For the first 3 days of our tour, the skies were clear but the weather was hot (like Malaysia) but for the last 2 days of the tour, Beijing was shrouded in smog. Watching CCTV in our hotel room at the Marriot, we learnt that the pollution level in Beijing was bad. For a city of over 20 million people, the air quality was worrisome.
I decided to pray for rain. I thought that if Elijah can pray for rain so can I! And rained it did...so much so that the tour leader told me not to pray for rain as she wanted us to have good weather to move around the historical sites! So I prayed that it would only rain when we were indoors and that there would be no rain when we were outdoors. I believe that God heard my prayers as it rained heavily the night when we were in the Auspicious Business Hotel in the outskirts of Beijing.
I will start with my report on the last day as it is still fresh in my memory.
June 5 (Wednesday) started with us going silk shopping. We were taken to a large silk shop. This was one of the 3 "compulsory" shopping tours that we had to attend.
We were shown silk worms in various stages of their growth. The sales person also explained to us how silk was harvested from the silkworms and also asked us to try eating the discharge from the silkworms (I politely declined although some of my tour members did)!
We were then taken to the shopping area where the usual hard-selling began. Silk comforters, silk bed-sheets, silk covered cushions and pillows, silk bedspreads in traditional and modern designs were on display for us to see.
Most of the time I could not understand a word of their sales pitch (yes...I am Chinese but cannot speak nor understand Mandarin) although I picked up some essential words like toilet, meals, eat, door, how much, thank you).
Selling at RM2000 equivalent, the silk bed-spreads were beyond our budget. (We only brought RM1k with us to spend during the holiday).
However thanks to the overall purchase of our group, we finally bargained for "buy one, free one" silk cushions which was originally quoted at RM190 per cushion! Finally the sales ladies relented but kept on asking us to buy the silk bedspreads even when we had paid for the purchase. The silk cushions were unique cos they opened up to be silk comforters and folded up to be cushions.
However I did not quite like the silk bedspreads as I am not a fan of silk materials due to its tendency to cling to the skin.
Some shopping tips in China: try not to separate from the group cos that's where the hard selling can begin and the pressure and coercion will become agressive, try not to ask questions cos that's when they think you are keen, try to walk away when they thrust things into your hand, try to stick to about 70% or 80% discount from the original quoted price and be determined to walk away if they say "No" to you. Chances are they will call out to you "Come back"!
It was also at this shop that I gave some tracts on "Who is Jesus" to the Chinese salesgirls who were impressed with the English and Mandarin languages in one tract!
I also asked some of the salesgirls about the program "Perfect Match". Surprisingly they told me that they also like to watch the show. I told them that I learnt some Mandarin watching the program. I told the single girls (who spoke to me in English with an American slang) to join the show as I hoped to see them on TV back in Malaysia! I said I will pray for them to find their partners!
I later came to learn that matchmaking is big business in China. They are matchmaking fairs much like trade fairs where photos of eligible singles are placed in an exhibition hall for all to see. Singles flock the fairs to register themselves and to meet their potential partners. The surprising thing is that they also visit the fairs with their parents who will also exchange photos of their sons and daughters for potential matchmaking!
After the silk shop, we had a Japanese buffet lunch at Matsuko. A long buffet line of sushi, unagi, salmon, perch, crab soup with noodles, sukiyaki, pumpkin soup, edamane, miso soup, steamed fish, octopus, durian ice-cream and more greeted us the moment we stepped into the restaurant.
Sitting on cushions at a low rectangular table with our legs dangling in a space beneath the table in a Japanese tatami room, we had a good and hearty Japanese lunch. Although getting up and sitting down posed a challenge for older folks like me, it was interesting nonetheless and an enjoyable experience.....
Next update: Summer Palace.
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