or: Shopping in Shenzhen

Friday saw a group of us heading to Shenzhen, just over the border, into China. Compared to how I’ve travelled there in the past, this was a little more straightforward. We shared two taxis to arrive at the train station prior to the border, switched to the train, crossed through the HK side of the border with our HKID cards and then most of us needed to apply for a visa.

That process has changed since I last did it roughly eight years ago. For the period until recently, I’ve had a multiple entry visa for China so haven’t needed this part of the process. The visa gained at the border only allows you to stay in Shenzhen itself as it is another Special Administrative Region (like HK).

I won’t bore you with the palava of the visa process suffice to say it keeps people employed and ensures you have extra time to chat with your friends or read a book.

Shenzhen has changed a lot over the years though we were all there for one of the main reasons why HK people go – shopping. Most come prepared with wheelie suitcases or those trolleys with the bags attached which your grandmother may have used shopping.

I had neither.

There is a massive warehouse style shopping mall set up just through border control which takes advantage of this. Floor upon floor sells everything from fabrics to knock-off (of various qualities) goods. You can have original clothes made or copies by some expert and not-so-expert tailors. There are electronic goods, toys, a billion pashminas in colours to make Dulux employees envious, paintings (again, both originals and copies) and general knick-knacks.

There are no fixed prices and negotiation skills are quickly developed. A key requirement is the ability to walk away from anything you are not prepared to pay higher than your best price.

I was there for none of this.

I was there for the homewares section which is about a twenty minute taxi ride from Lo Wu (the location of the shopping mall).

All I wanted to buy was some lights for my apartment – a couple of pendant lights and a few for the ceiling. I had been thinking of understated chandeliers though I was ready to be swayed.

As the rest of the women were going to the mall first, I entered too figuring I’d have a brief look around before sitting down somewhere with my book as we had arranged to meet for lunch.

Upon entering, I was quickly targeted for the usual “missy, missy, you buy, you buy. Good quality. I take you to the best handbags.” Etc etc. Upon informing him that I really wasn’t interested and was only having a look, he continued to let me know the best places to look and that he could take me. I insisted it wasn’t necessary because I really wasn’t going to buy anything. He eventually left me alone as I went to the elevator.

He had tag-teamed someone else in who proceeded with a very similar banter. I replied in the same way and this person left as I went to the next elevator. I was hoping for escape.

It wasn’t to last long as another had been tagged and continued where the previous person left off.

I decided to leave because I didn’t want to have this be my experience.

I went to the Shangri-la instead and had a coffee, sandwich and read my book.

Bliss.

I met the others after lunch (while I waited at the meeting spot, I had my hair pulled twice by a local man who was sitting near to me) and only one taxi headed to the homewares section while the others either stayed in the mall or headed back to HK with their bags laden with various goods.

The homewares area is three massive shopping malls. We went to one.

Lighting was mainly on the fourth floor yet there was also quite a bit on the third and second.

I even saw a chandelier of a school of fish. I toyed with this idea and then thought better of it as I may AirBnB my place in the future, that fish lighting may not be the best selling point.

Lighting store after lighting store, I had an idea of what I wanted yet couldn’t see anything that was exactly meeting my needs.

After two hours, we caught up again to leave.

I now have a book vase and a photo frame.

Less than half the starting negotiation price. Pretty good considering I was out of bargaining practice.

No new lights.

 

* Thanks to Muse for the title to this post.