A Place For Traders Of All Ages

By Hazlinda Hamzah GUANGZHOUS (China), Jan 3 (Bernama) -- I have been working in my uncle's shop since I was 15 years old. My uncle sells electronic gadgets, and I enjoy working here. These were the words of a teenage trader, who wishes to be called Kelly. Kelly, 19, was born and brought up in Guangzhou, the largest city of China's Guangdong province. In this bustling city, many people begin working at a young age in family-owned electronic shops. When asked if she liked working, Kelly nodded. "I can spend my earnings on beautiful items. I hope that one day, I can open a shop," she added. STARTING AT A YOUNG AGE There are a number of trading centres and malls in the heart of Guangzhou. This writer met Fatimah, as she prefers to be called. She works on the upper floor of an electronics and digital centre. She is a 28 year old university graduate from Xingjian, a Muslim-majority state in China. Fatimah has her own shop, and she sells digital Quran of various brands and types, for children and adults. "I started selling these products five years ago. My fiancé and I manage this outlet together. I have another outlet in a building nearby. I want to see my business grow. I want to be a successful entrepreneur," Fatimah explained, with her fiancé, Mohammed, next to her. They are planning to tie the knot soon. "InsyaAllah, we will get married soon," said Fatimah, who speaks English fluently. PRODUCTS FOR MUSLIMS Most of the products produced for Muslims worldwide come from Xingjian. "We are industrious, and we find happiness in earning a living by providing products to Muslims all over the world," Fatimah said. The digital form of the Quran is sold here and it does not cost more than 200 Yuan, about RM100 (US$32.96). A simplified version of the digital Quran for children does not cost more than 30 Yuan, about RM15 (US$4.94). "It is cheaper when you buy in bulk. Most of the traders here prefer to sell their goods to wholesalers," said Fatimah, when asked if she could reduce the price of the Quran that the writer was interested in. SMART PHONE COVERS On the same street, there is another building offering accessories for electronic gadgets. "Accessories are beautiful. They are designed very well. What is the price of the accessories here? Is it cheaper to purchase in bulk?" asked Syahila Ahmad. She was in the commercial area with her mother, a friend and some relatives. There are many small shops selling covers for smart phones on the ground floor of this mall, where a number of popular gadgets are available. Covers for tablets are available too. "We make phone covers using pearls, beads and crystals. They are attractive," said Hui Lin, who has been working for two years. There are phone covers with popular cartoon characters, including Hello Kitty and many Disney characters. Are they expensive? "Phone covers that are embedded with beads cost around 40 Yuan, approximately RM20. Phone covers that are made of light fabric cost 20 Yuan, approximately RM10," said the salesgirl in Mandarin. Colourful and attractive mobile phone covers cost around 12 Yuan, approximately RM6. Phone covers are excellent gifts that one can give his/her kith and kin. DRIED FOOD The writer stayed at the Xi Di Wan hotel. Next to the hotel were rows of shops selling dried scallops, prawns and other seafood. Taking a stroll along the street with these shops at around 8pm exposed the writer to many activities in the area. There were many workers unloading crates of seafood from large vehicles. Later, these crates were loaded into other vans and lorries so that they could be transported elsewhere. "Dried scallops, prawns and fish are sold outside the hotel. The price of the seafood is dependent on the quality of these products," said S P Chien, a Sarawakian, who works as a tour guide in Guangzhou. Good quality scallops cost about 500 Yuan, approximately RM250, for 500 grams. Smaller and low quality scallops cost less. Bigger dried prawns cost more and smaller dried prawns cost less. "You just need to soak dried prawns overnight, and you can make porridge in a slow cooker. You can also cook prawns with scallops. The Chinese like feeding porridge to their babies and children. The Chinese believe that porridge is good for health," Chien said. Most of the seafood traders are middle-aged men. CHINESE TEA Shops located parallel to the Pearl River, not far from the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, sell tea leaves at competitive prices. The price of tea leaves ranges between 25 and 50 Yuan (RM10 to RM25) for 250 grams. Guangzhou has a lot to offer when it comes to affordable products. Language is a major concern because traders are comfortable conversing in Mandarin only. However, there are some traders who can understand English and Bahasa Melayu (Malay language). This is because many people from all over the world visit Guangzhou. -- BERNAMA