Spring Festival

With the impending start of Spring Festival, the air was full of merriment and anticipation...

Within China, the beginning of their new year heralds a new start, shops are busy with last minute shoppers, desperately trying to get their new clothes for the new year. Oh, and the bangers, we mustn't forget those too, as they are always popular!

My host family were no exception. Much to my surprise, it turns out that very few presents are given during this period. The notable exception being small red envelopes containing money, this is exclusively given by married couples to “Children” (who include any unmarried person in Chinese culture).



On the eve of New Year my host family and I undertook a whirlwind tour of the relatives of the family. Each relative were given a very brief time to offer their gifts and exchange what I assume were kind words. With much of the visitation finished for the day, we were off to the local market to grab some last-minute specific foods for the next few days. Everyone else had the same idea, so with the fabled Chinese etiquette always amiss, I jostled my way through the crowd heading for the family favourite food vendors. Like all Chinese desserts, they looked brilliant, and were a horrible let-down when you tasted them and realised they tasted just like rice, again!



It is also customary on the actual day to visit a temple - but, as we didn't want to hit the queues on the day itself, we decided to visit on of Shanghai's three temples the day before. Here, we saw a large collection of statues, each one depicting a year. After some figuring out (as the years were given in Chinese), I managed to locate the one for my mother's birth year, as it was her birthday in a few days. I think you will have to agree that the likeness is uncanny:



That evening all the family and I gathered together to have one huge meal. With this being the custom in China, the meal had to start at 5pm, finishing by 7pm, as we were packed into the first sitting of a rather nice restaurant. The meal was tremendous. A real selection of what makes Chinese food brilliant, with dishes from all parts of almost every animal. There were pigs ears, skin and meat. Chicken offal, head and meat. Some rather random fish, including the now “normal” fish-head soup. Random bits of the sea which I have no idea what they were, and vegetables which needed a science fiction novel to identify.



Much after everyone else had finished, I was still picking through the bones of a rather nice sweet and sour whole fish, who looked like it had lost a battle with a hand grenade. Fantastic stuff!



As the evening drew closer, the frequency and volume of fireworks increased. All happily sheltered within one of the relatives house, I had taken it upon myself to learn Marjong. Marjong is a “card game” which is played with tiles similar to dominoes, but with Chinese characters on them. With no-one in the room able to speak a word of English, my very limited Chinese was put to the test as I part mimed, partly guessed as to what was going on.



Just as I was becoming aware of what was actually going on, and with only two hours to go until the big moment, my host family decided rather randomly that they wanted to go home.

So we quickly rushed home via the last tube and then took one of very few remaining taxis to arrive only 40 minutes before the big moment. I was rather shocked therefore, when the girl hid in her room playing her computer, and at midnight the mother and I decided to set fire to about eight fireworks. It seemed like a bit of an anti-climax, but was still the best Chinese New Year I've celebrated in China.



Over the following days, I went exploring the surrounds of the city, meeting fellow travellers on the way. Often I would simply stumble across an excellent local market, which gave ample opportunity to practise my Mandarin bargaining skills.





An art in itself, I hope to enlighten you as to what methods seem to work best in China:

1) The Approach. This is one of the most important parts – with so many of those “Self Help” books talking about how the initial impact will often determine any relationship, you must get this right. My objective right from square one was to look firstly like a student and secondly look like I was local, or at least knew what I was doing. So time to put on a shabby jacket (my Paramo jacket was perfect for this as it didn't have a logo they recognised and is frankly styled by a blind-man). Now time to put on an equally well worn relaxed and comfortable smile. This is my neighbourhood, don't you k now....

2) First Contact. This MUST be done in their local language. If they talk to you in English, look blank and consider moving on. Never reply in English. One time I even said “I don't understand” in Chinese and then went into my normal patter of “Hello”, followed by “I'll look.”

3) Hassle Prevention. Being a foreigner, they will want to talk to you, they may even want to be nice to you. These pose a serious issue; I cannot really understand what they are saying, let alone formulate a sufficiently plausable answer to their questions. One phrase which works really well is the “I'll look” phrase. If they start asking loads of questions, look really interested in the garment in front of you, or notice something really interesting the other side of the store, open it up and start to examine.

4) The Examination. Now it's time to determine if you actually want the product. So pick it up, and look at it like you buy the things professionally. I mean really look at it. Check out the stitching, blow into the fabric to see if it allows air to pass through, if it's waterproof, get out a bottle of water and put it closer as if you were about to test it. If it's silk, then get out a lighter and prepare to light a thread and sniff. One method which always works well if you don't have a clue what you are supposed to examine, is either to rub two things together (like bracelets etc) smelling what's been let off, or peer at it really closely with a light. I've actually got a light on my bag to do this. At this stage make sure you don't let on that you like it. If the store manager is near you (which he will be) then look sufficiently unimpressed, even if it's the best thing you've seen, ever. Defects should be emphasised heavily!

5) Pricing. Now that we've ascertained that we want the garment, it's time to ask how much (in Chinese). If you are in a foreigner place like a fake market, ask how much at the first store, walk away and then listen for the lowest number. Go to the next place which will sell the same identical product, and instead of asking how much, offer about 1/4 of the lowest number they shouted at you. This should be below 10% of the initial asking price they would have mentioned in the first shop. If you are at a non-touristy place, then ask how much before offering. Whatever they say, the next words out of your mouth should be “too expensive” (in Chinese though.) Now put a look on your face as if they have just insulted your mother – although you have to gauge how heavy this should be, as looking deeply insulted for a pair of socks could be seen as slightly excessive...It's now time to enter the world of offering and re-offering. Personally, I tended to bargain REALLY hard in tourist spots, and be a wet anywhere remote. Sometimes I even tried to pay them more than the asking price if I was in the middle of nowhere, as they gave me such an excellent price to begin with! If you don't get the price you think is fair, walk away.

6) Wrap-up. Remember that you are always an ambassador for your country, so whatever the negotiation consequences, say thanks and give them a good smile and goodbye. I've had the most hostile negotiation, only to get such a fantastic thanks at the end. Business is business, what comes after is separate in China.



After honing some of my Chinese market skills, and playing some rather shockingly bad games of pool with some fellow Brits, my time in Shanghai was drawing to a close. My last lessons in Mandarin were more cultural than they were Mandarin based, with my questions relating to ettiquite and common Chinese games. Very kindly, one of my teachers brought in a kind of shuttle-cock which you hit with your feet. Now, I did warn her, I would like to point this out now. My football is utterly dire. I have many skills in life, and football is not one of them. This game is too close to football.



Playing on the seventh floor balcony, we tried to hit the ball from one person to another. Things were going really well, right up to the moment that I deftly kicked the toy over the balcony edge. It arced majestically over the small bushes, to drift onto the first story roof of the guard tower. Go me.

If you're reading this, I'm really sorry I'm so inept!



It was now time to say goodbye to my host family, who had kindly arranged for my train into Xi'an, the location of the Terracotta Warriors, and one of the old capitals of China.



On the train I met a very friendly local Chinese resident who was also a local tour guide. As a result, I think my knowledge of Xi'an was already pretty good for someone who was just arriving I such a city. He kindly offered to give me a lift to a local hostel (which was excellent) on the way to his house.



In the next edition, it's back to being the only tourist in the village, as I cross a mountain pass which formed a vital part of China's history for thousands of years. I meet the local communist party, do some dancing (this time captured on camera) and also befriend an American student who teaches me more about Chinese culture than I knew existed. And much, much more...