Cañon City record., 1901-05-30
SHOPPING IN CHINA.
1T TAKES TIME AND MUCH
CEREMONY.
Bricks Aads of Hard Dried Tea Used ~
honsy-siivsr Currency Cat on .
Trtusss Shoe Called "syese"-soismn
otion.. v

When a man or woman goes into a
shop in China a clerk, with much cere-
mony, brings fragrant tea. which is
served In fine style. The compliments
of the season are exchanged. the topics
Of the times are discussed. there are
talks about the weather-in fact, every
kind of evasion is employed to keep
away from the real reason of the visit,
which is to buy something. The pro-
prietor silently watches these proceed
ings from afar. The style of compli-
ment is of this order: 'In what celes-
tial country did your exalted excellence
purchase the superfne garments upon
which feast my eyes? Surely in no
miserable and unworthy land like our
own" When tea and talk are ex-
hausted the little pipe-bearer, who al
ways attends his master or mistress
out of doors, lights pipe for his en-
ployer. There are only a few whiffs
in each pipeful, so the process has to
be frequently repeated. Then business
begins. The shopper asks the price
Of the required article, and makes an
offer for 1t that is much lower. This
is promptly refused in language that is
courteous and polite beyond descrip-
tion. Then the possible purchaser de-
parts with great dignity and elegance.
The same scene Is renewed day after
day, sometimes for three weeks run
ming. In the course of time the pro-
prietor himself sends the article to the
house of his haggling customer. Again
and again 1t is returned The price is
too high. When a bargain is compiet-
ed the purchaser never pays for 1t him
self. The chief steward is called. noti-
fed that the article has been accepted.
and when the bill comes in the boy"
settles. giving an account quarterly to
his master of money disbursed for the
household. Money. as We have It. is
unknown in China. There are no sill
yer dollars, no fractions of dollars. as
quarters and 1o-cent pieces; no paper
bank-notes. There Is coin called
cash" with a hole punched In the mid
die. that is used for small transactions.
Cash" can be strung like beads on a
string It takes one hundred pieces to
equal the value OF one standard cent
China, never for current coin. The
currency OF China is virgin silver. made
into the shape OF Chinese shoe. A
servant carries this In bag. When
bill is to be paid his master-usually
the steward or "boy"-takes out n pair
Of pocket scales. cuts OF a piece of the
silver shoe, and weighs It carefully.
adding or taking away little to make
the amount required. This silver shoe
is called "Sycee" Another form of
money is the tea-brick-hard. dried
tea, compressed into brick form. from
which pieces are chopped and weighed
like the silver. Strands OF stamped
cloth. issued by local banks, also serve
as money. Their value is stamped
plainly upon the cloth. So many
strands equal so much silver. Strange
land OF cash." tea-brick, cloth strands
and silver shoe, An auction In China
is n grave. portentous AFFAIR, held In
perfect silence. A solemn stiffness
reigns. The auctioneer exhibits his
wares. leaning over a counter slightly
elevated. The bidder says not word.
but steps before him and runs his fin-
gers up MS sIeeFe' nahihs pc99uiN ""
his arm that indicates what he wishes
to pay. Then another. and another
does the same; sometimes dozen or
more. When the bidding is over the
auctioneer signifies who the successful
purchaser is. No one knows the price
offered. or whether fayoritism inau-
ences the award. But all is dignified.
sedate. majestic. There Is none OF the
hustle seen in Occidental bargaining.