Reflections on my time in China

I'll continue with the theme of my last post, shopping. I said previously that the clerks in Korea were aggressive. My experience in China taught me that I didn't have a clue what I was talking about. My introduction to Chinese shopping began at the Pearl Market in Beijing where the clerks pursue you to the point of grabbing your arms, pulling and begging you to buy. Additionally, the culture requires you to barter. For example, I bought a simple dress for 75 RMB (1$=6.7RMB) that was initially offered to me for 650 RMB. Even with talking them down, they still make money. In Korea, they ask if you want something. In China, they tell you what you like and need and then try to rip you off.

Additionally, my experience in China allowed me to realize how much profit companies make by outsourcing their manufacturing to China. It is extreme. Some items can be made for literally $1 or 6RMB and be sold in the US for $100. When I return home, it is going to drive me insane to buy items such as clothes because I will feel like I'm totally being ripped off.

So how is it so cheap? Despite being Communist, Chinese society is divided into the "haves" and the "have nots." Most of the folks, in fact billions, fall into the later and have little or no chance of ever moving up. Thus, it is competitive to get a factory job because there are just that many people. That have an extreme right to work system to the point that a "have not worker" can be replaced with the snap of a finger by another "have not worker" that is in line right outside the factory.

Based on my time in China, I've concluded they show little to no concern for their fellow man, especially the foreigner. Our interactions with the taxis demonstrated this the most. The drivers would flat out refuse to pick us up. After 10 or so passing us by, eventually we would find a nice driver that would take us. That is if we had a boy in our group. We were SOL, as a group of white females. Two of my white female friends had to take a rickshaw home one night and pay an obscene amount to the driver. The amount they bargained for doubled when they arrive because he changed it to a per person rate.