That one time my mother came to China

On my break from school, my mother finally came to visit me! We had a blast exploring the flower-lined streets of Guilin, riding on a boat to Yangshuo and spending a heavenly time tasting the delicacies of the Guanxi province . Traveling around Guiling and Yangshuo made me feel as if I were in a Chinese painting: the rice fields blurring past me as the mountains magically appeared out of  the thick fog, bamboo boats floating down the river, and green plants of all kinds everywhere I looked. It rained almost the entire time we were there, but what I would normally consider dreary weather, only added to the allure of these places. Thanks to the rain, the tourists stayed away and the fog would float in, making the views look almost mystical. 

Look at that fog!

One day we trekked through  rice paddies arriving at a sleepy village. Passing by chickens and roosters we walked over ancient bridges, up stone steps, and past wax gourds growing out of stone walls, finally arriving at a  restaurant where I stuffed my face with the best meal of my entire, 23-year old life. This simple meal was made up of sweet, cinnamon-tasting lohanguo tea; beef with greens; fresh eggs and, garden-grown tofu and bamboo shoots. This meal was literally a farm to table meal and boy was I a happy camper.

Although we had a tour guide, we often depended on my knowledge of Chinese. I could easily bargain with vendors, order food, and ask for directions. With only some mishaps (like not understanding that the wine was not included in our meal and thus we would have to pay an extra outrageous sum of money) I actually conversed with people in Chinese, using whole sentences! Progress!!! I had so much fun spending time with my mother and introducing her to the Chinese language and culture. 

Since then, I have moved into a host family and have been practicing my Chinese as much as possible. It is harder than you think to only speak Chinese when most of your friends speak English. I can happily say that my Chinese has improved immensely! Don't get me wrong, I probably at most, understand fifty percent of what is being said at all times, but all of that seems rather trivial when I can finally communicate and have basic conversations with people. 

                                                                    Guanxi Province is known for chiles and delicious hot sauces

A traditional tea ceremony

To bargain or not to bargain, that is the question

Only a few steps from my dorm lay the Golden Towers, one of the best places to buy cute and cheap clothes. From the first to the fourth floor, tiny stalls are stuffed to the brim with clothes, shoes, accessories, and everything in between. Beijing has countless markets like these; some are mostly for tourists and thus more expensive, while others are for locals and tend to be cheaper. These markets are where the bargaining magic happens. In some, you only need to lightly bargain, while in others you may need to bargain for your life; every market has its own personality. The art of bargaining begins with the phrase: duoshao qian? (pronounced dwo-shao-chyen) meaning "how much?". From there, it becomes a game to try and pay the lowest price possible for an item. At times it can seem like a duel, but in the end it is all friendly. There are many ways to successfully bargain. Here are some tips I learned by bargaining and by watching others bargain: 

Never let the vendor know how much you love the item.

If  he or she does know, lowering the price will be much harder. I went to the Golden Towers once to buy a jacket. Thanks to my Chinese friend, who came with me to translate, I did not have to do the leg work. I am secretly glad I did not understand most of the Chinese I heard because I would have felt so guilty and just given in to the exorbitant price. 

Start with a low price---- lower than the most you are willing to pay.

This way, you have a price to work up from and maybe if you are lucky you can get away with a lower price than you expected. Once the vendor agrees to your price, it cannot be changed. 

Don’t fall for the act, they know exactly how to read people and how to get a higher price.

After naming a low price the vendor started berating my friend for how low and unfair the amount was for the high quality of the item and how it was lower than the amount she paid for the jacket. I thought the vendor was going to burst into tears. My friend assured me that this was just an act. After the vendor lowered the price 10 kuai* (still more than I wanted to pay)  I told her no, gave her back the jacket, and began to walk away.

The best move: feign a walk-away. This is when you pretend to walk away in the hopes that the vendor will run after you and give in to your price.

At the right time, the walk-away can make or break a bargain. In this instance, she called to me and motioned for me to come back. She said she would not accept the price I had wanted, but she would lower the price a little more. I refused because it was still more than I was willing to pay and I gave her my final price---- the most I would pay for the jacket. The expression on her face seemed to say “puh-lease” and she continued to yell at me about how the jacket was worth more. In the end after refusing to go lower and trying to walk away again, she reluctantly accepted my price.

To win at the game you need to think of it as a puzzle, if one bargaining method does not work, try another.

In the western city of Xining, no one would bargain with me. I ended up getting a lower price by saying “I only have 90 kuai” (instead of the full 110 kuai). Because it was only 20 kuai less than what they asked for, they accepted it. For this to work though, you need exact change. Another tactic is to offer to buy more of an item for a discounted price.

Although I understand the logistics of bargaining and I have successfully bargained, I am no professional. Sometimes I fail and it can be frustrating. Failing is normal and the more you practice the easier it will get. As long as you think about bargaining as a game, it will be fun.  

*Kuai is slang for RMB, the Chinese dollar.