Our young family moved from the states to Hong Kong in 1987. On the advise of an expat, we purchased a Berkey instead of buying bottled water. Since then we have purchased several additional ones since we moved to Kunming in 2001. They are fabulous! I always bring a travel size with me wherever I go (other countries,etc.) We've recently been back to the U.S. where i hadn't been using it since the tap water is "safe". However, I developed a bad case of itchy skin and scalp that was driving me crazy. After some research on the internet, I concluded it might be the chlorine in the tap water. So started using my Berkey and the condition cleared up in a matter of days! Here in Kunming we have several large bottles for storing extra filtered water in case the water supply goes off. it's not that big of a deal to add several pitchers of tap water to the filter every morning....
Highly recommended!

In Hong Kong in the 90s it was said that the water in the reservoirs was safe but that old plumbing etc. meant that water in the tap might be contaminated. With my tap, it seems that wasn't.
My understanding is that the reservoirs for Kunming themselves are contaminated.

@Peter99- I read not long ago a report on the water companies in China. Many process water by filtration only to remove particulates so it "looks" clean. Still plenty of nasties inside. It's better than nothing, but I am very leery as to what else is inside.

@psycho- The Berkey is good. They are used by worldwide relief organizations to get drinking water to remote disaster locations.

My first shipment has arrived in China, and expectantly, customs has held it up. It appears they want a ton of $$ (over 3 times the shipment value) to release it for various BS reasons on top of the 42% tax/duty from the govt.. My alternative is to ship it back to the US and re-ship it again on another carrier to avoid the UPS charges from the China office. This is a scam UPS in China does. Other carriers do not do it. So just to let you all know there will be a further delay. Be warned-never ship via UPS into China!

i has heard that kunming customs are a pib and people importing into chongqing paying duty and kmg want duty again. i know one guy who imports via another city and then road ships the stuff to kunming.

It might be worth investigating the description of the product.

If it were listed as 'water purification equipment' for example, it might be classed as industrial equipment or high tech, that may attract a higher rate of duty than some other classes of product that could also be legal to use.

@tigertiger may be right on that. Also, it's not just UPS. I've had packages with FedEx and DHL get held up at customs and had to pay duties.

Customs have really upped their game on international deliveries in recent years as they try to clamp down on grey market imports.

I know the duty and VAT tax I myst pay. This filter is 12% duty and 17% VAT. It is what it is and that's fine.
However because I am 'importing" a product to be resold in China, I have to pay import tariffs both to the shipper and to China. These tariffs amount to 3 times the value of the goods! I am being spanked because I do not hold a 2mIL rmb import bond. If you send more than 1 item into China, it is not a personal item but considered an imported item and all this trouble begins.
I'm working on a workaround by paying an import agent to accept products through his company. It is not a done deal yet, but looks promising. I will still pay enough either way

How in the world is China a member of the WTO? Never ceases to amaze me how they screw imports over. HK agents speak English and have good China connects. Can give them a look see if your import agent fails.

@bucko

The environmental report released by central government last year, mentioned as a particularly bad area on ground (water?) contamination "Southwest China".

Sorry, I couldnt find the report now, to be able to be more precise, as its nearly impossible to search Internet anyway.

Yunnan is a mining province. Environment has had zero value for decades. (Well, until recently, of course, now when the situation has turned out to a true nightmare - a justified one, one could say). Personally I am suspicious on any water around, no matter what the label says.

And whatever happened to Jack Ma's project of providing citizens cheap home tools for water analysis.

in general, if a shipment is relatively small in size, one could ship it to hong kong, the free port, first and then get an agent there or someone you could trust, to bring it across the border to Shenzhen from where you ship it to whereever you want. that way, no tax, no duty, no declaration...etc. since hong kong and china have CEPA in place. there are thousands of "mules" in hong kong doing exactly that daily. of course if it is a container, that is a different matter. but then, anything is possible in hong kong. breaking down few container of goods in ant size is just as effective there bypassing the you know what. :-)