It may be difficult to imagine what's in store for you in China. When it comes to shopping, it pays to have a little idea about what you'd like to buy, especially if you've limited time to squeeze in shopping between sights. Take a look at just a few of the thousands of things you can bring home from your trip to China in this Shopping Photo Gallery. You can see chopsticks, silk pajamas, reflexology shoes (see photo at right), Mao Zedong T-shirts, just to name a few of the myriad souvenirs you could bring home.

After deciding what to buy, find out where to buy it.

Read more about shopping:

• How to Bargain in China
• Largest Beijing Flea Market
• Top Shanghai Markets
• How to Buy Pearls in China

Photo: reflexology shoes on sale at one of Shanghai’s markets. © 2007 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Xi’an is usually a definite stop on most travelers' China itinerary. The Terracotta Warriors are on everyone’s must-see list, as they should be: they were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

But many people don’t realize there’s a lot more to Xi’an than just the Terracotta Museum. Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province in central China and is steeped in history as it not only was the cultural and political capital of China for hundreds of years, but also the beginning point of the Silk Road leading west. A crossroads for trade, Xi’an has seen dynasties come and go. Read more on the History of Xi’an.

Photos: above, the Terracotta Warriors in battle formation, © 2006 Megan Inman & Lincoln Schroth, licensed to About.com, Inc. Below, the Big Goose Pagoda, Xi’an, © 2007 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com, Inc.

What do they wear over there? Do I need to dress up for dinner? Are these the questions you’re asking yourself before you pack your bags for China? If so, I think this article on what to wear on your trip to China as well as how to pack will be helpful to you.

Wondering if there are certain things you should bring and others you can pick up on the way? Understand what to pack and what you can buy. This is a list of packing essentials.

Worried about minor illnesses or getting medication during your trip? Find out what you should bring along in a first aid kit.

Finally, if you are bringing kids along, you certainly don’t want to pack two weeks worth of diapers. Here’s a helpful packing list for traveling to China with kids.

Happy packing!

I didn't realize how much of an impact Michael Jackson had on the world. The day after he died, the radio station most taxi drivers have on in Shanghai played an all-day tribute to him. When I told the driver (not realizing it was an all-day tribute) that the singer had recently passed away he said the equivalent of "duh, we're listening to his songs all day in honor of him" to me in Chinese.

The pinnacle commemoration came this morning in the taxi when I realized the driver's ringtone was set to Beat It. Music requires no translation I suppose.