One aspect of traveling I have always enjoyed is learning to use a new currency.
That experience is getting less challenging as time goes by. I can still remember the thrill of using the non-decimalized pound system. But the demise of shillings and pennies has homogenized the experience of learning new currencies.
China is no exception. The Republic decimalized the currency in 1914 in an attempt to pull China's culture out of its feudal past. The currency system is divided into yuan and jiao. There are 100 jiao in a yuan. Just like Mexico with the peso and centavo.
That experience is getting less challenging as time goes by. I can still remember the thrill of using the non-decimalized pound system. But the demise of shillings and pennies has homogenized the experience of learning new currencies.
China is no exception. The Republic decimalized the currency in 1914 in an attempt to pull China's culture out of its feudal past. The currency system is divided into yuan and jiao. There are 100 jiao in a yuan. Just like Mexico with the peso and centavo.
But the number of coins are very limited in China. And easy to remember. They are 1 yuan, 5 jiao, and 1 jiao. As a result, jiao coins have a tendency to accumulate. Just like American one cent pieces.
Language and currency have a common cultural connection. In language, the old adage is that when you start thinking in your new language, you will be on the way to mastering it.
The same is true with currencies. As long as a visitor to China keeps thinking “that translates to $5 (US); and that is cheap in my Walmart back in Des Moines,” the currency will never be mastered. It then is a mere arithmetical exercise.
You know you understand the currency when you can say: “20 yuan? No. That is too expensive. It should only be 15 yuan.”
After all, currency is merely an exchange of value. And that value always has a cultural context where the currency is used. Thinking in dollars in China is as limiting as expecting street vendors to be fluent in English.
At best in China, I got to the point of understanding which pieces of paper and metal I needed to take out of my pocket after reading a sign. And that I could master.
I did not get close to mastering whether the amount was culturally appropriate. My one clue was looking at my fellow shoppers. Whenever they were far better dressed than I was, I knew I was probably spending too much.
You know you understand the currency when you can say: “20 yuan? No. That is too expensive. It should only be 15 yuan.”
After all, currency is merely an exchange of value. And that value always has a cultural context where the currency is used. Thinking in dollars in China is as limiting as expecting street vendors to be fluent in English.
At best in China, I got to the point of understanding which pieces of paper and metal I needed to take out of my pocket after reading a sign. And that I could master.
I did not get close to mastering whether the amount was culturally appropriate. My one clue was looking at my fellow shoppers. Whenever they were far better dressed than I was, I knew I was probably spending too much.
My method for buying in the market: I wait until someone local buys what I want, note the price and hand over what ever it was without even asking the price. It has never been a problem so far...
ReplyDeleteMost places I shop in Mexico have a price tag that clearly states the price. t makes most of my shopping very simple.
ReplyDeleteDid you have access to ATM machines in China or did you have to go to a money exchange? A new currency is always confusing to me when I just arrive somewhere new. I remember stopping at an ATM and intending to get out a couple of hundred $ instead got about 20 pesos. I guess I left some zeros out. My mind was still thinking US $.
ReplyDeleteI didn't use an ATM in China. I just exchanged a few dollars ($200, I think, as walking around money) at the hotel. However, in Mexico, the ATM is my life blood.
ReplyDeleteDid you mean to say that there are 100 jiao in a yuan just like there are 100 centavos in 1 peso?
ReplyDeleteGo to Hong Kong ... or isn't that considered China? When I was there they had Hong Kong dollars. Just looked it up and it seems they still exist
ReplyDeleteI did. Good catch. Writing travel books is similar to writing a book. I need to take an editor along with me.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Hong Kong. Back in 2001. Both Hong Kong and Macao have been allowed to retain their own currencies. Politically the cities are part of China. But mainland Chinese cannot go to either city without a visa -- and the visas are severely restricted. Much in the same way that Cubans are restricted from visiting the hotel area in Cuba.
ReplyDelete