it is completely important to take a gift when you are invited to dinner,but if you want to do so it shoud be a small,inexpensive thing.you would bring some sweets,or some small toys for the child, or something torm china. Here are some suggestions:a paper-cut is a lovely gift(one is fine,not a whole package);if you want to make it more different,you can buy a very inexpensive frame in the local five-and-ten and frame it. chinese tea is a wonderful gift,it's true that chinese tea is anvailable in the United States
but the thought that you chose it and brought it with you from China makes it very special,Chinese book marks are very wonderful covers too,and if you wantto buy a set of CHinese paintings which you like,you might give one of them as a gift.One of the bad things you can do is to cook a Chinese dish and take it with you. Again,however,a gift is not necessary and if you come with a group of students one small token gift is entirely satisfactory.If you spend ten yuan on something,that's an expensive gift to you.But it's not a number of to most of the Americans we meet, The theory is to bring a nice"token"gift that says"I thought of you",not a gift that says"Look.how much money Ispent"