Bummer.
I paid a visit to the Friendship Store the first time I went to China. That was the only place I could find a stick of deoderant and it was waaaay over-priced.
Nice post, Lisa.
That's sad--kind of like all the old time stores and restaurants that have closed and are closing here in your old home town.
About the padded overcoats, are they the coats worn by the soldiers in this photo?
Yep, them's the ones. Without the dorky belt. They cost, oh, maybe 12 bucks or so? I forget now.
And thanks for your kind words, THM.
There's something very surreal even just reading about all the changes China has gone through since your first visit. Kind of like reading the English translations on their signs and teaboxes, etc...just very...out there. Can't really explain it very well...
My wife and I spent 27 days traveling independently in China in March-April, 1985. We found the Friendship stores quite interesting. But we purchased items from the public market, too, not realizing that we were not supposed to pay the market vendors with our FEC's. Then we received Yuan in change, and spend the "people's money" at the markets and for food on the street.
We found vendors who didn't recognize the FEC's, from which it received the nickname "funny money."
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