Food, Shoes, and Jewelry: International Women's Day Sales Promotions in Jiangmen, China

In past year's I have shared some of the International Women's Day sales promotions I have come across in Zhongshan, in Jieyang, and in Guangzhou. At the moment I happen to be in Jiangmen —another city in Guangdong province. So yesterday I spent some time walking through several shopping malls and nearby shopping areas in the city. There was no shortage of promotions for the holiday, though many stores had no sales or had unrelated sales, including lingering Lunar New Year promotions.

As in past years, one noticeable aspect of the promotions were the various names used to identify the day. Yet I didn't see a single example where the standard Chinese translation for International Women's Day, 妇女节, was used. Instead, Chinese names which would translate as "Goddess Day" (女神) and "Queen's Day" (女王) were common. Some places went with "女人节" which could also translate to "Women's Day" in English. And a number of stores included the day's name in English, often going with "Queen's Day" or "Women's Day".

Chen Yan in Sixth Tone mentions a possible explanation for why the formal name in Chinese was avoided:

More and more young Chinese women are shunning International Women’s Day, a problem that is partially due to nomenclature. Women’s Day is translated as funüjie, a word that contains a term that youngsters increasingly use to refer to older, married women and that connotes a certain frumpiness and a lack of sophistication.

That still might not fully explain the choice of Watson's — a health & beauty care chain store. They went with "我们节" which could be translated as "Our Day", seemingly quite a big difference in meaning. But there's a catch. Written in pinyin, the first two characters are "Wo men".

Just to be sure, I asked an employee and she confirmed that indeed "Wo Men's Day" referred to International Women's Day and was a cross-language pun. At the very least, it strikes me as a curious choice.

Whatever name stores settled on, the promotions went on.

So if you were seeking a Women's Day special for Californian-style food in Jiangmen yesterday, you were in luck.

Other Western-style food options were available as well.

Seeking something Asian? Well, there was Thai.

And if you wanted Yunnan-style, there were options as well.

Baked goods? No problem.

Some tea? Loving Tea beckoned the goddesses.

Shiny Tea did as well.

Seeking something simple and healthy? There was a fruit store that didn't miss out on the day.

There were many options for clothing.

Shoes and hand bags were on sale too.

Glasses? No problem.

Along with a number of other jewelry stores, both China Gold and Hong Kong Gold had promotions.

Seeking health & beauty care products without a "Wo Men" theme? Mannings, a chain similar to Watsons, went with the more typical "Queen's Day".

And, yes, you could go to the supermarket for some Goddess Day savings.

Finally, while several nail salons I passed didn't have a promotion for the day, IMP Nails was ready for Queen's Day.

So finding an International Women's Day deal in Jiangmen, and elsewhere in China, wasn't at all hard yesterday. But not everybody in China thought that was a good thing. And so on International Women's Day, some feminists who criticized how the day was observed were censored.

The promotions went on though.

The Gentm Woman in Jiangmen

Perhaps there's some symbolism in this shirt I saw in Jiangmen, China, today on International Women's Day.

Perhaps.

More about what I saw here today . . . tomorrow.

One Fashionable Message For Sale Tonight in Jiangmen

Late Night Buds in Jiangmen

In response to a photo of riverside eating and drinking in Jiangmen, one question was "Budweiser?"

Yes, those are bottles of American Budweiser beer on the table. Those there weren't the only people drinking Buds. And on another night at this dining establishment — 星期五 (Xīngqīwǔ — Friday) — I drank a cold one myself while looking out onto the river and waiting for some roasted fish.

Chinese-brands Tsingtao and Harbin were available as well. I went with Budweiser since it seemed fitting for this outdoor eatery which prominently featured the beer on its signage and menu.

Most of the nearby riverside options similarly feature Budweiser.

All of these places only open at night, which fits the mould for a type of place I personally associate with serving Budweiser in some parts of China. In Jiangmen, I have also noticed Budweiser advertised at multiple karaoke establishments.

So if you want to sit by the Jiangmen River and drink some Budweiser, there are options. And if you want some roasted fish as well, you're really in luck. The ginger squid is good too.

Late Night Riverside Eating & Drinking in Jiangmen

A Resting Red Lion Head in Jiangmen

The end of the Lunar New Year holiday period means less work for dancing lions.

For this blog, it marks an imminent return to some old topics and more writing. And while there aren't any lions in store for the near future, a friendly bear might make an appearance.

