.
Besides, underwear, rainwear, comfortable socks and hiking boots are needed.

Articles of Daily Use

A good pair of sunglasses, a hat, a sunscreen lotion and a water bottle are essential, particularly in the desert regions or when at high altitudes.

Tooth brush, towel, common toiletries, wet tissue, cold and indigestion medications, lip balm and any other medicines you generally use. If you have to take regular prescription medicines be sure to bring adequate supplies for your trip.

If you are going to travel in some of the more remote cities, items such as shaving cream, decent razor blades, mosquito repellent, deodorant, dental floss, tampons and contact lens solution may not be readily available. It is therefore necessary to ensure you have them with you.

Equipment and Miscellous

Bring your camera, enough films and batteries. Be aware that while print film is available in most places, slide film may be difficult to find.

Electrical multi adaptor is must if you plan on bringing electrical appliances.

A China guidebook; a pen and a notebook to keep track of all the exciting things happening on the trip.

An alarm clock is also of help.

Last but not least, do not forget your passport, visa, traveler's checks , ATM cards and airline tickets.

When entering China, foreign travelers shall be required to provide Chinese frontier authorities with their passports, Chinese visas and the "Entry-Exit Registration Card" for verification. They will be allowed to enter the country after Chinese frontier authorities verify their passports, Chinese visas and the "Entry-Exit Registration Card" and affix on them official seals for verification.

For foreigners carrying gifts, sample products or goods whose import is restricted by Chinese customs authorities or carrying major articles taxable or exempted from import duties, they shall earnestly declare them in the "Traveler's Luggage Declaration Form" and clear customs through the "Red Passage." For travelers carrying articles for their own use only, they can clear customs through the "Green Passage".

Appendix: Articles Whose Entry into the People's Republic of China Is Prohibited and Restricted

1. Articles Whose Entry Is Prohibited

Various types of weapons, articles in emulation of weapons, ammunitions and explosives;
Counterfeit currency bills and fake securities;
Printed matters, films, photos, phonograph records, movies, audio tapes, video tapes, laser optic discs, computer memory media and other articles which are harmful to China's politics, economy, culture and morality;
Various types of acrid poisons;
Opium, morphine, heroin and marijuana as well as other narcotics and spiritual drugs which can make people addicted to them;
Animals and plants and their products carrying dangerous disease germs, pests and other harmful living things;
And, foods, drugs and other articles which are harmful to the health of human beings or animals, which come from infectious disease-stricken regions or which are capable of spreading diseases.

2. Articles Whose Entry Is Restricted

Radio transceivers and secure communication devices;
Cigarettes and alcoholic drugs;
Endangered species of fauna and flora (including their specimens) as well as their seeds and reproductive materials;
The national currency of China, with every traveler restricted to carrying a total of 6,000 Chinese yuan in the maximum each time when he enters the country.
There’s no doubt that you’ll buy lots of things, from books to clothes to antiques to jewelry.