Recommended

All students are also advised to begin reading histories, novels and memoirs about China and to watch Chinese produced movies.

Here is a list of recommended books to read this summer:

History

1. The Search for Modern China (1990) by Jonathan Spence
2. Heritage of China: Contemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization (1990) by Paul S. Ropp
3. China: a New History (1998) by John King Fairbank
4. The China Reader: The Reform Era (1998) edited by Orville Schell and David Shambaugh

Memoirs

1. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (1992) by Jung Chang
2. Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now (1997) by Jan Wong
3. Red Dust: A Path Through China (2001) by Ma Jian
4. Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of a New China (2005) by Rachel DeWoskin
5. Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present (2006) by Peter Hessler

Fiction

1. Soul Mountain (2000) by Gao Xingjian
2. To Live (2003) by Yu Hua and translated by Michael Berry

Set in Hangzhou

1.The Early Arrival of Dreams: A Year in China (2003) by Rosemary Mahoney

Here is a list of recommended films to watch this summer:

Drama and Documentary

1. Blue Kite (1993) by Tian Zhuangzhuang
2. Not One Less (1999) by Zhang Yimou
3. Gate of Heavenly Peace (1995) by Carma Hinton and Richard Gordon
4. Beijing Bicycle (2001) by Wang Xiaoshuai

Comedy

1. Keep Cool (1997) by Zhang Yimou
2. Big Shot's Funeral (2001) by Feng Xiaogang

Set in Hangzhou

1. Iron & Silk (1990) by Shirly Sun
2. West Lake Moment (2005) by Ho Yim
3. Smile (2005) by Jeffrey Kramer
Although a melodramatic and sometimes patronizing message movie, the plot involves a teen from California who travels abroad to volunteer with a medical organization in China. A poor film with a good message, it is filmed entirely on location and set in contemporary Shanghai and Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu that is often described in relation to nearby Hangzhou. The film is based on the true story of the director's daughter who volunteered for Operation Smile, an organization that arranges free operations for children suffering from oral clefts, and which has its Global Resource Chapter for the region located in Hangzhou.

Here is a list of recommended items to bring to China:

• Laptop computer with integrated wireless. While the China Center is fully equipped with student desktop computers, we recommend students who have the means to bring a laptop computer, since there are no restrictions on bringing laptops into China, and it will be much more convenient to be able to work on your own in your room or apartment when you have a big project like a Learning Portfolio due. Also, it is possible to set up Internet access on your laptop in the dormitory and to conduct email correspondence outside of the Chin Center.

• Students might want to get a few parting gifts for your Chinese friends in Hangzhou. Remember, your hosts and friends will almost certainly be giving you gifts, and so you will appreciate coming prepared to reciprocate.

• We recommend that all students bring a collection of photographs in a small album that you can easily show to people you meet. Pictures of you and your family and home are a great way to meet people and to practice a new language.

• Students expecting to purchase a bicycle while in Hangzhou should bring a fitted bicycle helmet, since these can be difficult to purchase locally.

• While Hangzhou is an extremely safe city with very low violent crime, bicycle crime is a problem in all large cities and Hangzhou is no exception. So students expecting to purchase an expensive bicycle in China should also seriously consider bringing their own secure bicycle locking system from the U.S., such as one or even two long shackle U-locks made of strong and flexible heat-treated through-hardened steel to resist both bolt cutters and leveraging, with a disc-style cylinder that resists picking and drilling, such as those made by Kryptonite for high crime and campus areas. In addition, students should always lock their bikes to a fixed object during the day and inside during the night.

• While Hangzhou has a wide variety of domestic and imported products, some products to which we are accustomed are difficult to purchase or are limited in variety. For example, while there are a wide variety of some feminine hygiene products, including numerous brands of sanitary napkins, only OB tampons are readily available. Likewise, while deodorant can be purchased in large supermarkets, antiperspirant can not be purchased, as is the case with dental floss.

• Any natural remedies and vitamin supplements you use regularly and that you will need during the course of your stay, such as natural sleep aids like Melatonin, which can be useful for recovering from jetlag.

• Any non-prescription drugs you typically use to control cold, flu, cough, allergies, and indigestion. While cold medicine such as Contact®, aspirin and ibuprofin can be readily purchased at local pharmacies, many other common OTC remedies, such as Tums®, Robitussin®, etc. are not.

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