Evening star., 1900-10-20
SHOPPING IN CHINA.
Hells and Wild Gesticulations Season
the bargaining.


From Pea-son's Weekly.
Although the peculiar civilization of the
Chinese has failed to provide the shops of
the county with plate-glass windows, ma
hogany counters, huge mirrors and the Sc
ductlve shop walker, yet the tradespeop.e
have meAoaS of Ihe.r own for engaging
the attention of the pubic worthy OF notice
II not of imitation. To beg-n with, the
competition which forces down the prices
OF goods IN this country is unknown in
china.
Ine manufacturers, who own most of the
SHOPS, TO protect the .nteI of them
selves and their workpeople, insist on lIx-
A..s al lAites, anu " II a,.acheu with h.s
o. S.eeu coIub.Le to raise tie price LISTS,
wn-cn, 20 pEeren, The snUpkeeper over
cna- s-ns, aIe posed up IN tne snop. AL
sdsn shops oeIong 10 wnat We shouiu cal
uu.on.
In free houses the price gwen for an aru-
c'e S the result OF d prolonged haggle. The
Chinese are such experts al uarga ming that
SiiopS OF Soou repuIe pdDncIy uec.are tIat
they sell my at The auver, ,ised price.
" ny a Chnaman when haggl.ng should
shout at the top of has voice IS not cieaE,
but he does; consequently the voc.feratlonS
CT seNerai hundred purchasers and the
equai.y stento.-an rejolnders of the trades
peop.e render Chinese shopping quarter,
wheh the pubic are abroad, veritab4e
pandemonium.
The amounts in dispute are seldom more
than mai penny so, but the parties
scream and gesticulate as If their entire
Tor, f,u"es wele al s,ahe, the din appearing
10 pe niucn louder than it really Is, owing
10 the narroWnesS OF the streets, which are
seldom more than a few feet across.
Shops Wh.ch deci.ne all abatement have
slgnDoard inscribed, Chen pu URIC chin"
when means Fixed price
BUSINESS in China beng conducted on
princlples mostly unknown to the outer
Worio, IT Is not strange to find that shops
lNryf
family name of the proprietor. They a.e
distinguished by some sign generally the
Invention Of the owner, who VIII hold a
long ion and anxious consultation with his fam
lily ana friends in order to obtain "hao''
Wnch snaiI embody sCme fe.:c!tous idea.
When new shop is opened or a new
conner comes into possession the public are
made aware of what has taken place by
long crimson streamers hanging from the
slgnboa1ds. The friendliness which exists
between the shopkeeping class and their
patrons results in developments of which
we know nothing in this country. We
should smile at the tradesman who affixed
notice in his window saying that "his
Wife was not very well that day. or that
ms father was dead" In China, in addi-
ton to such written announcements, in
creased publicity is afforded by white or
ash-colored streamers being suspended
from the signboards.
The signboards are also used to record
the death of an emperor. This is done by
putting the board with its letters in gaudy
red and gold into mourning. The paper
with which the sides of tfe board are COW
ered Is not black, as it would be with US,
but green, and in order that business shall
not be interfered with the green paper is
dotted all over with the houses name But
the loyalty and grief of the shopkeeper are
testled TO py two streamers on which is
inscribed, "kus kshio,'' The kingdom
mourns."
On the occasion of a new ruler the mourn
ing streamers are changed for red ones.
China 1e a.
play Of bunting outside Chinese shops AL
ways strikes the European as strange, but
1t serves its purpose.
we shall have our work cut out when the
time comes to destroy the popularitv of
the candle in China. This is how the can
die dealers, mighty imaginative body it
would seem, invest their dips with poetry
After detailing the varieties they deal in
the announcement proceeds: AT eventide
the mandate came from courts of Hau
on hearing that mighty name the scholars
candeight" ~
Dyers in China may be expert, but they
are not modest. I'VE deal in kingfisher
and dark blues, also double blacks We
facturers."
Another dyer, after declaring that the
pubic should only deal at the right sign
alo"s s' thnm to infer that he is alluding to
MS own by stating that his is the double
headed (Chuang fens) phoenix" Although
there are over 100000 shops in China, it
IS safe to say no two signs are alike
A. the Chinese are a strange mixture ~,
good sense and superstition strange scenes
are TO be witnessed in the shops. The ma
terlals OF which prescription is composed
naVlng been made use of, the refuse is
carefully deposited in the middle of the
street by the shopkeeper and his customer
IN the belief that if the mess is shifted at
nv nN me horse on wh the spirit of the
l1en-i star rides the result will be Ger
tain tain to be favorable to the patient. The
T1en-i star" or celestial cure" is inva
rlably believed to prowl the streets nightly
been ailnS and sick