Stationary Haul From My Trip to China Part 1

I almost could not do this post because I thought I didn't bring my goodies. I was under the impression that I packed my stationary stuff in my North Face Jester backpack (I had just returned from visiting family in China). Boy, was I wrong. So when I was unpacking, I freaked so badly. I literally ran downstairs screaming and flailed around (LOL) with a pained expression on my face. I was so distraught! But eventually I found it under some clothes in another suitcase. THANK THE STATIONARY GOD.

I have to say that Asian stationary has never failed to entice me with its cuteness and design. I bought my stuff from three places: Xinhua Bookstore in Shapingba (Chongqing), Xinhua Bookstore in Jiefangbei (Chongqing), and Soshow (Beijing). Bookstores in China often sell lots of stationary in addition to books -- think of them as Barnes & Nobles + an Asian Staples put together. All of the stationary shown below together cost me no more than 150 RMB (about $25 USD) max -- everything's so cheap! A lot of the products are of decent quality, too!

There are a lot of Xinhua Bookstores in China (they're everywhere), but in the US, there is only one in San Diego and one in Manhattan. The one in Jiefangbei, Chongqing is one of the bigger ones in the region. As far as I know, there are no Soshow locations in the US... I do have to clarify that Soshow is actually not a single store, but rather it is a mini mall with little stores/vendors selling all sorts of cute things one could ever possibly imagine. These cute things include Asian stationary, hair accessories, clothing, stuffed animals, cosmetics, etc. This place is an Asian fangirl's dream come true!! :)

This is a classic tin pencil case whose style was popular back when I was super little. I've looked everywhere in the US, and so far I've only seen a few of these in some Asian supermarkets (H-Mart!). Honestly, because these are hard to find, this metal pencil case almost has a special, vintage feeling to it. I bought this Coopanda one in the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiefangbei, Chongqing for 12 RMB (about $2 USD -- so cheap!!). Check out the adorable panda design! I literally can't get over how cute Asian stationary is! I wish the US would make designs like this. Instead, we get stuck with boring old BIC pens and what not. Don't get me wrong - BIC pens work well, but they don't have the same aesthetic appeal as most Asian pens. Asian stationary also have the cutest motto/slogans (even if they make no grammatical sense and is just nonsense writing in general LOL...). American stationary often don't have any motto/slogans. The cursive writing says: "Coopanda's best friend is Kelly. He is different from her because he is a brown bear. But they both love eating cookies." HOW CUTE IS THAT >___<



The pencil case has an unattached lid and two compartments. The top and bottom compartments are divided into two by a metal separator (shown above on the left). This allows for better organization of the pencil case. I like to keep my pencils/pens on top and my eraser/lead/etc. on the bottom.

This one here is also a classic tin pencil case. Unlike the first pencil case, this one only has one large compartment for everything. This may or may not be convenient for you. The lid is also unlike the first one in that it is attached to the main body part. Again, this may or may not be convenient. In terms of sizes, the Coopanda one is a lot smaller than this one -- in width and depth. The length is about the same. I might prefer this one over the Coopanda one in terms of utility because the larger space allows for irregularly shaped objects to fit comfortably (i.e. white-out pens). The other thing is this pencil box shape is the standard size, while the Coopanda one is more slimmer in width and has a deeper design. I got this Forest College one at the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiefanghei, Chongqing for 15 RMB (about $2.45 USD). Again, very cheap!! The quality of both pencil cases seem fine -- I mean, they're both metal... I don't really see how there is a "bad" metal vs. "good" metal pencil case. Either way, these are to be used with care, as the paint can chip off if the metal is scratched.  

Here is the back of both pencil cases. You can see that they are the same length, but the blue one is wider than the pink one. I think I actually prefer the pink one just because it is so damn cute! Although, I like the general shape and design of the blue one more -- I think it is a more practical shape for storage and for usage.  

 This is white-out tape. Think of it as non-liquid white-out dispensed like a roll of tape. You don't need to physically rip the white-out tape to use; you press down on the dispenser to dispense the tape. It's pretty easy to use and A LOT cleaner than using the classic liquid white-out, which also smells a lot worst, too! This white-out tape doesn't carry any scent. Plus, the design is ADORABLE <3 The text says: "Why don't you take up something as a hobby?" SO CUTE. I bought this Aihao Correction Tape (white-out tape) for 8 RMB (about $1.30 USD) at a small local bookstore in Shiqiaopu, Chongqing (I can't remember the exact name of the store!). Super awesome deal!!

 This is the back of the white-out tape, with the features written in Chinese (I'm too lazy to translate all of that lol...). Basically the back says (where the 1, 2, and 3 is) how to use the thing, and other random features of this product.

 This is the other white-out tape I got from the same local bookstore in Shiqiaopu. The design is basically the same- you press down on the nozzle of the tape dispenser to allow the tape to run. I got this Cocoja one for 10 RMB (about $1.63 USD). I can't over how cheap stationary is in China!! >___< Also notice how cute the slogan is: "Don't sleep. Wake up, It's late~ Cocoja!!" *melting from cuteness overload*

 The back basically tells you how to use the white-up tape along with other information like shelf life (2 years), where the product was produced (Shanghai), etc. The printed date along the left-side is the production date (11/02/2012). This means this white-out tape will last another 1 1/2 years.

 I LOVE WHALES. Only the cartoon-like whales lol... This is the most adorable pencil holder I've ever seen. The whale is so cute (it's making an embarrassed face!) and the color is adorable (it's a mint green pastel color). The top has a metallic silver finish, and the material is hard plastic (but not the super easily breakable kind).

 The pencil holder came in a semi-translucent plastic container shown on the left. I bought this pencil holder for 12 RMB (about $2 USD) at the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiefangbei, Chongqing.

 The pencil holder probably has enough space to fit 7-10 pens or 10-15 pencils comfortably, depending on how thick the pen/pencil is. I think that is a reasonable number of pens/pencils to place conveniently on a desk.

 These are pencil lead cases filled with SUPER LONG 0.5mm pencil leads! I have literally never seen such long pencil leads in my life! I swear these don't exist in America! The cases are made out of this really sturdy plastic and are SO CUTE.

I had to buy all four kinds of the same lead! They were too cute to resist! I think I have enough lead to last me a while... The cases are also super reusable for storing lead in cuter cases!

 The top of the lead case has a compartment that can be pulled out a bit, which opens the case so that one piece of lead easily slides out. It's super convenient and easy to use! Somehow, it always seems to let out one piece of lead at a time.

 This is another pencil lead, which is a bit shorter than the previous one, but is still a lot longer than the standard American pencil lead. This one has a standard cap opening. I bought this pencil lead at the Xinhua Bookstore in Jiefangbei, Chongqing for 5 RMB (about $0.82 USD). So freaking cheap!

 The opening is in the shape of a heart! How cute is that?! I will definitely be using these pencil lead cases to store all my pencil leads in the future! These so beat the boring old Pentel pencil lead cases... lol.

 This is an ADORABLE white-out pen. You use the white-out pen as you would with any pens- except to white-out any mistakes. I personally prefer a brush applicator, but the pen can be quite useful for small mistakes that a brush can't cover easily. The flow is pretty nice- especially for a white-out pen. The cap is pretty snug, so the liquid won't dry out as quickly :)

More to come in Part 2 of my stationary haul from China!