Jinsong, 26ºC, overcast
There are markets all over Beijing. I have already been to the Silk Market, one of the most magnetic to tourists, and Panjiayuan, the largest antique market in Beijing. Today with a couple of classmates, I made a trip to the glasses market.
Imagine Harrods only sold glasses. Boutique after boutique crammed in side by side. Every type of glasses you ever imagined. This was the glasses market. The three of us browsed from shop to shop, looking at different styles, looking at prices. When they realised we weren’t Chinese (as our Chinese is still far from native!), many 老板 shopkeepers asked, 你们是韩国人吧？ “Are you Korean?” This left me a little bemused at every turn!
After a good couple of hours of browsing, I eventually decided on a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses. They would offer a good contrast to my rimless glasses. After a brief exchange, I bartered the price down from 200元 to 120元, and the deal was done. Here comes the amazing bit: the shopkeeper then measured my rimless glasses for my prescription and told me to come back in half an hour. Thirty minutes later, lo and behold, my brand new glasses were ready. I found it astounding how quickly they had managed to cut the lenses and fit the frames, all for about £12 ($17).
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