Last Updated Sunday October 07, 2007
Yuanlong Silk Market
Our friend Mr. Chen took Mario and Roy on a shopping trip.
You would think a silk market would have a worm or at least a moth out front. No they had this lion thing with antlers.
The majority of the Silk Market's four floors are filled with all sorts of silk clothes. On the fourth floor they sold lots and lots of bolts of silk material. Mario spent big Yuan on a cashmere scarf. I bought some tee shirts.
Pearl Market
Then we walked over to the Pearl Market which is an even bigger store, though in this case it is made up of many smaller shops.
Mr. Chen and Roy on the first floor where the shops are tiny and the jewelry stacked to the ceiling.
After looking around there we went up to the fourth floor where Sharon's is the class act of the place.
Here Roy and Mario get their picture taken with the saleswomen. Notice the similar pictures on the wall. There's Bill Clinton right behind us and Madeline Albright over Roy's right shoulder. Other pictures show both Bushes and many of their cabinet members who shop at Sharon's.
Mario was a shopping fool. He didn't limit himself to only pearls.
They bring out bundles of strings of pearls. I selected two strings.
The sales lady served me a can of beer while I waited to have the two strings assembled with the clasp I picked out into a pearl necklace to take home to my wife.
Noodle Lunch
Right between the Silk and Pearl Markets is this famous noodle restaurant. They have two long time customers in the window.
Benson joined Mr. Chen, Mario and I in the noodle restaurant. The waiters greeted us with yells of, "Four people coming!" They used the same technique as the Pig Face Restaurant where they bring a large bowl of noodles and add many smaller bowls of vegetables and sauce with a lot of clanking of Chinaware.
The restaurant had this huge shrine right inside the door. Notice the watermelons. I wasn't sure if it was serious or a joke.
Pot Shopping
After a noodle lunch we visited the antique store. Here is a panorama from the fourth floor. There are dozens of little shops on each level stacked to the ceiling with old pots, statues, paintings and furniture.
Mario went for some "old" pots. They were claimed to be 4,500 years old. At least 4,500 year-old pots aren't too expensive.