SHOPPING IN CHINA- NATIONAL PASTIME OR RELIGION???

Wangfuxing Walking Street 

Wagfujing Food Alley

Buying at bargain prices and conspicuous consumption seems to be something everyone does all the time here. At times it feels like a national or, even religious avocation. Getting the best deal for the best material- whether fruits, fish, clothing or cars is something everyone seems to desire-elders at a fruit and veggie market pick over berries to select only the best ones (discarding the ‘not up to standard’ ones for anyone else who might be shopping. Shirts and jackets are often covered with logos (some familiar some not). The cars parked helter-skelter on the sidewalks are usually new SUVs, BMWs, Mercedes, Volvos or Saabs. (The cars get washed frequently, even if the temps are sub-zero.) While shopping, a friend makes sure that the price I am paying is ‘good value’ and even tries bargaining it lower for me. At restaurants, although we often see people eating in smaller family groups, as couples or individually, there are ever present large groups, who sit, usually at a round table, boisterously talking, smoking (despite no smoking signs everywhere), drinking multiple bottles of beer and eating dish after dish of elaborately prepared food. For example: the final class banquet in Beijing, involved more dishes than I could count. Cold and hot appetizer-like dishes, then a soup or two, then meat, then roast duck with all the fixings (including pancakes, dips, and duck soup). At this point we thought we were at the end of the meal….HA !!!, the duck was followed by fish and a few more dishes- just in case anyone might be hungry.  The saying that Chinese people ‘work hard’ and ‘play hard’ should include ‘eat hard’ too. Even in Hong Kong, many students (often the ones from Macao) would delight in selecting a different type of restaurant for lunch, and then order plates of food which they happily shared with each other and me.   Part of our exploring in these cities have included various shopping venues in different parts of Beijing. All of them different and reflecting different economic levels as well as the recent increased wealth and westernization that is occurring in China (maybe less so in Hong Kong, which has been British colony for a long time and is now a Chinese colony- so to speak)

Wangfujing is an aging but upscale shopping and walking street. Pedestrian meander down wide sidewalks, with various stores and shopping malls (I have no idea how people decide which store to make their purchase.) We explored a few department stores and then wandered down a side street filled with small eating stands and lots of people happily strolling and munching. We could have tasted, but didn’t, candied Hawthorne (small crabapple-like delicacies) on a stick coated with caramelized sugar, fried scorpions, noodles galore as well as octopus with sauces, what looked like fried chestnuts and lots more. It felt more like a Hong Kong street, with lots of little food stalls (albeit in a more ancient China Empire style of decorations than the ladies selling their wares on boxes or open tables).  I had been wondering about the absence of a street food scene in Beijing, and was told by a student that the government had recently been cracking down of these types of food stands. However, in Wanfujing they are alive and well.

The next day we braved the wind and cold to visit the Panjiayuan Antique Flea Market (It is amazing that in Beijing you can take the subway and in about 30 minutes be someplace completely different-although it is still China.) 

Typical Shopper at Pahjiayuan

 While the Flea Market is supposed to be very crowded on weekends, on a cold week day morning it was relative quiet. Sellers sat with wares as they warmed themselves with thermoses of hot tea, soup or noodles.  Most of what was for sale were semi-gem stones (coral, turquoise, lapis etc), supplies and tools for calligraphy, wood trinkets, a few stalls with large calligraphy paintings, some people selling decorative cloth and lots more. We wandered a bit, bargained for some (probably) ethnic cloth hangings and then, decided that we had had enough of the sharp biting wind for the moment, and returned to the subway.

Panjiayuan Antique Flea Market

Coral, Lapis and Amber at Panjiayuan Antique Flea Market

From Panjiayuan we took the subway (once again) to the malls at Sanlitun a series of more up-scale buildings to one of most westernized areas we have been to so far- it is also an area a reputed big bar scene and also the first gay bar in the city (we didn’t find it). As we walked, we passed fancy restaurants featuring Turkish, Persian and Indian food. A nearby ‘food court’ also featured food from Australia (steak- of course), Great Britain, Korea, and Middle Eastern along with basic Chinese options. This was also an area where people seemed to know a bit more English as well and the shops were also more western and European. There was also a book store which also served coffee and food as well as a lending library (with books in English !!!). Very NON-Chinese, but lots of Chinese folks hanging out working on their computers. Our trip to Sanlitun was because we wanted to explore a 4-story shopping mall next door (we don’t actually go to shopping malls to buy things, but they are interesting reflections of difference levels of society. The 4-story mall sounded a bit more ‘old timey and middle class’.) Sadly, that mall was an empty shell, perhaps out of business due to the new fancy mall next door.

Finally, Dashilar, near the Forbidden City and an area where there once were many large hutongs (alleys surrounding traditional large square, courtyard enclosing, multi-family homes. We entered passing the large 5- story gate to the

Dashiler Main Street 

Jubjube Tea Seller in Dashier

Forbidden City and then enter a wide modernized touristic shopping street. Dashilar has been recently renovated, cleaning up the earlier hutong casual atmosphere. We were greeted, at the various shops selling traditional and expensive Chinese goods like silk, medicinal snuff, silver, tea and bamboo weavers, by workers wearing traditional Chinese clothing.  It was quite beautiful, but also a bit Disneyland-like.  Turning down a side food street, we were greeted by traditional street food calls.  Ming Ming, who accompanied us and had been to Dashilar 20 years ago, while shopping with her mother for silk for her wedding, barely recognized the changes that had occurred.  Luckily once we turned off the main street, we discovered many maze-like alleys filled with small shops selling all sorts of goods (prices ranging from very cheap to cheaper than the main street) and food. We wandered, look at some beautiful silk shirts and jackets and then decided it was too cold and windy to wander much further.

The range of choices as well as the large number of people shoppping at each location (given that it was cold, windy and a week day) was quite impressive. Each shoppping are seemed to cater to a different age and class of people. And yet, everyone was busy purchasing things. I wonder if this is reflects old cultural patterns,  the more recent burgeoning Chinese economy and private enterprises, as well as the growing awareness of western capitalism and consumption. I will leave the conclusion to Bruce to talk about. Meanwhile, its time to send this off. Thanks for reading.