Reminiscing about my life in North Korea (25)

——Wandering around Pyongyang Department Store and having dinner with a beautiful ***

On the afternoon of the weekend, Xiao Zhao and my sister and I came to the Pyongyang Railway Station Square. Take a walk around and go to the department store next to the square to explore North Korea’s mysterious shopping trip.

When our group passed by the entrance of the train station, we saw a beautiful North Korean girl walking towards us from a distance and saying hello to us. I was still confused and didn't know the other person. Xiao Zhao next to me saw him and walked over quickly, and responded enthusiastically to the other person.

Xiao Zhao led the North Korean girl and introduced me and my little sister to each other. It turns out that the North Korean girl in front of me is Xiao Zhao's classmate, Xiao Pu. Her current job is a tour guide that many people envy. She is mainly responsible for receiving tourist groups from China.

"Hello! Welcome to come and work in North Korea. I heard Xiao Zhao talking about you." Xiao Pu greeted me in fluent Chinese when he saw me. I responded to her: "Hello! Your Chinese is very good." Xiao Pu said a little embarrassedly that it was still far from good, not very good.

Today she came to the train station to help the Chinese tourists in the group go through the formalities and met us here. She chatted with Xiao Zhao for a few words and then left us anxiously. Before leaving, he said to me: "You go to the shopping mall in front and have a good time. Have fun." After that, he walked into Pyongyang Railway Station.

Looking at Xiao Pu’s leaving figure, Xiao Zhao told me about her fellow tour guide. There was envy in her words. It seems that our little girl Zhao still has a soft spot for tour guides.

She also told me in normal times that she originally wanted to be a tour guide, but unfortunately she failed to do so. I had no choice but to choose my current employer and become my translator now, but I was lucky enough to get to know me.

The flow of people on the road to our past shopping mall has gradually increased. On weekends, everyone will choose to come to the Railway Station Square. It is dotted with subway stations and surrounded by many shops, making travel convenient.

At this time, we passed by a roadside store full of food and drinks. There were several people standing in front of the door waiting in line to buy something. When the little girl saw it, she curiously walked over to take a look. When Xiao Zhao was about to call his little sister to leave quickly, I pulled her and signaled her not to shout, and we would stay here with her to see more.

My little sister’s dream has always been to be a salesperson, to own a store like the salesperson there, and to be open on time every day. Seeing such a roadside shop at this time, the little girl will inevitably have special emotions.

Xiao Zhao and I walked behind my sister. The shops here sell various drinks and various snacks, and there is an endless stream of local people coming to buy them. When we stayed here for a while, we could see many people coming to buy the goods they needed. The business of the roadside stores seemed to be very good at this time.

We also bought several local snacks here, and I let them choose their favorite ice cream. Xiao Zhao also specially brought one for me. I have never tasted local ice cream when I came to North Korea. Seeing the little Zhao sisters eating it with relish, I believe it will taste very good.

I followed them and tasted the ice cream with Korean characters printed on it. It tasted very sweet, but there seemed to be nothing else. Seeing Xiao Zhao and the others eating, it is also a good treat to have a sip of cold drinks in summer.

When we had almost finished eating the ice cream in our hands, we finally arrived at the department store in Pyongyang. Xiao Zhao specifically stopped my little sister and me at the door and asked us to finish the ice cream and put the garbage on our hands into the trash can next to us.

Xiao Zhao went to the mall first. She went in to ask if outsiders could be allowed in today. My sister and I were waiting outside for her to come back.

After a while, I saw Xiao Zhao walking out. Seeing her cheerful expression, I knew there would be something going on today, and I could go shopping in the mall with the two sisters.

Sure enough, Xiao Zhao came to us and said to us: "Let's go, we can all go in today." Then he took us into the Pyongyang Department Store in front of us.

The department store is divided into two floors: upper and lower. The ground floor is filled with all kinds of furniture, including modern sofas. We first walked around the first floor and took a look at the household items here in Pyongyang.

The furniture here looks high-end and the workmanship is exquisite. The colors and styles of each set of sofas are very trendy and have a strong sense of fashion.

I saw the price marked on each one. After I found out the price from Xiao Zhao, I was a little puzzled for a while. The prices of the various furniture displayed here basically range from several thousand yuan, and there are even higher-end ones. I really don’t understand. The local people’s salary is only a few hundred yuan a month. Can such a price be affordable?

Walking inside, there is an area where various electrical appliances are placed. TVs, refrigerators and various household appliances are quite complete here. Compared with domestic styles, the styles here are a bit monotonous, unlike in China where you can have diversified choices.

"Xiao Zhao, the price of the signs here costs several thousand yuan. Can the locals here afford it?"

"Your salary as a translator is only a month. Just over 600 yuan! It should be considered a good job here. Look at the TVs, refrigerators, and various household appliances over there. According to this calculation, how long will it take to afford them here? . ”

“Has anyone come here to buy it if it’s so expensive?” I asked Xiao Zhao puzzledly, and I was still thinking about asking her: Is this just a display of samples and few people will buy them back? Home.

Xiao Zhao smiled at me and said: "The furniture and various household appliances sold here are usually purchased here by local newlyweds when they get married. At other times, they rarely buy them. Someone is buying it. I don’t have much money now, so I definitely can’t afford it.

When I get married, my father will definitely come here to buy furniture.” After hearing what Xiao Zhao said, I told her it was time. If I were still here, I would definitely give her a dowry.

The prices of goods here are generally more expensive than those in China. Among the electrical appliances displayed, some have Chinese characters printed on them. They should be imported from China. The prices sold here are obviously higher than domestic.

We walked all the way and met a few local Koreans who were looking at the furniture. In front of them there were two beautiful waiters who were explaining various things to them. Seeing their expressions, they must have come over. Purchase furniture.

