When I got back to the dorm this evening, I went to pay my rent and the lady at the desk gave me a newspaper. She told me in Chinese that she’d recognised me on the cover and kept it to give to me. Sure enough, there’s a colour picture of me eating an ice cream and pointing to a Chairman Mao schoolbag. She said the photo was very pretty. You can also see the back of my friend Jamie’s head. I think that wins the “weirdest thing that’s happened to me today” prize. The text says:

“外国游客青睐“军用”书包

10月1日至4日，昆明街头到处人头攒动,各大商场开展各种各样的促销优惠活动，生意十分火爆。不少店主表示，黃金周的生意一年比一年好，消费者买到了卖惠的商品，商家赚得喜笑颜开。这不，黃金周成了市民的购物周,连外国游客也喜欢上中国产品。

Or in poorly translated English:

“Foreign Tourists Admires “Military” Schoolbag

From the 1st to 4th of October, the streets of Kunming were bustling. The major shops had a range of promotions and sales and business was very popular. Many shopkeepers said that this is the “golden week” of good business year after year. The sales benefit customers buying goods, and the businesses make money. Something something the golden week became the public’s shopping week(?), and even foreign tourists also like Chinese products.”

Getting on the cover of a newspaper wasn’t on my ‘Things to do in China’ list, but it SO should have been! My first thought when I saw the picture was that it looked like the article might be about shoplifting or making fun of Chairman Mao. Neither things that I’d particularly like to be accused of in a newpaper. It’s incredibly weird to think that when you’re out shopping, someone might be watching you or taking photos.