I am thinking about buying a lap top to bring with me to Shanghai?

Question

I am going to Shanghai to study Chinese at a University. Is it a good idea/ safe to bring a lap top with me on the plane- through the airports - and into china?

Answer 1

sure but isnt it cheaper just to buy a laptop there lol

Answer 2

Yea, I was just in Shanghai 2 weeks ago. I suggest that you get a laptop over here because if you buy one over there, you'll get the crappy microsoft XP operating system that's in chinese. Also, remember that the china uses a different voltage. Here we only use 110-120 v. Over there they use 240 v. So, make sure for your little appliances, like hair dryers, shavers, etc that don't have a brick, make sure you buy an inverter. If you bring your laptop over there, you should be fine because it has a brick and if you look on the brick, it'll say that it can handle input of 110~240 v. If it doesn't (which I highly doubt), you'll need an inverter, which you can buy at radio shack. Also, they had different plugs, so you'll need to purchase an adapter set. China uses the:

Unpolarized parallel plug:
| |

The parallel circle plug:
o o

The unpolarized slanted plug:
\ /

They also use this type of plug as well:
\ /
0

So make sure that you head over to radio shack and purchase those adapters. Also, since most laptops are three pronged, you'll need to get a degrounder, which on the female end (the end with the holes) has two slits for the two prongs and one hole for the ground prong. Then on the male end has just the two prongs, which can then be plugged into the adapter.

So for example, it'll look something like this:


o o <-- circle adapter for chinese plugs (just one of the plugs) [1]

| | <-- two prongs from that degrounder adapter [2]

| | <-- the two prong, one ground prong from your laptop [3]
o

So it'd be plugged in like this:

[Wall jack] - [1] - [2] - [3]

You get? I hope this helped you a lot. Have fun in Shanghai, it's about 96 degrees F there and it's quite smoggy and humid too. The town has a new smell every few feet, but it's still fun.

Customs is more worried about food and other stuff. But if you get picked by customs, you'll be fine because your laptop was purchased in the US and they can't put duty on something that was purchased here. Electronics cheapter in China? Please, it isn't. I have a sony cybershot and the exact same model costs about 3,500 RMB there, which is around 437.5 US dollars... so it costs a bit more there. And technology being more advance? Hmm , I don't really think so. Although China is hiding some of their technology modfications that they get from the US and Japan.

So to summarize, get your laptop in the US. It'll save you a lot of grief. Also get adapters and inverters for your electronics.

Answer 3

Im no longer too certain about that. i visit be certain the point the position it style of appears like an severe priced present, yet with the availability of inexpensive technologies at present, a computing device may be stumbled on for $2 hundred or a lot less, so i think it is not that undesirable. also, i comprehend children take pc instructions way before than I ever did (im 24, and that i do not keep in recommendations even SEEING a pc till sixth grade). Its plausible that she may have a pc class interior the first or 2d grade, so whos to say it is not a foul component that she receives the upperhand? That being stated, i visit be certain what you're saying about the interior toy component. Too many youthful ones spend way too a lot time interior at present.

Answer 4

sure i did that....just got back from the philippines went through hongkong. no problems at the airports theyll just make you run it through the scanner in a seperate bin...DONT put it in cheked baggage tho lol...if i was you i wouldnt get a widescreen laptop either...theyre too big for a plane but that my opinion...longgggg battery life would be nice for that 12-15 hour flight to...

...and buy the way dont let urself be joshed about prices...electronics are almost the same price in any country....get it here...my opinion again.

...and custom duties???? wtf? lol...nah they wont charge customs on ur laptop...customs is simple and easy theyre mostly worried about food items or large quantities of retail merchandise (like a suitcase full of rolex watches lol)...customs=no problem

Answer 5

To the poster above me,

One Problem. Wouldn't he get a keyboard with chinese characters on it? Also, he'd get a Chinese copy of Windows or whatever OS he buys.

Answer 6

Frankly i'd say keep your money and buy it over there. My freind tells me you can get great deals for a fraction of the price over there. Also, they're more technologically advanced and prone to have things that you won't get here to go with it.

Answer 7

The main thing will be for you to have documentation as to where and when you purchased it. You do not want to be charged customs duties on something that you purchased already.