Christmas in February is not a new concept for me. Often I'm not able to go back to the United States to see family and friends in December, when everyone else goes. So, in preparation for going back, I did my Christmas shopping on Sunday. How's that for a time warp?

My favorite is Hongqiao Market near the Temple of Heaven, and when I go, I always take my two best Chinese friends with me. They do the bargaining because I'm terrible at it. Maybe it's a cultural thing.

If you've ever been to Bali in Indonesia, you know it's quite a holiday spot. They're friendly, almost everyone speaks English (because it's where Australians like to holiday, I guess) but if you make a bad deal with a vendor, you have only yourself to blame.

When you walk into the store, they smile and ask what country you're from. Somehow the answer "America" produces a bigger smile and even a little drool.

In fact, the Bali vendors' bag color-coding system is an open secret; they indicate to one another how good a bargainer you are by the color of bag in which they put your purchase. A white bag meant you were a pushover, black meant you were a tough bargainer, and they even had striped bags to indicate something in between. My first bag was striped because I knew I had to haggle; I just wasn't good enough at it.

And that's why I hate doing it, but that's life as a foreigner shopping at Hongqiao bargain or die (financially). So, that's why Eric and Cathy (their English names) go along.

Stop No 1 was my favorite jewelry stall on the third floor. Bonnie is a delightful woman from Guangdong who speaks enough English to answer my questions and understand what I want. I bought pearls for my best friend and a cousin from her, so when the best friend asked me to bring jade beads for her jewelry-making hobby, I knew exactly where I wanted to start my search.

Bonnie remembered me. Out came the water bottles for her "preferred" customers, and the mating dance began. Eric explained what I wanted, and it was really no problem. Bonnie doesn't deal in loose jade, but in the great Chinese tradition of guanxi (connections) where everyone knows someone, she found some, and I bought nine strands for 600 yuan ($75) in maybe 30 minutes.

Next was a jade carving for another good friend. We wandered around, and I discovered there actually is a thing as a bad day for the vendors at Hongqiao. But I was surprised by the woman's pre-emptory strike.

"How much?" I asked in Chinese for a jade dragon. She said 150 yuan ($18), but after one exchange with Eric, the price was 60 yuan ($7.5). Why? She told Eric she hadn't sold anything all day and was desperate.

It actually happens yahoo!

It happened again on the second floor, where I looked for a silk robe for a friend in New Mexico. Suddenly, a 220 yuan ($27) offer for a reversible black-blue number was 100 yuan ($12.5). I couldn't say "sold!" fast enough.

I couldn't find the right silk tie for another cousin until I was near the exit door a black one with a golden dragon pattern. You can tell I like dragons, right?

Anyway, 100 kuai became 40 kuai ($5), and I was done shopping in two hours.

In Bali, I'd have had all black bags.

(China Daily 02/02/2007 page20)