In Urumqi

Sunday morning was scheduled for a trip to the market in Urumqi.  JoAnn had expected something like the Kashgar Market which includes livestock, but Urumqi’s was a sedate inside market with the usual stalls for tourists.  We wandered, avoiding the cashmere/Pashmina scarves, bought two Uighur caps for Rich, and were getting bored when we found the rug merchants in the basement.                

Rugs have been on our decorating list, but never fulfilled, so what better time, near the heart of the rug making mecca.  The number of merchants on the basement floor was beyond basic arithmetic, maybe the level of angels on the head of a pin.  That was multiplied by the number of designs, color variations and sizes.  Wandering in an out of shops we agreed on color and design and stopped in a shop who gave us some attention.  Then JoAnn began the real inquisition.   I sense the Uighur merchants are in a patriarchal society and are not accustomed to the questioning methods of an American woman seeking truth.   All this in JoAnn’s English, their Chinese and their desire to make the sale.  The questions were beyond my wisdom but they included, knot count, wool type, country of origin, type of dyes used, and the relationship of owner to their sheep.  Oh, yes, then price and cost of shipping to the US.

From afar the negotiations were quite fascinating.  The shop owner brought in multiple expert opinions, by phone, from next door, but in the end, questions were not completely answered, barriers to understanding existed and we backed off.   Next time we will be better buyers.