As perfect hosts we need to ensure safety of tourists

The three most common phrases a tourist or foreigner hears in China are, "Friend, friend! I give you best price!" or "Oh no! Too little, I lose money, you give me little more", and the old stand-by "How many you buy?"

Like moths drawn to light, we can't resist the siren's call of "Gucci" bags, "Burberry" trench coats, "North Face" parkas and "Callaway" drivers, all for slightly more than the cost of a bucket of chicken at KFC. Whether at Silk Alley, Pearl Market, Taobao City or other goods malls, which foreign national hasn't left with an armful of black plastic bags stuffed with bargain "luxury goods" to take home?

However, inauthenticity comes at a price. Shopping at these places requires patience, an iron will, comfortable shoes and not losing your bargaining wits, as the same item you want can be found at five other vendors a few meters away. But the vendor is a formidable opponent: Like the art of fishing, they follow simple but time-tested methods to reel you in.