Bartering. Something (mostly) foreign to me, or at least the way Chinese people do it. I’ve bartered for services in the past, or room upgrades at hotels, but very rarely for things I’d like to buy!
Fortunately, Rie is a good teacher. She’s taken us to a handful of stores over the past few days that require bartering to get the best price. Local flower market, open-air food markets (is that what they’re called?), and the famous Hongqiao pearl market.
She’d befriended (if that’s the word) the owner of a booth in the pearl market and we got some nice pearl necklaces at a good price. Because it’s so obvious we’re foreigners walking around (and our pockets are loaded with cash, duh), the salespeople can sometimes get aggressive.
So we learned bu yao – do not want! It’s probably the second most useful phrase I’ve learned, besides thank you. I don’t want your crappy Beijing souvenir, bu yao, bu yao!
But I do want one of these shirts…later.
It’s helpful to have her along, I’m not sure what we’ll do without her when we return to the pearl market to pick up some more souvenirs, or when we go to buy tea…
We had to part ways with Rie this afternoon, so her driver dropped us off at the Drum and Bell tower and then she recommended we check out the park near Qianhai lake.
After climbing dizzying steps up the drum tower, we watched a thunderous performance performance. The view from the tower itself would have been better had today not been so smoggy…!
Qianhai lake had a cute park around it that Rie said was characteristically Beijing. It was filled with traditional-style buildings, hip bars and restaurants, and so. many. rickshaws. We gave them our best bu yaos and walked around with happy lady iced tea until we had to head back to Liangmaqiao.
Tomorrow, we’re headed to Xi’an via bullet train to see the terracotta warriors. Here’s to hoping Xi’an is less polluted than Beijing has been the past few days. See you Friday!