Lunar New Year Chinese Space Flight Dreams in Jiangmen

The common-in-China slogan "Chinese Dream" ("中国梦") along with the less common slogan "Space Flight Dream" ("航天梦") at Dong Hu Park in Jiangmen, Guangdong

New Signs in Jiangmen

New Year and Love at the Musa Club in Jiangmen

I have shared examples of how the close proximity of Valentine's Day and the Lunar New Year has had an impact this year, whether at a shopping mall in Taipei or a fair in Macau. I recently saw yet another example at a club in Jiangmen, Guangdong.

Two signs made it clear that both holidays were in consideration for their celebrations February 14-16.

And, of course, there was recognition it would soon be the Year of the Dog.

Hong Kong Gold and a Christian Church Tonight in Jiangmen

On Zicha Road (紫茶路))

On Xiangxi Road (象溪路)

Dogs, Lions, and Inflatable Israeli Hammers: The Macau Lunar New Year Festival at Tap Seac Square

Dog-themed display part of the Lunar New Year festivities at Tap Seac Square in Macau

Recently Macau held a Lunar New Year fair at Tap Seac Square, a regular event there since 2009. I visited the fair last Wednesday and was interested to compare it to the Lunar New Year fairs I have seen in Taipei and in Hong Kong.

Part of the Lunar New Year Market at Tap Seac Square

In general, with the exception of it lacking any political activism, I found it more similar to what I saw in Hong Kong due to the many aspects which weren't specific to the Lunar New Year and more like a typical fair. That said, there was still plenty which clearly tied to the holiday.

For example, a number of the stalls had a distinct dog theme — appropriate for the upcoming Year of the Dog.

One of those stalls, though, rebelled a bit by including the slogan "I Like Cats More" on their sign.

Accordingly, a number of doggish items were on sale, which meant that some people left with a new inflatable pet.

Some items mixed aspects of the holiday: for example, dog-themed pinwheels.

And as is traditional in this region of China, the market included many flowers for sale.

Ample photographic opportunities were available. One popular option was having your photo taken with a cheerful God of Wealth.

The biggest difference between my experience at this fair and others elsewhere was the number of live performances. While I was there, two Chinese orchestras performed.

And, not surprisingly, nearby traditional drums came out as well.

This was a clear sign a lion dance was at hand. The performance was entertaining for most everyone except a snake that didn't fare so well.

Lion vs. Snake

Snake now in the lion's belly

Lion vs. Me?

Other aspects of the fair weren't so traditional or specific to the Lunar New Year. There were several food stalls offering items which would be common at a night market, including one with black cuttlefish sausage.

For reasons I can't explain, they didn't have a giant black cuttlefish sausage on hand like I saw at the Lunar New Year festival in Taipei.

There was also a clown modeling balloons — as usual, a hit with children.

Reminiscent of the giant stuffed cigarettes I saw for sale at a Lunar New Year fair in Hong Kong, I found that some items for sale made me do a double take.

If you were looking for inflatable hands and hammers with an Israeli theme, it was your lucky day.

And finally, the day I went to the fair was February 14 — Valentine's Day. In the spirit of that other holiday some people were selling heart-shaped red balloons.

One of the things I personally enjoyed about the fair, at least during my time there, was it had a good crowd but wasn't packed to the point where moving around was difficult — an issue I faced at times in both Taipei and Hong Kong. The fair unexpectedly captivated me for long enough that by the time I left the Macanese restaurant where I had planned to eat dinner had already closed.

I should have picked up some black cuttlefish sausage before leaving. I didn't even get to eat a stuffed snake.



Added note: As pointed out by a reader, Valentine's Day may have also influenced the name of one of the dog-themed stalls that appears in the photos above. "單身狗" includes the Chinese character for dog and is unflattering / self-deprecating slang for a person who is single. The reader wrote, "I guess one of the stalls got away with the sarcastic flavor."

Lunar New Year Lions in Jiangmen

During the Lunar New Year holiday in China many shops & restaurants close and many red signs with messages of good luck appear. Some places remain open, though, or reopen before the end of the holiday period. For those that do, they may experience a common Chinese tradition.

Today on Zhendong Road in Jiangmen I spotted (well, first heard from afar) a lion dance troupe.

After bringing some good luck and fortune to a shop in exchange for a red envelope stuffed with cash, the lion dance troupe headed on.

Very quickly they found another shop desiring their services.

The action continued on Diaotai Road less than a block away from where I saw xiangqi being played two days ago.

Then after visiting a few shops down Xinshi Road . . .

. . . they started working their way down Taiping Road.

It wasn't long until they were bringing fortune to a familiar restaurant.

And off they went while I enjoyed a meal across the street at a restaurant which had recently reopened after a holiday break. They didn't desire any lion dancing, but that was fine to me.

I had already been granted a brief personal performance.