Day 3 in Beijing

Tuesday 17th November is my second full day in Beijing, China. Today I'm mainly looking forward to a very interesting day at work. My supervisor from the Shanghai HQ didn't arrive in Beijing until lunch time so therefore my morning is just occupied by office operational stuff.

My day really started to be more interesting from lunch time onwards. My colleague and I decided to go out for lunch together, so we went to the building next to ours which also has shops and restaurants at the lower floors. We picked a restaurant called Zhen Gong Fu (meaning Real Kong Fu) , haha the name needs a bit of explanation. The restaurant is not at all related to Kong Fu, this is the first Chinese-food-franchise-chain-fast-food restaurant in Mainland China. The name of the restaurant is really meaning that the restaurant offers food that's authentic Chinese, that takes time and patience, that is the excel in the market. So like I said before, this is a fast-food chain restaurant that offers Chinese food, and the food in this restaurant are all by steaming, so it's a very healthy fast-food restaurant, haha. Considering that I had McD in the morning two days in a roll, it may be good for me to take something healthier.

Food in Zhen Gong Fu are usually like mains like chicken and mushroom with rice, or Chinese sausage with rice, or beef with ricel; soup like traditional Cantonese flavoured soup, e.g. duck and Chinese herbs; drinks like soy milk (yes, soy milk again, it's everywhere!), green bean drink; side dishes like chicken drumsticks, steamed egg, sweet soy bean dessert etc. My colleague and I ordered a set menu for two: 2 main dishes (chicken & mushroom; Chinese sausages), 2 rice, 1 vegie (broccoli), 2 traditional soups, 1 steamed egg, 1 sweet soy bean dessert; and all of these is a set price for 45RMB (circa 9NZD). HAHA, this is so cheap compared to NZ, no wonder all my friends say it's better to eat more in China, LOL.

After lunch my colleague and I went into this shoe shop in the shopping mall called Coey, it branded itself as a Japan styled shoe store. This store is having a promotion at the moment that apart from the already discounted prices for shoes (especially for winter boots) there's another 100RMB off at purchase. All boots in the stores claimed to be made by leather, mostly cow leather, but to be honest it does feel very leather-y and authentic. My colleague told me that this store is quite famous for its good quality and good price, and since I need some shoes for work anyway so I started looking around. The cheapest ones on sale is about 499RMB per pair (which is quite ok in the Chinese market - according to my colleague) and the more recent styles are about 799RMB per pair (after discount). Both my colleague and I saw this pair of boots that can be made into three different looking styles, which is quite unique and easy to match for any occasion. My colleague eventually settled down with a pair of brown leather boots (my recommendations) which is only 499RMB!! She is so happy and kept on making sure that I'm ok with her buying it (I initially had my eyes on that pair of boots, but doesn't come in my size). What I realised from this shopping experience is that the average shoe size in Chinese market is about size 36 (women); all shoes on display is in 36, and when I asked for size 39 the staff told me that they actually need to transfer them from the main warehouse (and have to check whether they even have it, LOL). I think my shoe size is just too big comparing to average Chinese girls, LOL.

Work

Finally getting back to work after a satisfying meal with my happy colleague (and her new boots). My supervisor from Shanghai has arrived at the office but she's so busy that she didn't have time to train me until late afternoon. Fonterra runs on the SAP system so basically my training is on SAP. After my supervisor and my managers had a discussion, they decided to let me be responsible for the Offer and Contract part of the Global Trade Sales Department in the Norther China region. This sounds very interesting for me (coming from a law background) and does sound challenging and exciting! I can't go in more detail about the technical side but I am really looking forward to more hands-on training. The peak period for Offer and Contract is at the beginning of every month, so I better train up and be very efficient and flawless by then! Fingers crossed!!

Most interesting of the day

This part is about the most interesting thing that happened in my day! I decided to go to Silk Market (Xiu Shui Jie) with few friends after work. After doing some research, I found out that Silk Market is the most famous shopping centre/market in China, and it is the must-see attraction for all tourists. Silk Market is situated on Xiushui Street East of Chao Yao District and have around 410 stores and over 1billion RMB sales annually. Majority of the stores sells Chinese-cultural-related products (e.g. clothes, decorations, gifts etc), silk, souvenirs etc. Another important sales line for this market is that you can be 'A+ quality fake products', lol, how funny does that sound? You can find all sorts of famous local and international brands in the stores, all fake, but CHEAP and A+ QUALITY!!!! I'm not looking forward to buying branded things there but I am really looking forward to the special 'Silk Market culture'.

