[Mikeyy]

Originally Posted by pattye

Mikeyy,



Are you sure you are not in Oregon???

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

I've spent some time in the Rouge Valley. But I am a So Cal boy.

[Amrita]

Thank you, Nerida and Jerin, for your welcoming words!

The pearl market in Zhuji is an eye-opener in the sense that I do not think anywhere in the world you would see a pearl market that is as sprawling as a vegetable market and where pearls are displayed with such abandon as if they were grains or cereals or lentils..., at least on the first floor. There are "sacks" full of them, baskets full of them, counters are overflowing with them! There are pearls of every thinkable shape and size, every thinkable and unthinkable color, and every quality to be found.

On the second floor then you have some "showrooms" of the big pearls companies like "Tear of Angel", "Grace" etc....and once inside it seems like sanity returns a bit as it seems pearls are displayed as they should be! But then you quickly lose it again once you hear the prices they quote !

So if it is your first visit to the Zhuji market, it is sure to be some experience (it left me gaping when I first went there last year even though I had been to the Beijing HongQiao many times)! Good Luck in Zhuji, Nerida!

Cheers,
Amrita
www.harmonypearls.com

[Nerida]

Hi Amrita,

Sadly, I don't thing I am going to get to Zhuji this trip. I am in Hong Kong at present, up to Shanghai tomorrow. Due to the huge public holidays in China this week, organizing internal travel is a complete nightmare. No train availability at all, apparently... I will still go down to the station tomorrow to try my luck - I can always change flights home if necessary! Retail prices on pearls here in HK are very high - some good deals in the markets and also with a couple of wholesalers I've found.

Will keep you posted, and I will take some photos at the wholesalers in Shanghai tomorrow (still can't work it out - almost all businesses still open on a major "holiday").

[Amrita]

Hi Nerida! Good to know you are in this region - welcome! Yes, holiday time here can make the whole train system go topsy turvy. This year is the first one when the Labour Day holiday has been reduced to 1 day (on May1) from 2 days (May 1 & 2) in previous years. But in China it is common practice to merge a national holiday with a weekend if there is one close at either end. As a result, people are having 3 days off May 1-3 (Thurs - Sat) and resume work on Sunday(!) to compensate for the Friday. So there is a rush on trains, buses and domestic planes because of the long weekend. Sorry your trip timing happened to coincide with this.

Just for people who are planning trips to China, it would be good to know that the main "national" holidays are as follows:
[*]New Year's Day - Jan 1[*]Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) - Jan-Feb - 1 week to 3 weeks differs from company to company.[*]Tomb Sweeping Day (Qing Ming Festival) - Mar-Apr - 1 day[*]May Day - May 1 - 1 day[*]Dragon Boat Festival - June 7 - 1 day[*]Mid-Autumn Festival - Sep 15 - 1 day[*]National Day holiday - Oct 1-3 - 3 days

Just remember that the 1 day holidays can turn into 3 days off when combined with a weekend, and the 3 days National holiday can be turned into a 7 day consecutive break by combining the 2 weekends on either sides with the holiday. For example, Oct 1,2 and 3 are Wed, Thu and Fri this year - so what is inevitably going to happen is that people will work on the Sep 27 and 28 weekend and then take the 29th and 30th off, so that they can then be off work for 7 consecutive days, including the weekend of Oct 4 & 5 at the other end. This kind of thing has until recently been encouraged by the government and has given a great boost to the tourism industry. On the other hand, holiday times prove to be a transportational nightmare for unsuspecting people wanting to take a trip around China at these times. Realizing this, I think, the national holidays have been scattered around different times of the year starting this year.

Most retail businesses do keep open to take advantage of the crowds of holiday makers from remote areas who visit the big cities during this time!

Anyway, I wish you well and hope your trip is successful. Look forward to your photos. Do let me know if you plan to come to the Beijing-Tianjin area - we could plan to meet!

Cheers,

[Nerida]

Hi Amrita - no Beijing this trip, but maybe next time.

China is a bit of a traveller's nightmare at the moment - visa restrictions so that only single entry visas issued (so no hopping to Shenzhen from HK first), carry-on luggage restrictions ++ (maybe due to holiday, but gossip is mostly due to Tibet issues?) and the holidays combining to limit travel. Oh, and the Olympic torch is Hong Kong when we return there on Friday, so traffic will be at a complete standstill...

Still, always thankful of the opportunities I have to travel. I have just had one of our Chinese hosts offer to provide me with a guide in Shanghai. I tried to explain that I knew my way around a little, so here's hoping that they don't mind pearl shopping!! Maybe they can take some photos..