The Consumers Delimma

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How much would you pay for silk? How about wood? Or gold?



The last few days have centered on the value of “stuff.” Unfortunately it seems I have more questions than answers. We went to a steel mill to see how “modern” the Chinese had become. I was shocked, pulling up to the mill, how quickly the scenery changed, from a bustling town to an industrial structure hidden behind a welcoming gate.



It was interesting to see the way that the process worked, but I was more fascinated by the impersonal, mechanical, feel that the factory had (yes I’ve read Sinclair’s The Jungle). I had to wonder, how valuable is steel in the cost of human lives? What is a pound of steel worth when the employees fish in the waste water, work next to 2000 degree furnaces, and breathe in the toxic air? Would we develop more efficient ways of manufacturing goods if the consuming public knew the cost of “stuff” in terms of cancer patients or birth defects? Morbid, right? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a box of nails, a shiny car, or a newly constructed building again without thinking about the real cost of these things. Is this progress for progress’ sake? Do we really need another apartment building, or another car on the road?



The winery was another subject. Why, in China, is being modern a selling point? In America we pay significantly more for stuff that is done the original way. A $5 chain-restaurant pizza or a $30 artisanal pizza? If I had a dollar for every time the tour guide said modern, I wouldn’t worry about student loans. Wine, like a lot of things, is crafted in the original way, but the wine wasn’t bad. I wish we had gotten to see more traditional Chinese winemaking. Be modernizing so quickly, has China done permanent damage to the psyche of its citizens?



We traveled to the Silk and Pearl markets. The groups have shifted a little; I believe we are now the Drabakeys (Dragon + Rabbit + Monkey). We worked well together, only getting a block or two off track as we walked to the subway.



The markets are interesting. In China, it is expected to barter for everything, except food (3 kuai for a bottle of water should not be the final price). It is an interesting process to look at a trinket and decide how much it is “really” worth. The sellers always start off ridiculously high and then slowly come down. When bargaining for a few silk scarves I ended up calling the seller JieJie (older sister), and she called me MeiMei (younger sister), it must have been hilarious to see a foreigner and a Chinese woman talking to each other like close friends. But we got a good price, which is the best part. I wonder if we are really paying too much for these things, but that’s what they are “worth” to us.



Sometimes I get frustrated and want to just pay what they are asking for to get it over with. But that is the point! We are passive consumers, we look at the sticker, swipe our card, collect the bag and go. Sometimes we use coupons. With inflation and greed Americans spend millions more than the same number of Chinese, simply because we are lazy and have been taught to trust the sellers. Things are cheep in China for a number of reasons, one being that the government actively keeps itself competitive. And in a world of capitalism you are either competitive or you are gone. How can America expect to be the great capitalist leader and bleed itself dry every day? Is capitalism the answer? The era of colonies has ended and now the true cost of a free market emerges.


I have to admit that I am impressed with everyone, including myself. We've all had some... interesting... experiences and I cannot remember anyone saying that they have had enough of China. Sometimes I find China, and Chinese culture, hard to digest. Though I speak a little Chinese I feel like I am missing the “meaning” of the words that I am saying. These last few days have felt significantly more real than the other days. Cutting through Hutongs and getting back on track have highlighted the Chinese peoples’ kindness and warm sense of humor.

I look forward to the next few days.

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