Lintong Jade

Lintong Jade

　　　　The vendors at the Lintong jade stalls, whether young or old, male or female, are enthusiastic and straightforward in their business dealings. They greet everyone with a smile, calling out, “Brother (Sister), come take a look—no deal, no problem, but friendship remains!” As they speak, they’ll offer you a small stool to sit on, then carefully unwrap a piece of jade wrapped in red paper for you to examine while giving you a detailed account of its merits. This is Xiu jade, this is green, white, yellow jade, Lantian jade, Burmese jadeite... Once the first transaction is successfully made, they become even more sincere, taking out another red-wrapped package from their stash. “Brother, I’ve got something even better. You’re already my customer, so I’ll give you a discount.” If a second deal goes through, they might say, “I’ve got the best one yet.” It’s as if they can’t fully prove their loyalty unless they’ve shown you all their “finest pieces.” This method of “one deal after another” is steeped in both the wisdom and cunning of the merchant. A successful sale is naturally ideal, leaving both buyer and seller happy. But if nothing sells, that’s fine too. Some buyers are picky, examining seven or eight—or even a dozen—pieces of jade without finding anything they like, or perhaps they love a piece but haggle mercilessly over the price, dragging out a tug-of-war with the vendor. Throughout it all, the vendor remains calm and composed: “Brother, I can’t sell it at that price—it’d be at a loss.” They’ll never utter an insulting word, let alone get into a shouting match or physical altercation with the buyer.

　　　　There’s a catchphrase often on the vendors’ lips: “Gold has a price, but jade is priceless.” Because of this, they often set high prices for their jade items. In reality, jade does have a value, and there’s a general price range for it. So, you can counter with an offer of just one-sixth to one-eighth of their asking price based on the quality of the jade. If no deal is reached, you can gradually increase your offer until both sides agree.

　　　　One item, a Burmese jadeite Buddha pendant, was priced at 180 yuan by the vendor. I believed a fair “genuine price” should be 30 yuan. At first, the vendor wouldn’t budge, so I walked away. About five meters down the road, I heard the vendor call out, “Hey, brother, sold!” It just goes to show, bargaining is a right both buyers and sellers should exercise. However, in a market economy, no item has a fixed, unchangeable price. For example, at a souvenir shop inside Shaolin Temple, I saw a similar jade pendant of slightly lower quality (because mine had been blessed), but since it was “non-negotiable,” it was priced at 220 yuan.