Memories of Shopping in China

We are getting our new home ready to be a home again.  We spent our first night here, and it was wonderful.  I haven't unpacked the sage to do the smudging and blessing, but it feels good to be in a home after more than two months.

I apologize to all of you who sent me emails about the blog, about specific jade items on the web site, or other things and I haven't had time to get back to you.  Putting a new home on a lot requires constant vigilance and contact with the workers.  I have been exhausted in the evening, and just haven't had the time.  But that will change, I promise.

I'm starting to unpack the jade business things and oh, my:  I can't wait to get back into getting new jade bangle bracelets listed.  I keep finding things I didn't know I had.

This is one reason why I have so much jade and Chinese related inventory:

The Chinese merchants give you big shopping bags when you show.  There are several in the hotel rooms, and the hotels often have many shops inside.  Some are standard market items, but some hotels offer items I never see elsewhere.

When I go to China for jade shopping, I go to Guangzhou.  It's a busy city, and I prefer to stay on Shamian Island because it's more peaceful with parks and a really good Chinese medicine clinic that also gives foot massage, which you need after a long day jade shopping.  The White Swan Hotel is the most luxurious and expensive hotel on Shamian Island.  Eating there is really expensive,   Dinner is usually $80 per person and there's way too much food, so we eat in the other restaurants nearby.  The White Swan Hotel has many shops in it, everything you can imagine including of course jade.  I fill their bags shopping just there.

The Guangzhou Victory Hotel is my favorite hotel to stay in on Shamian Island.  The rooms are much larger than White Swan and less than half the price.  Breakfast is included, and the food there is reasonable and very good.  There's also a laundry next to it where I drop off my clothes one day, and pick them up the next for very low price.  The staff is very nice, and I enjoy practicing Chinese and English with the housekeeping staff.  They love it when I leave "things" behind for them.

As you can see, the bags are still full of things.  Not all is jade, and I'll sort through them and include the contents in the web site listings in a few weeks.

My next moving task is to get all the inventory that's been in the rented office back to my home office. I have missed responding to you who ask about an item, but I don't have it near to give you an answer, and have been going to the temporary office only once a day.  Can't wait to have all my good energy jade back at home with me.