0:00:03 > 0:00:11Please note: We are currently unable to insert accents, etc, in the following subtitles.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Gone are the days of Communist austerity.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27China is in the grip of a consumer revolution.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32In this programme - Beijing's addiction to shopping,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35from designer fashion to the latest herbal medicines.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Plus a look at the artistry involved in making enamelled vases.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45And how to browse and buy, Chinese-style.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52In comerce-driven new China, markets are springing up wherever there are tourists.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And sellers are generally out to make as much as they can.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00So expect a bargain!
0:01:00 > 0:01:06This buyer's looking for enamelled pots - what we call cloisonne.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Listen for the prices they discuss.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Cloisonne is one of China's most elaborate traditional arts,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59its manufacture dating back to the 14th-century Ming dynasty.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07The motifs used in the designs are rich in myth and symbolism -
0:02:07 > 0:02:12the more intricate the design, the more prized the results.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Authentic cloisonne is handmade. The base of the pot
0:02:19 > 0:02:22is usually brass or copper.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The outlines are mapped out with minute strips of copper,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30glued onto the pot. The tiny troughs are filled in
0:02:30 > 0:02:33with layer upon layer of enamel.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Blue.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Yellow.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Red.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Enamel has to be fired at very high temperatures,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58and some pieces four or five times, before they're finished.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11The final polishing is done using rough stone,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14perfectly positioned against the curve of the pot.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Definitely a job for a master-craftsman.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29The time and skills involved make genuine cloisonne quite expensive.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34How much?
0:03:37 > 0:03:39How much is this one?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49900 yuan.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51"Kuai" is another word for "yuan".
0:03:55 > 0:03:58800 yuan.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I'll think about it.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13One of Beijing's best-known streets for crafts and antiques
0:04:14 > 0:04:18is Liu Li Chang. Not everything is what it seems, though.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22The shops have all been done up to look older than they are,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and some of the goods on sale have had the same treatment.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29But it's still a fascinating hunting ground.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34One of the more authentic places to shop is the state-run store,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37with every kind of Chinese painting
0:04:37 > 0:04:41and calligraphy style to choose from, in either originals or prints.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47The world-famous horse series was painted in the 1930s.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52The painter spent much of his life in Paris and was one of the first
0:04:52 > 0:04:56to fuse Chinese and Western techniques.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01More traditional paintings are heavily influenced by Buddhist
0:05:01 > 0:05:06and Taoist beliefs, and portray a delicate and stylised natural world,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10of which man is but a small part.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Painting.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25That painting.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29This painting.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33To say you like something, say:
0:05:34 > 0:05:36I like...
0:05:50 > 0:05:53500 yuan.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57It's too expensive!
0:05:59 > 0:06:03But there are cheaper ones.
0:06:21 > 0:06:28We want...
0:06:23 > 0:06:28this painting.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Here, as in most Chinese stores, you get your bill and pay at the cashier
0:06:33 > 0:06:37before collecting your goods.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51Some of Beijing's liveliest downtown areas have changed little
0:06:51 > 0:06:56since the 1950s, and there's plenty to tempt the adventurous shopper.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06The famous medicine shop here is a vast emporium of pills,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09potions and herbal remedies.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16The shop has been in business for over 300 years,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19and gained its reputation serving the Imperial Court.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24This is the Fortnum and Mason of traditional remedies -
0:07:24 > 0:07:28some of them rare or endangered species culled from every corner of China.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Chinese medicine has never been more lucrative than now.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39A piece of ginseng, depending on its age and quality,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43could set you back £10,000.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47The shop also has a health centre
0:07:47 > 0:07:51where patients can be seen by top specialists.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54In China, healthcare doesn't come free.
0:07:54 > 0:08:00Only state employees' care is subsidised. The rest pay their way, or join an insurance scheme.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Western medicine is widespread,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07but expensive. Many still prefer the more holistic approach
0:08:07 > 0:08:09of Chinese medicine.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Traditionally, the Chinese regard every food they eat as having a particular health-giving property.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25At the local market, variety is truly the spice of life.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35When sellers talk to foreigners, they'll often use finger counting
0:09:35 > 0:09:37in an effort to help you.
0:09:39 > 0:09:4210 yuan for 6 jin! A bargain!
0:09:42 > 0:09:47The jin is the usual measure for selling fruit and veegtables.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51..is roughly half a kilo.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56You'll be tempted by...
0:09:54 > 0:09:56lychees.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Peaches.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06You can buy fruit by the piece, and simply say...
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I want three mangoes.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Four peaches.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42I want a jin of grapes.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Altogether, how much is it?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Altogether, 35.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Every few months, a new shopping complex
0:11:12 > 0:11:15opens its doors to style-hungry Beijingers.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21Pleasuredomes, offering every conceivable consumer item, and open till late seven days a week.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Imported cars are double the price of the West,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30and yet there are people buying.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40The designer image is what most affluent Chinese aaspire to.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45If the Western label's too expensive, imitation is what sells.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50The more opulent the look, the bigger the fashion statement.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57But dressing like the West isn't the only way to make in impact.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02For smart Beijingers, traditional Chinese style is the latest must-have.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Designs are inspired by the fabrics and decoration
0:12:08 > 0:12:12worn at court during China's imperial past.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18Tang dynasty jackets are a top seller for men as well as women.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Even former president Jiang Zemin has been seen wearing one.
0:12:24 > 0:12:30During Mao's leadership, to wear such clothes would have been frowned on as bourgeois.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Now, political correctness is out, glamour most definitely in.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44This woman is a tailor by training.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47She's seen the potential of merging Chinese style
0:12:47 > 0:12:53with the high-fashion look, and she's rapidly gathering a clientele of business and media people.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56Maybe the fashion tables of the world are turning -
0:13:56 > 0:14:00someday, perhaps East will lead, and West will no longer be best.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing, Red Bee Media - 2008
0:14:13 > 0:14:17E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk