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YOU may want to buy something to take home to the girl friend. It is customary for the shopkeeper to ask con­siderably more than an article is worth. If you pay what is asked he will not respect you for it. If you argue him down too much, he would prefer not to sell to you at all. If you pay about half to two-thirds what he asks, he will admire you and enjoy the transaction. But above all keep good humored throughout. In China it is a sign of bad breeding to grow heated over a purchase whether it is made successfully or not.

If you have learned the Chinese coinage you will not need language—you can simply put down your money bit by bit. Do not put down at first what you are willing to pay, but less, so that you can have something to compro­mise with and come up a little—so as to make the shop­ keeper feel you are willing to meet him halfway. He will then come down a little to meet you until you arrive at an agreement. Thus you part good friends. And friendship is the most important thing in life to a Chinese—he values the kindly person touch even more than he does a good bargain. Prices, due to the current Chinese inflation, are likely to astonish you, particularly the prices of goods im­ported from abroad. In 5 years, China's cost of living index has soared from 100 to 3,400 and is still soaring. 21