Potato Chips

I have entered a healthy period when I eat Potato Chips every day, and sometimes even more often(!)

The different Supermarkets in China have wide range of strange Chips brands, and you can also buy Chips based on weight on the street. The most types are really bad, and to be on the safe side it is imported(?) Pringles that is the solution - but it cost like three times the Chinese brand.

I have gone through the hard work to try all the local brands, and finally find one type that qualify:

Lay's, 乐事, (Lèshì), that translated means "pleasure".

The taste is in line with the west brand and it cost only a few RMB for one package. These days I have always some bags of Lay's in my room.

There are also disadvantage with this kind of food. My teacher just told me - according to the Chinese way of saying just "what ever" about a persons appearance:

你的肚子像西瓜一样的样子

...and it means "Your stomach look like a watermelon"

I am sorry to say that she sometimes is right.

Street selling of Potato Chipps. Possible to eat, but not more.

Lay's, 乐事 - The only acceptable Chinese Potato Chips brand

Panjiayuan

"The biggest flea market in the world" did someone call the Panjiayuan market, 潘家园, which is a little funny an proper name.

Panjiayuan is a really big market that sales both used and new things, and all things are pretty genuine Chinese stuff. You will definitly not find any Ralph Lauren- or Gucci-copies here. The markets main customer is the locals, but these are also mixed up with a few foreigner that found there way here. It is a very pleasant and nice place and does not feel like a tourist trap.

The range of stuff is very wide. Jewellery, decorations, furniture's, watches, paintbrushes, paintings.... You can spend an eternity here if you like this type of shopping. The prices is of course negotiable, but not in the same way as at the tourist markets. The first told price gives an acceptable hint of what the final price will en up.

You can find both cheep "junk" and very exclusive things. A bracelet or a vase can cost both 20 RMB and 20 000 RMB, so it can sometimes be a bit confusing if you are not familiar in the line of business.

The selling is both outside (under roof) and in small shops at the side and in big buildings in the middle, The market is located between the 2:nd and 3:rd ring road in southeast. Only a short way to the west of "Beijing Glasses City"

Panjiayuan-market

Huaweili 18, Panjiayuan lu

潘家园

朝阳区潘家园路华威里18号

Chinese vases in all types and price ranges.

All type of "junk" mixed with nice things. Just in the lower edge of the photo you can see printing templates in wood to print chinese characters.

VERY exclusive furniture's that cost a year income.

Pearl bracelets. These are in the higher price range and cost a few thousands RMB.

To buy glasses in Beijing

I normally use contact lenses, but I also use spectacles, 眼镜, yǎnjìng, in evenings and mornings. During the years I have bought a lot of glasses (and also contact lenses) i China because it is so cheep and simple. I have paid from little more then 100 RMB and more for a pair of glasses.

The communication is as usually the biggest problem, but I have successfully bought glasses also at the time I only could say nihao (hello). I have used three way to define the strength of the glasses:

1 - Classing eye-check. Thumps up or down depending on if the picture get better or worth. An interesting project.

2 - Bring a pair of existing glasses and they can measure the strength.

3 - Bring the recipe in figures that define your strength.

Normally they create your glasses very fast like in an hour or so, but if they are very busy it can take until the day after.

Optician can be found all aver Beijing - just take a walk and you will soon run into one. If you like to get a real over dose of spectacles, then go to "Beijing Glasses City", 双井眼镜城, (Shuāngjǐngyǎnjìngchéng) that is an area totally full of Optician and also a multi level building with only glasses for sale. "Beijing Glasses City" is located just east of Panjiayan-market

Beijing Glasses City

Dongsanhuan Nanlu 64

双井眼镜城

朝阳区东三环南路64号

Example of glasses for 260 RMB. Sometimes is the price only for the frame, and sometimes for the complete spectacles. This prices are always negotiable.

I making a mirror-portrait of my self in one of all glasses-shops at "Beijing Glasses City"

iPhone launched in China....exactly....NOW!!!

This is (likely) my last posting about the way for iPhone to China.

Exactly now, 2009-10-30 at 8:00 PM Chinese time is the iPhone official launched in China.

The price for the 3G/8GB will be 4 995 RMB (unlooked!). Please note that this variant dont have "normal" WLAN.

iPhone soon official for sale in China

My small serial from this spring about iPhone's way to China seams to have found its end.

China Unicom (one of the three big operator in China) have now the deal ready with Apple, which means that iPhone soon will start to be sold official in China. During long time it has been possible to by imported iPhones with its origin from Hongkong or USA in the electronics markets, but so far not in Apple's own stores.

The rumor says that the selling will start "early Q4" which means october, and that China Unicom initial have bought 5 millions units for the introduction. Because the number of cellphone user in China is more then double the complete USA population, this is of course a very good deal for all involved, even if the bigger part of the cellphone market in China is the low cost models.

It seams to be the older iPhone 3G and NOT the new iPhone 3GS that will be launched, and also without WLAN and later will be delivered with China's own wireless standard WAPI.

The Silk Street

The Silk Street, 秀水街, Xiùshuǐjiē, is Beijing's and Chinas biggest and most famous shopping center with focus on tourists. There are a line of competitor, but The Silk Street is the one with the biggest range of products, and is most clean. The other ones are a bit smaller and sometimes have a little more narrow product range. If you only have time to go to one market, then I propose to select The Silk Street because it is a tourist attraction in it self, and it have "everything".

The market is located on the east side between 2:nd and 3:rd ring road along the main street in Beijing, Changanjie, 长安街, that cut through the complete city from east to wets. You easy reach the place by subway Line 1, and jump of at station Yonganli, 永安里.

During the spring 2005 the market moved in to todays location. Before that it was an outdoor market in the hutong's. Today the market has about 200 000 visitors every week, and during the olympics it was close to 2 000 000 customers! The selling is separated into 1 500 small shops with totally 3 000(!) employees.

The building has selling on 7 floors, and the 2 highest have a bit more luxury shops, that I dont really think fit into the concept. The product range is more or less everything that a tourist want, and a big part is copies of famous brands. Today is the Chinese government a bit harder towards the selling of copies, so all brands are not shown open - but there are there to be find if you just mention the name.

On first and second floor sells cloth in all types. Jackets, trousers, skirts....

Third floor fit best into the name The Silk Street since it is here you can by the fabric, but also ties, scarfs and underwear.

Fourth floor has mainly piece of jewelry, watches, sunglasses and electronics.

In the basement you can find shoes, bags, belt and wallets.

Besides the main categories there are also a lot of other stuff like toys, the, decorations, pens etc.

The selling environment is very tiring because the sellers always shouting at you and sometimes try to grab you. It can be funny in the beginning but not in the long terms. The sellers has pretty strict regulations how they are allowed to act so for example they are not allowed to be rude.

Every previous published text about The Silk Street has a "school" about how to bargain and lists of what things shall cost, so I shall be the first without. You will learn pretty fast anyway. In general is the prices (after long bargain) considered pretty low by us from the west, so many comes out with much more thingt then initially planed.

How about the quality? Can be both very good and very bad. The thing is to look very careful on the thing that you will by, and then also try to be a bit lucky.

The south entrance of The Silk Street. Outside here it is always a full row of tourist busses that are waiting for there shopping passages.

My friends on floor F2. I have done pretty much shopping at there shop, so during the years we have become friends, and I dont have to bargain with them any more.

One of all seller of watches on floor F4. She is not so happy as it seams since I did not by her "Rolex" even if she told me "A-Quality, No Problem"