And then we found Silk Street. Forced indoors to reduce counterfeiting a couple years ago. The result is that while everything is still counterfeit, they tend to be some of the best counterfeits in town. The vendors also speak more English than you'll find anywhere else in Beijing, but they use it to badger you and bellittle you.On a later visit, when I came to purchase a coat for my trip to Outer Mongolia during the national holiday, one hit me. They're horrible. Please understand, this is not China...this is not Chinese culture..this is Silk Street, a nasty little world unto itself. It's one of the few places you can get winter clothing ("North Face," "Columbia," "REI") all year round, as long as you don't mind that the tag for your coat might refer to a pair of ski pants, and vice-versa.
EAP China! Robert Klein.