Xiao Zhao next to him was extremely envious when he saw that they could spend money here. We have to admit that there will be poor and rich people everywhere. Although North Korea is poor, there are still many wealthy people in Pyongyang.

In private, Xiao Zhao quietly told me: Local people who can do border trade business in Pyongyang have many opportunities to make money. Now they can apply to drive private cars, and some have already driven limousines. In their normal leisure time, they usually invite a few friends to play golf together. It's just that these wealthy people need to report these things to their country, and they will be subject to many restrictions. Compared with before, North Korea is much better at this time.

After walking around on the first floor, we followed the stairs up to the living area on the second floor. The display of goods here is very similar to that of a domestic supermarket, and there are many similarities with the domestic model.

On the left is a supermarket with various daily necessities on display. You can go in with a cart and buy various products on the shelves. At this time, there were already many people inside, shopping for the products they needed in front of the shelves to take home.

Our group also pushed a shopping cart over there, planning to go in and buy some goods. The shelves inside are filled with various daily commodities, arranged in different categories in their respective areas.

More than 90% of the products displayed here are imported from China. The familiar fonts on the packaging bags will make Chinese people far away from abroad feel very friendly after seeing them.

It’s just that the selling prices of these products here are more than 20 to 30% higher than in China. Coming across national borders, appropriate price increases are inevitable. After all, it requires many checkpoints to reach the shelves in Pyongyang city.

Being able to buy products made in China in Pyongyang makes me feel proud.

Seeing these products with Chinese fonts on the shelves makes me feel particularly friendly. The mood at this moment can be described by a passage from the movie:

No matter where you go in the world, please don’t forget that as a Chinese, you have a great motherland supporting you behind you!

The pride of being a Chinese can only be felt when you truly go abroad and see yourself in the eyes of local people. We are proud that products made in China have spread all over the world and have entered every corner of foreign countries.

When passing by the milk container, Xiao Zhao picked up the yogurt with Korean characters on the counter and motioned for me to buy a few bottles and go back to try it. This is a very famous local brand and it tastes particularly good. After listening to Xiao Zhao’s strong recommendation, I took a few bottles back. By the way, I bought some snacks for the two sisters here. During the period, I asked Xiao Zhao to go over and choose. She refused, so I asked my younger sister to choose a few things.

Next we went to the shoe and clothing area. The clothing on display here is quite complete, for adults and children, and there are also clothing with very popular characteristics. It's just that the styles displayed are relatively monotonous, but the women's clothing styles are more "fashionable", attracting many North Korean women to try on and buy.

The area for men's clothing looked particularly deserted. The styles displayed here are very simple, only a simple shirt, some in two or three colors, and still a relatively dark gray and black. This style seems a bit old-fashioned, and it is estimated that few people will buy it in China. It looks a lot like the work clothes here, and there are basically no local North Korean men coming to buy them. Maybe for them, the styles here are good-looking and they have different aesthetic views.

Xiao Zhao next to me saw me looking at men’s clothing and came over. By the way, he told me about the local people’s habit of coming here to buy. Very few people come to buy men’s clothing here. One is that the price is high, and the other is that men go to work and their workplaces distribute work clothes every year, so there is no need to worry about clothing. Basically, you don’t have to buy clothes to wear yourself. Some unit leaders and management will regularly distribute fabrics, so you can customize your own clothes.

According to Xiao Zhao, it can be explained. No wonder few people care about the clothes displayed here. I'm afraid only those rich people come to buy them.

Finally, we stopped at the area where various styles of shoes were displayed. Xiao Zhao and Xiao Mei were very happy to see the novel sandals on the counter. When I encounter a style I particularly like, I will stop and try it on.

Looking at the shoes on display here, I originally thought they were imported from China, but after looking through a few models, I saw the Korean characters printed on them and learned that they were from their own factory. products produced. It turns out that they already have their own manufacturer, and they can also keep pace with the times and produce fashionable shoes.

We walked around here for a few times, and when we saw Xiao Zhao trying on new shoes several times, we quietly asked her: "If you like it, we will buy it."

Xiao Zhao said to me every time: "Don't buy it, the prices here are quite expensive." Later I saw her trying on one, and she was a little reluctant to put it back. I paid the waiter directly and told her that we bought these shoes.

When he learned that I had paid for these shoes, Xiao Zhao planned to get the money back. Only after my repeated insistence did she agree to accept it. It was obvious that Xiao Zhao liked it very much. Although she didn't say it, she was definitely very happy in her heart.

On the way back, Xiao Zhao also told me that he would definitely give me the money he spent to buy shoes just now. I responded to her that it was okay and I would give you a pair of shoes without paying me.

We have been out shopping for so long today, and we are really tired. On the way back, I asked Xiao Zhao to think about what delicious food there is nearby, and we would go there to have dinner together in the evening. Later, Xiao Zhao suggested going to a small rotating hotpot not far from Pyongyang Railway Station Square.

We all carry a lot of things on our hands, which makes it inconvenient to go to the restaurant to eat. I'd better take my things to the apartment where I live first, rest for a while, and then go over for dinner.

On the street in the distance, you can still see local women walking with things on their heads. I also asked Xiao Zhao: "Can you walk with things on your head?"

"I haven't tried it. Many young people have stopped doing it. Only the older ones still retain their old habits." Xiao Zhao responded to me.

We sent our things to the apartment room, rested for a while downstairs, and then went to the rotating hot pot here in Pyongyang.

Tonight I am accompanying Xiao Zhao and two beautiful Korean girls to dinner!

To be continued! We will continue to update in the future to share more of North Korea’s customs and customs!