The National Holiday break. Just listen to that. It's a now-now time. A fine time to shop for video games. When else am I going to do that? We’re off to Zhongguancun to find games for our Play Station 4 My daughter’s birthday present has been sitting there inert since got it sans any games to insert. Driving along the highway the road was completely devoid of traffic and soon I'm asleep.
LSSSSSSSSSSN
Now were getting close. There is always the chance that it may not be
open. It is a national week of rest, after
all. That would be unfortunate. It’s a
bit less hallowed than Chinese New Year, but with seven days in the balance, most
people, the ten-million people migrant people who’ve come here from somewhere else, have all
gone home. The rough old hutongs looks closed. The mom&pop market is closed. Lights off in the Seven Eleven, That's not good. At least there won't be mobs of people. We’re going to have some rather unhappy girls
if the beehive of Zhongguancun is
closed for business.
The first tower may as
well have been closed. Half the shops
were blanketed over. I asked and after
one guy yelled to another I was directed to a third gentleman who clarified that what I
wanted could not be bought at his shop. "Go
across the street." Yes. You’ll need to buy the disc. Pirated copies? I don’t think they have them for that Sony
game. Interesting.
We head down and out and up across the walkway to from the Hai Long to the adjoining, we-sell-everything-electronic mall across the high street. Across and in we search for a while. I know how to say what I'm looking for clearly now and I ask everyone. Everyone is rude. To be expected. Onward. Someone says go there. We go there. There they are! "Hey where's the guy that owns this stall?" "He's not here. He went home or the holiday. " "Really?" We look on in vain. I find a guy who'll replace my anaemic iPhone battery. "You guys keep looking. Come back here in 15 minutes either way.
While the young gentleman is working on my phone another guys comes along and asks a question. Nothing wrong there. But now he seems to have started a dialogue. The young kid, delicately trying to remove my battery is now looking up at this oaf, trying to answer his rambling line of inquiry. "Hey young fella. Give the kid a break. He's working on my phone, there." Absorbing that I just spoke to him in Chinese he is silent for a bit, but then decides to begin chatting me up instead. Fortunately the girls return. Unfortunately there are no Sony Playstation 4 Games to be had here in this mall, today.
The phone-fixer is done quickly. I leave him and the other gent to their budding conversation. Zhounguancun has plenty of other large malls to explore. We're back on the walkway, heading to one a bit further south. Literate, my daughter spies a sign in Chinese across the street that
says “Gaming Center.” That is a very
good sign. As we get closer we note that
there is a blue fence that has been erected around the entire building. The guard confirms, it’s under
reconstruction. The store that’s open
only has phones to sell, but there is that place over there you might try, that building on the northwest corner.
Fortunately I recall this
place as we draw closer. I have bought
games here before. Five years ago, as I
recall, when the girls used to play with an Xbox.
The folks on the first floor suggest I try the basement and its all
coming back to me. I remember. Straight through to the back room. One stall points us to another and soon my
younger daughter and her friend have narrowed their gaming choices down what
they want. Nothing pirated
available. In fact, most of the newest
games are not available either.
Something has changed over the last few years. Did the industry get smarter or China get more strict? Someone is enforcing something, or else these discs would just be copied.
Starbucks is still here, back up on the first floor. It's a pleasure to visit, while it is empty.
They have the mala chicken
roll I like and I wash it down with kiwi juice.
Tuesday, 10/03/17
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