Buying and Selling Real Chinese

Please note: We are currently unable to insert accents, etc, in the following subtitles.

Gone are the days of Communist austerity.

China is in the grip of a consumer revolution.

In this programme - Beijing's addiction to shopping,

from designer fashion to the latest herbal medicines.

Plus a look at the artistry involved in making enamelled vases.

And how to browse and buy, Chinese-style.

In comerce-driven new China, markets are springing up wherever there are tourists.

And sellers are generally out to make as much as they can.

So expect a bargain!

This buyer's looking for enamelled pots - what we call cloisonne.

Listen for the prices they discuss.

Cloisonne is one of China's most elaborate traditional arts,

its manufacture dating back to the 14th-century Ming dynasty.

The motifs used in the designs are rich in myth and symbolism -

the more intricate the design, the more prized the results.

Authentic cloisonne is handmade. The base of the pot

is usually brass or copper.

The outlines are mapped out with minute strips of copper,

glued onto the pot. The tiny troughs are filled in

with layer upon layer of enamel.

Blue.

Yellow.

Red.

Enamel has to be fired at very high temperatures,

and some pieces four or five times, before they're finished.

The final polishing is done using rough stone,

perfectly positioned against the curve of the pot.

Definitely a job for a master-craftsman.

The time and skills involved make genuine cloisonne quite expensive.

How much?

How much is this one?

900 yuan.

"Kuai" is another word for "yuan".

800 yuan.

I'll think about it.

One of Beijing's best-known streets for crafts and antiques

is Liu Li Chang. Not everything is what it seems, though.

The shops have all been done up to look older than they are,

and some of the goods on sale have had the same treatment.

But it's still a fascinating hunting ground.

One of the more authentic places to shop is the state-run store,

with every kind of Chinese painting

and calligraphy style to choose from, in either originals or prints.

The world-famous horse series was painted in the 1930s.

The painter spent much of his life in Paris and was one of the first

to fuse Chinese and Western techniques.

More traditional paintings are heavily influenced by Buddhist

and Taoist beliefs, and portray a delicate and stylised natural world,

of which man is but a small part.

Painting.

That painting.

This painting.

To say you like something, say:

I like...

500 yuan.

It's too expensive!

But there are cheaper ones.

We want...

this painting.

Here, as in most Chinese stores, you get your bill and pay at the cashier

before collecting your goods.

Some of Beijing's liveliest downtown areas have changed little

since the 1950s, and there's plenty to tempt the adventurous shopper.

The famous medicine shop here is a vast emporium of pills,

potions and herbal remedies.

The shop has been in business for over 300 years,

and gained its reputation serving the Imperial Court.

This is the Fortnum and Mason of traditional remedies -

some of them rare or endangered species culled from every corner of China.

Chinese medicine has never been more lucrative than now.

A piece of ginseng, depending on its age and quality,

could set you back £10,000.

The shop also has a health centre

where patients can be seen by top specialists.

In China, healthcare doesn't come free.

Only state employees' care is subsidised. The rest pay their way, or join an insurance scheme.

Western medicine is widespread,

but expensive. Many still prefer the more holistic approach

of Chinese medicine.

Traditionally, the Chinese regard every food they eat as having a particular health-giving property.

At the local market, variety is truly the spice of life.

When sellers talk to foreigners, they'll often use finger counting

in an effort to help you.

10 yuan for 6 jin! A bargain!

The jin is the usual measure for selling fruit and veegtables.

..is roughly half a kilo.

You'll be tempted by...

lychees.

Peaches.

You can buy fruit by the piece, and simply say...

I want three mangoes.

Four peaches.

I want a jin of grapes.

Altogether, how much is it?

Altogether, 35.

Every few months, a new shopping complex

opens its doors to style-hungry Beijingers.

Pleasuredomes, offering every conceivable consumer item, and open till late seven days a week.

Imported cars are double the price of the West,

and yet there are people buying.

The designer image is what most affluent Chinese aaspire to.

If the Western label's too expensive, imitation is what sells.

The more opulent the look, the bigger the fashion statement.

But dressing like the West isn't the only way to make in impact.

For smart Beijingers, traditional Chinese style is the latest must-have.

Designs are inspired by the fabrics and decoration

worn at court during China's imperial past.

Tang dynasty jackets are a top seller for men as well as women.

Even former president Jiang Zemin has been seen wearing one.

During Mao's leadership, to wear such clothes would have been frowned on as bourgeois.

Now, political correctness is out, glamour most definitely in.

This woman is a tailor by training.

She's seen the potential of merging Chinese style

with the high-fashion look, and she's rapidly gathering a clientele of business and media people.

Maybe the fashion tables of the world are turning -

someday, perhaps East will lead, and West will no longer be best.

Subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing, Red Bee Media - 2008

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