I arrived at the Silk Market much earlier than my friends, so I began my self-tour in the market. To be honest, I am lost from the first step I entered into the store. Basically I entered into this weird floor where it's between the subway and the ground floor (it was unintentional) and already I began to be confused about all the shops around. Shops in the Silk Market are very small and basically selling the same things as the store right next to each other. I heard about the special Silk Market culture where if you are a foreigner, these store owners will start yelling to you vocabs of the products they sell in every possible language they think that you'll understand. I heard this is quite a scary experience especially if you showed interest but decided not to buy them, then these store owners will use every vocab that they know of to swear and yell at you, LOL, i'm so lucky I look asian and therefore didn't get to experience this, haha.

Anyway, so I was walking around the stores and every now and then asking for some prices (trying my very best to have a Beijing-er accent, so they'll treat me less like a foreigner); then I realised once I start walking slower at the shops and ask for a price, the shop owner will not let me go. If I asked for a price and then walk away, then they will say 'ok, you give me a price', if I continue to show uninterested and walk away then they'll start reducing prices. This is the first time in my life that I haggled prices, LOL, quite nervous the first few times I did it. To be honest, I don't know the actual 'good' price of a product in Beijing, and therefore, if I think it's about half the price they originally offered and that it's considerably cheap in NZ then I see it as a good price. For example, I bought a beanie that the store owner initially asked for 80, I said too expensive and walked away; then she yelled at me and offered 65, and I still think it's too expensive; then she asked me for a price and I said 30, she said no that's too low; so I thanked her and starting to walk away, then she followed me and said 40 and I still said no; eventually we settled down to a price at 36RMB with a condition that she sells me a matching pair of gloves for 30RMB (asking price 75RMB). Lol, I don't even know if I made a good deal, 76RMB for beanie and gloves, but I think it's alright as this is only my first experience.

So here I am, wondering around in the level between two levels and trying to figure my way out from all the messy signs. I realised that once I ask for a price, the shop owner will never let me go very easily. BUT!!! From this experience I learned how to differentiate between a shop owner and a shop assistant (employee). Basically the shop owner will follow you and keep offering prices and trying to sell you other related products whereas the employee will just answer your question and leave you alone. Haha, very typical employer and employee attitude towards customers.

So after circulating in this weird floor for like 40 minutes, I am already hands full with shopping bags. I bought a pair of UGG boots, haha, yeah "UGG boots", it LOOKS authentic, haha, but I know it is not. I even saw this pair of boots claiming to be UGG boots, but the tag sewed on the boot says "UGC", haha, too lazy to sew that little line to make a C into a G huh?? haha. and i also saw this one that sewed "UGG Austria" instead of the real "UGG Australia", it's like LOL!!!!!!!!!!! I eventually found this shop that actually have all the right spelling "UGG Australia" sewed on the boots and I manage to buy it off the lady for 110RMB instead of the original offering 220RMB. Also bought a winter skirt for work (paid 60RMB when asked for 120RMB); a beanie and matching gloves (mentioned above); and some tight winter leggings (these are so thick!!!).

I went out from this weird level to the ground level and finally looked at the Silk Market building. It's quite a modern building I would say, glass building with a massive neon light sign printing "秀水街", which is Silk Market in Chinese. I went in from the front door and immediately I see more than ten westerners in front of me. There are SO many westerners here!! Blonde, blue eyes, tall nose; some African American too; and surrounding them are employees of Silk Market, speaking broken Englisn sentence and single vocabs with strong Chinese accent, trying really hard to sell them their products. LOL!!! As I walked pass these stores, I realised that there is a HUGE difference in services to a westerner and a Chinese looking person like myself. Nobody comes up to me and talk to me until I ask them for price, whereas some staffs just follow the westerners and talk to them the whole way. LOL

Silk Market has 7 level (but no number 5, lol)

B1: luggages, leather wear, hat/beanie, shoes, supermarkets

1: clothing, menswear

2: clothing, jewellery,

3: silk, beddings, rugs/matt, sportswear, knit wear, kids clothing

4: rugs, jewellery, pottery, glasses, watches, makeup, home electronic appliances, toys, stateionery, beauty and nails, golf, foot masage

6: Quanjude (most famous Beijing duck restaurant); Tongrentang (most famous Chinese herb and medicine sho); westerner restaurant

7: Quanjude, Xiaowangfu (the restaurant I went to in Day 2, but this is another branch)

I only visited B1 and 1 tonight and there's already enough stories/memories for me. The most scariest experience was when I was in this little clothing shop (one of many). As soon as I walked in, there's a blonde westerner (from her accent I think she's American) talking to the staff (a girl); they closed a deal for a jersey type knitted long top and the customer paid 2 USD$5 notes to the staff (i.e. a knit long top for $10USD). Then I thought, 'oh, this is a good price'. Soon the customer left and I became the only customer in the shop, and this is how the scary experience started.

