Have You Looked at the Ground in China Recently?

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Have You Looked at the Ground in China Recently?

Written by Robert Vance on May 31, 2008 – 10:22 am

If you happen to be passing through my Chinese city on a sunny day, you might see me wandering the streets with my head pointed down at the ground. I am a humble person, mind you, but that is not why I am walking in such an unpretentious manner. Simply put, I am looking for money. That’s right. Cold hard Chinese RMB. Since the beginning of this year, I have probably ‘recovered’ about 100 RMB from the streets of China. Big whoopee, right? But it’s not the amount of the money that excites me. It is the ‘thrill of the hunt’ that inspires me to look down as I pass through places like bus stops and open markets where people in a hurry are sure to drop a little change. There was one stretch of almost a week in February when I found at least 2 RMB every day on the streets of a small city in Northern China. These days, I am in a bigger city with more congestion and keeping my eyes straight in front of me is a good way to ensure that I don’t end up on the hood of a car. But every once in a while, I take a glance at the ground and am pleasantly surprised to find a shiny silver coin or a well worn paper bill just waiting to end up in someone’s hand. What can 1 RMB buy me? Well, not much. But it doesn’t matter. It’s fun to find a little spare change now and then and even more fun to spend it even if it’ll only get me a bottle of water or a package of QQ Candy.

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