How to buy travel souvenirs without going overboard?
Experienced collectors teach you how to pick out good things that are truly worth taking home
When traveling, bringing something back has become the most troubling thing for many people on the road.
In the scenic area, the small commodities of various types are everywhere at first glance, which seems lively. However, if you are not careful, you will bring back a bunch of goods from Yiwu that can be seen anywhere. These things take up space and are not interesting at all.
Over the years, I traveled to many places and accumulated a cabinet of all kinds of souvenirs. At first, I bought whatever I saw. Later, I was able to accurately search for excellent items, which can be regarded as a way of experience.
In fact, the souvenirs that are truly worth taking home are often those that showcase the unique culture, skilled craftsmanship, and very unique way of life of the place.
They not only have the function of use, but also are like a key carrying memories. Every time they are used in the future, those beautiful moments in the journey will clearly emerge before your eyes.
Buy with the locals and avoid the "minefields" of scenic spots
There is a very real criterion for choosing souvenirs, and that is to see whether the locals know how to use them and whether they want to buy them.
On the main road in the scenic spot, there are some brightly decorated wholesale stores. Most of these stores adopt a volume-based business model, and the items sold in the stores are generally similar.
If you want to find real ones, you have to go to the markets or alleys frequented by locals.
For example, every time I arrive in a new and unfamiliar city, I will deliberately set aside half a day to visit the local wet market that sells various dishes and other places, or to take a look at the streets in the old city that are full of life.
The things sold there are more affordable and of better quality.
Thinking back to Suzhou, I followed the navigation and turned around into an inconspicuous alley, and came across an old shop selling sandalwood fans. The boss made the fans in the back and sold them in the front. The warmth and texture contained in the hand-made products were completely different from those produced on the assembly lines in scenic spots.
Looking for “atypical” stores and discovering unexpected surprises
Really unique souvenirs are often hidden in inconspicuous places.
Either it is a handicraft workshop in the old town that has been passed down for generations, or a flea market that is only open on weekends, or a wholesale market that only locals are completely aware of.
Many cities now also have intangible cultural heritage experience workshops, which are really a treasure.
Here, you can witness with your own eyes how craftsmen transform a piece of clay and a piece of thread into exquisite works. By the way, in some cases, you can even experience it yourself and feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage.
The price of the finished products sold in the workshop may be slightly higher than the outside price, but the quality is absolutely authentic and reliable, and every object contains the craftsman's thoughts.
In addition, local art galleries and cultural and creative shops attached to museums are also excellent choices.
The items in those places are painstakingly selected by experts, and their design and quality are guaranteed, so there is no need to worry about buying shoddy items.
Do your homework in advance and develop a pair of "fiery eyes"
Before setting off, take some time to check out the local specialties and have a good idea of what they are.
You have to figure out what they look like and what their approximate price is.
For example, when you go to Xinjiang to buy Hetian jade, you must at least know what the real Hetian jade is like and how it feels when you touch it, rather than just seeing whether it is white or not.
When traveling to Yunnan to buy Pu'er tea, you also need to have a general understanding of the differences between ancient tree tea and platform tea, otherwise it will be easy to be fooled by the gorgeous packaging.
Real handicrafts, because they are handmade, will retain more or less unique traces, and there is no way that each one is exactly the same.
If you look at a stall of so-called "hand embroidery", every pattern and every stitch is as if it has been copied and pasted. There is no difference. In that case, it is basically embroidered by a machine.
At this time, it is very important to trust your own intuition. As long as you feel that something is wrong, you should never trade even if the price is extremely low.
How to choose gifts for others, taking into account both thoughtfulness and practicality
When bringing gifts to relatives and friends, what matters is the balance between intention and practicality.
You can't go wrong with local specialties.
The Longjing tea produced in Hangzhou has a fresh bean aroma; the twists in Tianjin are crispy and delicious; the hot pot base in Sichuan Province has a spicy and fragrant taste, which reminds people of the unique local taste as soon as they taste it.
By giving these, you can share the flavor of the journey without burdening others.
When choosing, remember to check the shelf life, choose something that is easy to carry, and consider the other person’s taste, whether he can eat spicy food, and whether he likes to drink tea.
In addition to food, some unique small items are also quite suitable, such as small exquisite porcelain cups from Jingdezhen, small tie-dyed handkerchiefs from Dali, or a set of postcards recording local customs, which can not only play a decorative role, but also can be kept as souvenirs.
If you are giving something to your elders, be extra cautious when choosing health care products. It is best to choose well-known and old brands, because their quality is guaranteed and your elders can appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Collectible souvenirs, the story is more important than the price
Souvenirs with real collectible value are not necessarily valuable items, but often belong to the category of limited editions, the kind signed by the author, or the traditional craft products that are about to be lost.
The key isn’t how much it’s worth, but the story behind it.
I once bought a piece of Dongba paper from a Naxi grandfather in Lijiang, Yunnan.
That piece of paper was fished out one by one according to the ancient method using the bark of the local acanthus tree.
The gray-haired old man held a bamboo pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote a few Dongba characters on the paper, claiming that they expressed blessings and peace.
Souvenirs with such warmth and stories behind them are more important than anything produced on the assembly line.
It carries unique memories and emotions. Every time I see it, I will remember that afternoon and that amiable old man.
Collect niches and scents to make memories unique
If you are in the same situation as me and are tired of things that lack change and remain unchanged, then you might as well explore and find items that are unique to each city and show niche characteristics.
When you go to Xi'an, you can bring back a rubbing from the Forest of Steles to experience the atmosphere of thousands of years of culture; when you go to Dunhuang, you can copy the line drawing of a mural, so that the mysterious Feitian will remain with you in a brand new form; when you go to Quanzhou, you can buy a cake maker, which is a traditional handicraft that happens to appear at local temple fairs.
These niche souvenirs may not seem so attractive at first glance, but they have unique properties and have their own stories and charm.
There is also a new idea, which is to collect "city smells".
Many cities now have perfumes or aromatherapy created by local perfumers.
Using scent to remember a city is both romantic and special.
A jar of perfume with the scent of salty sea breeze, and a scented candle that can restore the smell of sandalwood and old books in the old streets, will immediately pull you back to that city every time you smell it.
After all, choosing souvenirs is to choose a memory of your own trip.
Don’t let the flashy “specialties” in the scenic area blind you. Go deeper into the local life and pay more attention to items that carry craftsmanship and stories.
What is brought home like this is not just a certain item, but also a period of incomparable good times that can be savored over and over again.
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