Day 3 was an absolute treat! We were able to test our negotiating skills amongst some of the best, met with a group of young and talented real estate professionals, and marveled at some impressive art work.

                 The intelligent group of individuals I met with, led by Blake Wu (white dress shirt & tie)

The Silk Street Market

We started the day off with a pleasant bus ride to the Silk Street, a shopping center in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, that accommodates over 1,700 retail vendors, and is notorious among international tourists for their wide selection of “affordable” designer brand apparel.

Once there, we were eager to test our negotiating skills against some of the Chinese retailers; us realtors like to think of ourselves as master negotiators. Who else could possibly be better to test ourselves against than these retailers who bargain for a living. Some sharp negotiating skills are required to ensure you are getting the right price.

It was such a pleasure to see an abundance of talent go to work and walk away with some pretty impressive deals.

B.A. & 5I5J Group

Once we finished our excursion to Silk Street, we met with a group of professionals that were of the highest caliber. 5I5J Group operates as a real estate service company. It specializes in selling/renting apartments and villas for Euro-American customers. The company was founded in 2000 and is based in Beijing, China. 5i5j Corporation is a subsidiary of B.A. Consulting.

Great group shot of us in the 5I5J’s reception area with the 5I5J team as well

The group at 5I5J was of the utmost professionalism. They usually have that particular day off when visited, but they came in on their own time to accommodate our schedule. We had a very productive meeting with them, where they put on an excellent powerpoint detailing their sophisticated system of doing business and discussed the specific markets they had in mind.

798 Art Festival

Once our meeting culminated and came to an end, we headed to an area that use to be an industrial part of the city, which has now been turned into an artist expressive zone. Named after the 798 factory which was built in 1950s, it is located in the northeast corner of the city.  The art zone covers an area of 0.6 square kilometer.

I was fascinated by the supremely talented individuals turning out stunning art work. The festival frequently holds important international art exhibitions and art activities as well as fashion shows. In order to expand the growing reputation and influence of the art zone and to promote the development of the modern art, the zone has held the 798 Art Festival (from the end of April to the end of May) every year since 2006.

Traditional Chinese Dish

We concluded our day with a dish from the imperial era, Peking Duck. Living in Hawaii for almost 30 years now, I have been exposed to the rich cultural heritage of the immigrants that migrated during the sugar plantation era. One of the most influential immigrant groups happens to be the Chinese, hence my passion for their culture and love for their food.

The Peking Duck that we had for dinner was like nothing I have ever had in the states. I don’t know if it was because of a long day’s work or simply a different experience all together, but that duck was out of this world! The meat was sliced perfectly thin, served with the crisp skin over a little layer of meat, and sliced table side. It was a fitting ending to an eventful day 3.

Please stay tuned for day 4! I will do the best I can to keep you updated as I continue to meet more amazing people and explore the world of China. If you missed day 2, then please catch and follow a long as I continue my trip.