I went shopping today to pick out a few tops before I start work tomorrow. I wandered around a shopping district in Beijing and just followed the crowd. Chinese people like to gather around one place. They see a long line and line up regardless of whether they know what's at the end of it. After all, it must be something worth buying if others are waiting around for it.
Meanwhile, other shops have people waiting around to la ke 拉客, or to "pull the customers" and drag them to their shops instead. Some of those people are mildly flirtatious, trying to sweet talk you into following them. Others shove unwanted ads into your hands while edging you towards their shop corner. Today I was dogged by really aggressive pushers. Two kept following me even after I told them no thanks. They even went down the escalator with me. I could feel them breathing down my neck. The boy with the spiked up, purple-streaked hair and the brow piercings said, " Hey beautiful girl, I'm not a bad guy, come with me." His friend, with even more piercings, nodded and kept pulling at my clothes. Finally, I got kind of upset and yelled at them not to touch me.
The purple hair guy seemed hurt. He mumbled, "What's the big deal with me touching you?" His friend nodded again and looked away.
And for some reason, I almost felt bad.
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