Shopping

Korean Adventure (February 7, 2003 Chautauqua)

My trip to China was an equal measure of sightseeing and shopping. The tour was organized by Koreans for Koreans. I had to shift for myself when it came to information about the various sites. This was no great hardship. I can say, without any false modesty, that I probably could have conducted the tour myself.
The shopping would present no problems for anyone. A salesman looks and talks the same in any language. If you are familiar with Ron Popeil, you can pretty much "fill in the blanks" to discover what they are saying. It all boils down to: "Give me your money."

A float in Tian'anmen Square of The Great Wall.

My first experience of Chinese shopping occurred on the very first day of the trip, when we went through the Forbidden City. There was plenty of space reserved for souvenir shops along the way, with cheesy bric-a-brac everywhere.
On the way in or out of any tourist site, I was besieged by aggressive peddlers of every description. If you wanted to bargain, you could get some fairly good looking stuff cheap. One guy was really mad at me for not haggling, though. He didn't have anything I wanted, and dropping the price didn't make it any more attractive.
The real dangerous sales reps were those we were bussed to. On the second day, we were taken to a Chinese hospital, where a doctor took our pulses, made a diagnosis, and offered to prescribe for what ailed us.

I'm sure it must be catchy, whatever it says.

Chinese doctors have an interesting way of taking the pulse. Three fingers on the wrist, subtly manipulated, offer the skilled doctor a look at the various "levels" inside the body. Supposedly they can figure out what is wrong anywhere.
After that, we were offered a foot massage, which I thought might have been fun. What I didn't know about massage is that a lot of it is real hard. The masseurs really dig into your feet; owowowowowowowOW! I was a little tender after that, I can tell you! Not too good when so much of a tourist's day is spent walking.
Our next stop was a pearl shop, offering high priced jewelry. Not too much hard sell here, as the Koreans were only too willing to fork it over.

Just inside the gate to the Forbidden City.

After that, we were bussed down to Liulichang Street, which offers a variety of traditional Chinese articles: robes, rugs, ivory figurines, cards, jewelry, and many other kinds of items.
There was a combination of shop owners and street dealers that shared an eager desire to part you from your funds. I myself got a "chop," which is a stamp made from ivory. It has Chinese characters carved on the end, and it is used to put the seal on official documents.

The garden inside the Forbidden City. Note the flags held by the tour guides, which tourists are supposed to follow or they will become lost, lost for all time.

On our way to the Great Wall, we stopped at another hospital, which offered an Herbal Sticking Plaster and Balm. There was a touch of the showman in this doctor, who rubbed the balm on his hands before grabbing a metal chain fresh out of a bed of glowing coals.

Lucky symbols on a hillside. Or an ad for Burma Shave.


Our last day in the country did not neglect one more attempt to take whatever monies we might have left. I had to give it up here, as we were shown a variety of teas. There were some interesting flavours, and I settled on some dandelion, which (I am told) is good for the liver.
In some aspects, the trip was disappointing. I was turned off by how well the "Reds" have adapted to capitalism. I could not but be awed, however, by the sights of Old China: the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and Tian'anmen Square. All of this: the good and the bad were evident in the final sight of the tour...the Great Wall.

The touristy part of the Great Wall. The Chinese have the same difficulty with English as Koreans. The sign says, " Issue the certificate of the Great Wall."
What the kimchi...er, Peking Duck?