Shopping

Shu-Lin felt that on Saturday, we should have a full day shopping. I knew I’d never last that long but I did want to see if I could buy some souvenirs. The funny thing was the two items I bought were not made in China. I may find something on the city tour to remind us of our visit, although my photos and memories are the most precious items I’ll be bringing home.

We began our day at 9 when Chun-Xiao and David (Zhen Hong Liu) picked us up. David’s English is well-honed and he was thrilled to talk with us and show us the pride of Harbin shopping.

HongBo, a very modern shopping centre, was a huge square beneath the city streets with hallways that stretched for miles. It was divided into sections much like a department store so if you wanted shoes, you went to the area devoted to shoes and there would be several different stores from which to choose. There were sections for everything from jewellery to camping supplies--yes, a Coleman store in China. Many of the clothing stores were high-end designer ones so the economy of Harbin is robust. David told us that most of the modern apartments sell for more than $500,000USD.

It became clear that we were not in the market for expensive jade so we wandered around for a while until we came upon an Astro Boy store. I had to have a photo since the kids were such fans. I guess Japanese anime is alive in China and must have a large number of fans to have an entire store devoted to Astro Boy.

Next door to the mall was a Carrefour, a French supermarket. David thought half the people in Canada were French so would know this brand. It seemed familiar to me but I now realize I must have seen it in Argentina for there are no stores in Canada. When we entered the place, it was like being in our T&T’s with a bit of the Real Canadian Superstore thrown in for good measure. You could buy anything from food to furniture. We even saw live turtles for sale and Chun-Xiao explained they weren't being sold as pets.

David then drove us to another major mall called the Grand Shopping Center (notice the American spelling). I asked why most signs on the modern buildings were bilingual and he said that the common language of all tourists is English whether they come from Russia or North America. We experienced the same phenomenon in Europe so think the Internet has encouraged the spread of English as a universal language.

A fan of surfing the Internet, David had a deep desire to travel to Canada, not as a tourist but as a student. He is a pharmacologist and teacher at Harbin Medical University but wants to further his education. The students we met were highly motivated by the new China and its economy. However, David did apologize for his city. The construction of their subway system seemed to stress him the most as did the idea he had that his people were not polite. He teared up when saying he felt that the ‘old ways of China’ had been lost and he didn’t like what his people had become. Glen and I told him it was not that different in Canada. We encouraged both Chun-Xiao and him to think of themselves as the future of their country and we felt it was a bright one.

Before we entered the main part of the Grand Shopping Center, we passed through a market where women hawked their wares in loud, strident voices and the press of people was close. David warned us to beware of our wallets as pickpockets worked this place. Since few stores take credit cards, you must carry wads of cash and I had $400 in my purse I had no desire to lose. The stores were tiny and Glen felt he dominated them with his size. David is also tall so I could see them in the crowd when we got separated. I did see something I liked in one stall but David, who did my bartering, refused to let me buy it as he said the woman was asking too much. By this time, I was beginning to have issues with low blood sugar so didn't argue.

The Grand Shopping Center was six floors of shopping, each level selling a different type of merchandise. The top floor had a food court where David thought we could eat. It was very busy and we had trouble finding a seat. It became obvious that Glen would have issues sitting at the benches as they were jammed together pretty tightly. Sometimes his long legs can be a disadvantage.

Chun-Xiao spotted a hot-pot restaurant where we could eat in relative peace so we followed her. Unlike our food courts that offer fare from McDonald’s to Edo to Dairy Queen, this food court had vendors specializing in dishes from different places in China so your first dish could be from Harbin and your second be typical of Beijing or Shanghai. It sounded intriguing but I was glad we ate in the restaurant. I discovered that my chopstick skills diminish when I have low blood sugar so until I ate the food I cooked, I had trouble putting it into my boiling pot. I apologized but, as always, our hosts were most gracious and said we were foreigners and couldn’t be expected to be experts with chopsticks. They assured us that even they were having problems with the potato noodles, although I didn’t see them struggling. At one point, forks magically appeared but by that time, Chun-Xiao had thrown food into my pot so I could eat and use my chopsticks.

What went into our spicy hot-pots? Well, there was meat that looked like thinly sliced ham but may have pork, four different varieties of the most delicious mushrooms, dried tofu (called doefoo in China), a Spam-like meat, potatoes (cut like french fries), sweet potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and cilantro. Each item was boiled then dipped into a spicy, peanut-like sauce. All was washed down with beer except David who didn’t drink because he was driving. Very smart man.

We did a bit of window shopping after lunch but Glen wanted to return to the hotel to work on his seminar. He hadn’t known how long he’d have to speak so prepared an hour long talk. Turned out he would have 20 minutes so needed to do a bit of pruning. I read while he worked then had a nap. I awoke when he went down to the registration desk to see if his talk would work on the old PCs the Chinese still use. He came back in a panic as nothing in his file could be read. I was able to convert the Mac file to a PC version which he then whipped downstairs. Meanwhile I got ready for dinner. We had no idea what the dress code would be so I chose something that could go either way while Glen wore his sports jacket and tie. Most were more casual; only Shu-Lin wore a suit.

We were seated at the head table and met the other speakers, only one a Caucasian from the States. There was another American but he had been born in China so was at home with both language and chop sticks. He told us we handled our chopsticks very well. Again the table was burdened with dish after dish of tasty goodness. My favourite being one of black fungus (also known as cloud ear fungus) and cabbage. Shu-Lin introduced us to black fungus years ago and I often buy it dried. Little did I know that eaten fresh it becomes a taste sensation. Partway through our dinner, they served a noodle soup which we all ate with chopsticks then used our Chinese soup spoons to drink the broth. This will be helpful knowledge when I have wonton soup in Canada.

Supper was over at 8:00 sharp and we all headed back to our rooms. No carousing for the Chinese although one man had had too much beer and came over to introduce himself with his glass brimming. I feared I’d be showered in beer as it slopped over the rim. Luck was with me as it wet the table instead.

Glen forgot to bring his business cards so could not take part in the exchange which the others did after dinner. I received one, too, and was glad I remembered how Asians expect you to accept the card -- do so with both hands and read what you can. Thank heavens only the man's name was in English as I had had some beer and wasn’t sure I could have read any fine print.

One drinks beer out of a juice glass in China. It is never empty. If the waiters don’t fill it, a student will. We were overwhelmed with the hospitality to which we were treated and felt honoured to have been invited to the meeting, the first international conference of its kind in China.