Adventures in the Silk Market

By Joseph Christian (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-16 11:40

It might be the most amazing place in Beijing. No, I'm not talking about the Great Wall snaking up mountains or the beautiful architecture of the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven. I'm talking about Silk Market (Xiushui Street).

Yes, you can find knockoffs of every popular clothing brand on earth and a few from parts unknown, yet the thing that makes Xiushui Street so amazing isn't its prices or trademarks. It's more about the human interactions within than the products available that make a trip to this market an interesting excursion.

Few things can compare to the rich human interactions Silk Market provides.

It is a treasure trove of oddball characters and stories waiting to be told. But be warned, a trip to the market is not for the faint hearted.

From the moment you step in the door, you are excessively hounded by calls to visit the various stalls organized into neat rows throughout the building.

The aggressive sellers hover about waiting to pounce on any shopper that even shows the slightest interest in their products. Often times they will even pull at your clothes as they call out, "Cheaper just for you!"

If you ask for a price, be prepared to enter some of the most dangerous negations known to the world. I myself have entered into a few epic haggling battles with the sellers of the market which, if I push hard enough, usually end up in a "Your crazy man...you bad man...I no sell to you."

Most shoppers relent before the price goes low enough to elicit such a reaction. But my experiences illustrate an important point of shopping at the market, if your haggling cuts into their profit margins then you are instantly vilified as a bad person in an effort to guilt you into paying more. Like I said, if you want a good price, it's not an experience for the faint hearted.

Luckily for visitors, such intense interactions are not the only stories this market offers. In fact, many times things can be quite humorous.

Take for instance the whole process of trying on a product that you would like to buy. Many times a simple curtain is drawn across the corner of a stall and you are expected to disrobe almost within plain view of passing customers. It can be a little unnerving.

There is an old adage, "What you see is what you get", but not necessarily at Silk Market. You might buy a product and be content with its price, only to have it literally disintegrate before your eyes within a year.

Even as the dust of your hard wrangled bargain runs through your fingers, take heart, your excursion was much more than finding the coveted name brand.

Xiushui Street offers you a rich experience that is sure to disintegrate less quickly. So if you are itching for an adventure in human interaction, the market is the place to go.