I was first just looking around at the clothes and the staff started to talk to me. She started to suggest me similar tops like the last customer so I asked her how much. She told me it's 600RMB!!!! I said to myself 'this is crazy' and I told her that I'm not interested. She then continued to offer me other similar styles with the same price and said that if I buy 3 of these she can give me 1400RMB instead of 1800RMB. I told her this is way too expensive and she said she already gave me 400RMB off. I told her it's not necessary and I'm in interested in buying them. A man suddenly walked next to me and said that he can do it further for me, and the girl answered 'well ok, now my boss is saying so he will give you a better price', so I asked him how much, he offered me 1200RMB for all three. I still told him no and then I picked up a phone call from my friend. My phone call was in English and they looked at me surprisingly. As soon as I hung up on the phone, they were like 'your english is not too bad', haha, I replied them saying 'well, I just came back from overseas, so of course' and then they suddenly changed their expression and gesture, and started to pamper me!! They were saying things like "no wonder you look so modernised, so 'foreigner like', so gorgeous' etc. Haha what a change of ATTITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told them I'm still not interested in buying and said that I SAW the last customer gave 2 $5USD notes which is only $10USD!!! They looked at each other and said no it's Euro not USD. HAHA, this is insane. I told them that I am very sure that the customer paid in USD and they denied it. I said I just came back from the US (yes I know I purposely said that) and I know my OWN MONEY!! they looked at each other again and continued to deny it, they even said they can show me the money again. I said to them 'yeah show me the money' and they were just like 'trust us, it's Euro, it's not USD'. This is just so bullsh*t.

Anyway, so I told them no (given that $10USD is around 80RMB, and they're offering me 400RMB) and they asked me to give a price. I wanted to stop them for asking me about it so I said 300RMB and that's it. LOL, immediately they changed their faces again and started complaining that their clothes are Maxmara branded and that they will make a loss etc etc. At this point I thought I can leave the shop. BUT!!!!! the man just stood at the entrance to the shop and wouldn't let me go!!!! The two of them just not stop bombaring me about their products and wouldn't let me exit. I told them I want to go and they just started to grab me and not let me go. The man offered again to 600RMB and I still said no and then he counter-offered to 400RMB. What did I say? I said NO! then he offered again to 380RMB and started to raise his voice. Both of them started to look really impatient and speaking loudly and I can feel their anger. This is getting scary for me because their gesture and words are so aggressive. He offered again to 360RMB and I just said fine I'll take it and let me go. 360RMB for 3 long winter knits (that's like a one piece skirt) is quite ok for a NZ standard, and for my personal safety, I think I should pay and get out.....

After this experience, I can really understand why my friends and relatives warned me about this place, these people are just so aggressive!! They will not let you get out of their shops that easily.

When my friends came later to join me, we experience similar things. Constant yelling and promoting in different languages (especially in broken English sentences to my friend - who is white), offering us branded products like LV, (and they call it Lu-i-v-don, haha, instead of Louis Vuitton), haha. Silk Market is a dangerous place, I warn the future shoppers, be ready for a 'world-class-service of aggressive sellers'.

There's a restaurant at level 1 on the outside of the building, and it is a, (OMG!!) a restaurant called "New Zealand Restaurant". Lol!!!! My friends and I were so excited, but haha, funny enough that the first main on the menu is called "Australian Steak", lol!!!!! But they even have BLAT sandwich!! That's quite Kiwi right??

A waitress came towards us and started introducing the menu to us, then we asked her why is there Australian Beef Steak for a New Zealand Restaurant she looked really surprised and didn't answer us. But instead she was like 'oh you guys are kiwis?' (in chinese), and we are like LOL, she really do know her stuff!! haha

Today is another long and tiring day. 6.30am till 11.30pm, this is seriously much longer than the normal NZ daily hours. But I think this is quite normal for a more developed, populated and bigger city, especially the cities like London and NY.