My Nexus Holiday - 4

Day 5

Mostly at Tianji. There was a touristy shopping strip that seemed a bit dead.

Lunch at 11AM. Good on the tour guide. More tourist shopping after lunch.

Today was when the tour guide advised of an optional performance. Some people were not prepared for the 350 yuan per person fee. It did cause some anxiety with the other travellers. My mum and I decided not to go.

It would have otherwise have been a waste except for the second jade outlet visited on this trip. The girls tried presenting first but found that the group was a bit more difficult than normal. One of them found the manager who was surprised to find that the group had such a diverse background. He then proceeded to use some good psych while talking a lot!

Hatred of Japanese - not quite forgiven following WW2, he jokes about making enough money from the Japanese with ridiculous mark-up earlier on this day.

Self-deprecation - he claims that he can't do business and has been in trouble particularly after the lack of Japanese travellers following the tsunami.

Global experience - he has done business and travelled in many countries, some of which overlap with the fellow tourists.

Sympathy for need for connections - apparently making his business more difficult to run.

Reveals some figures in the cost of doing business. There's no way to tell for sure how much jade costs for him at his mine. However, if he's happy to sell things at 'cost price' and the sales staff don't have any hesitation, then it's probably rehearsed.

He goes for reverse psychology in telling people not to buy. That he has made enough from the Japanese.

Revealing ‘secrets’ about a variety of topics including picking good quality jade. Good fun all round - just try not to spend any of your money in the process.


Food:
By this stage, lunch and dinner are looking rather similar to each other and to every other day. Spicy, salty variations of cucumber. It is worthwhile finding a supermarket during the off-peak to stock up on some palatable food. 
Protip: Keep your airplane knife for use with fruit. Beijing subway can be a pain for carrying even a fruit knife around, due to the entry security check. The staff will usually tell you off and let you be on your way.