I visited the Silk Market the first time I was in Beijing 8 years ago. Then, it was an open market, smack in the middle of the embassy district and around the corner from the St. Regist Hotel where we stayed at. I remembered walking around with my Chinese colleagues, not finding anything in particular to buy, but ended up negotiating for a sweater nonetheless. It was a green woolen sweater, branded Gap. The asking price was rmb 300, we returned price of rmb 40 and didn’t blink. We got it for rmb 40, and I was told we could have gotten it for 20.
8 years later, the market moved indoors to a new complex, completed with air con, heat, escalators/elevators, a restaurant… it must be 10 times the size of what it was before. 10 times in size, and perhaps just 2 times the merchandise. Which means there’d be 100 stores selling exactly the same items. Competition is fierce, though not hostile. At least not hostile between stalls. I hear business is very tough these days…
For me, I’d love to see the silk market gone. Not only because they sell fake pirated goods, but more because of the horrible shopping experience. The saleswomen there have an incredible command of English, both when wooing you to buy, yelling when negotiating, grabbing your arm, and swearing at you for not purchasing. Last time I went, I got money thrown at me. To be fair, my colleagues thought it was entertaining and enjoyed the sport; I felt abused.
