| Shanghai January 18th, 2010 Page 6 |
20 percent of the original price. There are some items that are cheap enough already. I saw one store that was selling movies on DVD that were newly released in theaters in the U.S. for about 70 cents each, with attractive packaging. I will wait two months to buy the same DVD in the U.S. for $15. Capitalism really is amazing sometimes. Our commercial needs met, we were able to attend to spiritual fulfillment. A tai chi master taught our group some basic moves. Even though the moves are designed for fighting, the motions are oddly calming, and induced a highly contemplative state. Capitalizing on our newfound state of relaxation, the entire group decided to get traditional Chinese massages. Unfortunately for us, the Chinese word for “massage” apparently also means “torture.” The Chinese must feel that having your muscles beaten repeatedly by a sadist will make you feel better. We simply felt sore and humiliated, the way someone might feel after losing a schoolyard fight. The difference was that we voluntarily paid to get that feeling. Maybe we needed more tai chi. |
