What to Give Chinese Back Home When They have Most Everythi

choi

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Ching-Ching Ni, What gifts to bring to a nation that makes everything?  When Chinese Americans visit family and friends in their homeland, gifts from the U.S. are a must. But TVs and fashionable clothes aren't rare anymore, and anything 'Made in China' won't do. Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2010.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chinese-gifts-20100725,0,4582908.story

Note:
(a) This story is featured prominently in the home page of the newspaper.
(b) The adverb "most" in MY title is colloquial for "almost."
(c) lug (vt, vi): "to carry laboriously"
(d) The report says, "Foreign cosmetics — such as Lancôme and Clinique, drugstore body lotions, even lip balm — also are welcome gifts, as long as they're not made in China."

The word "foreign" is to Chinese (not to those who live in US).

(i) Lancôme
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanc%C3%B4me
(a division of L'Oréal since 1964; Founded in 1935 by Armand Petitjean in France, Lancôme will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2010; The name “Lancôme” was inspired by the ruins of a castle, Le Château de Lancosme)

Château de Lancosme
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/16652319

The castle is about fifteen miles west of Châteauroux.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teauroux

(ii) Clinique is a Estée Lauder Companies, Inc, whose headquarters is at Manhattan. In 1968, Clinique premiered as the world’s first allergy tested, dermatologist-driven line. Presumably hence the name, which is a French adjective and noun, whose English translation are "clinical" and "(private) clinic," respectively.

(e) macadamia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadamia
(The genus 屬 is named after John Macadam (1827-1865, Australian), who first described the genus; the two edible species 種 in this genus are native to eastern Australia; extensively planted as a commercial crop in Hawaii from the 1920s)
(f) Zippo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zippo
(founded by George G. Blaisdell in 1932: It got its name because Blaisdell liked the sound of the word "zipper" and "zippo" sounded more modern)
(g) Introducing the Greetings From America Collection;
A Magnificent Collection Honoring the History and Beauty of America’s 50 States. United States Postal Service,
http://www.greetingscollection.com/

One may click "50 Stamp Designs" to see the complete set.

To be honest, I did not know there was this kind of stamps--and have not seen any.

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