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| Last Update: August, 29, 2006 |
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Russian Street
Russian Street
Russia Town - Russian Street from a Russian Prospective
Once in Paris, walking on Monmartre, I heard some Russians singing. In taxi in Beijing, the driver asked me where I came from and then sang me a famous Russian folk song translated into Chinese!
I always seem to get exposed to Russian culture unintentionally. If you intend to see miniature version of Russia (very miniature and not the best one) in Beijing, you should go to Yao Bao Lu or also known as the Russian District.
A busy shopping street where you can use your Russian l anguage skills, if you have any. Strangely enough, some foreigners also shop there. May be because it is near the Diplomatic District. If you purchase in bulk and then ship to say Moscow "C", this is a place to go.
Those of you who adore fur "C" hit it. Yao Bao Lu has the best choice. As winter is coming, I am thinking about it myself.
Russians Love Yabaolu
The first time I heard about the YabaoLu section of Beijing, I was still in Russia. It was on a train from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk, chatting with a shuttle trader, who would travel once a month to Beijing to buy the goods she'd hawk in Krasnoyarsk. She told me that there was a sizable Russian population in Beijing, centered on the famous YabaoLu markets, and there I would feel as if I was still in Moscow.
Well, once I arrived in Beijing, and the massive culture shock of being surrounded by 1.4 billion Chinese hit me, I had to escape back to Russia, even if just for a day. I went looking for this famous market, but to my frustration, it had fallen pray to the New China construction boom, and was no more. Luckily, even without the official market, the scene was still there. With Russian signs, sellers calling out in Russian and the distinct look of the people from that once-proud nation, I instantly felt at ease.
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