Quality is Everything!

Many customers have asked over the years where do we find the unique products we sell with such good quality.

The answer is really a tried and true formula of compiling the best information, rejecting products on your gut feelings, and being a good and thorough shopper. Having an "inside" source of goods doesn't hurt either!

When we visit each prospective vendor, we are already armed with information about their pricing, quality and shipping practices. We then pick out the different items we are interested in, and inspect them thoroughly for quality and safety. One example of this is the ever popular dragon and lion puppets from ORiEnTspiration. Originally this item comes with very sharp plastic teeth, which we determine would be harmful to all the kids that would play with them. Therefore, before we purchase the puppets from this vendor, we insist on removal of the teeth.

After the quality control is complete, we get down to pricing. This is an exhausting process as we go back and forth to assure that we pay the absolute minimum at any given time in order to provide you, the customers, with great valued products.

Along the way, we are especially watchful for the one of a kind, unique product that you can't find anywhere but ORiEnTspiration. One example of this is our exclusive porcelain tea cup sets and tea sets from Heng Fu Teaware Company. ORiEnTspiration is the ONLY United States retailer where you can find these high quality tea sets!

Maybe it's better NOT to get sick!

As many Chinese historical followers may know, most Chinese people prescribe to the ancient herbal medicine to cure any illness.

But, what non-followers might not know is that most of these concoctions appear as if they are coming from a evil witch doctor's underground lair. Case in point. I was recently introduced to a deer's tail herb.

Now, the taste is another thing altogether. Most of these "medicines" do not taste very good-some bordering on putrid in taste. As it was explained to me, the worst the taste; the better chance it has to kill any illness inside. And trust me from personal experience; the medicine I had most undoubtedly killed EVERYTHING inside of me!

Chaos & Order

One of the things that truly amazes me about China is that amoungst the chaos of seeming like 6 gazillon people moving in every different direction, there is an order about it-unlike nothing in the United States!

Take cars and drivings, for instance. My observation is that there really are no rules of the road in China; just suggestions(and very loose, at that!). Car ignore street signs, weave in, out and between other vehicles and sometimes srive in the other direction, yet there are very few accidents. How is that?

I've been told that its because China is more like an "us" society instead of a "me" one. That is, people tend to look out for one other before ever putting themselves first. With everyone cooroperating in this way, there are fewer altercations.

Secondly, whether you agree with it or not, it is illegal to own or have weapons in China. Thus, very little or no violence. Imagine a time when your kids could walk the streets at any hour without the threat of harm. Imagine not having to always keep a close watch on your child. It happens every day in China; in part to a disciplined and total respect for authority.

Everytime I go to China, and am riding in the car between stops, I find myself just shaking my head at the chaos, and wonder if we as Americans could ever achieve that order?

The Long Road

Everywhere you turn in the major cities in China, there seems to be a long road of vendors selling their goods - sometimes nothing more than an endless flea market.

One of the things I learned about purchasing in China is the extreme need for 2 critical things:

1. Research

2. Someone who is local and knows the territory

Doing the research allows you to know in what areas have the highest quality merchandise, and the local person can whittle down the hundreds of those choices by knowing which of those vendors are most accomidating in terms of price, shipping and overall quailty.

Because our Product Procurement Manager, Seng, lives and works in the area, ORiEnTspiration is always a leg up on the competition as far as getting the hottest, newest and most unique merchandise!

1 Item = 10 Prices

Where's my local discount?

Everytime I come to China, I learn more and more about the subtleties of the buying process. I would characterize the Chinese vendors as a cross between ruthless and survivors. You see, it seems for every item being sold, there are many different prices depending on who you are. For instance, my "American" cost price is much higher until our "Chinese" Product Procurement Manager steps forward and then it seems like magic that the price suddenly is the lowest possible! And, if you are from another country-say India-the price is totally different. Germany-different yet...

Yes, even in merchandise negotiations, there is politics.

And EVERTWHERE in China, it's all about who you know!

Chicken Heads(Waste Not; Want Not)

Don't look now, but what you eat may be watching you!

It's a well known fact that the Chinese do not waste anything! And such is the case with one such meal in the Guangdong Province.

When they filet the whole fish, that's what you get-head, tail, and all! And I've been told that some of the best protein comes from the fish head right around where the eyes would be. That what our Product Quality Manager says. Then again my Chinese is a tad rusty.

And then there's the chicken. Everyone loves a good fried or grilled chicken; but does yours come with the head or feet? Needless to say, it's hard to eat the chicken when he's looking at you!

For The Chinese Kid in All of Us

In Guangzhou, there are several multi-story buildings devoted to just toys and items for kids of all ages. One of the most popular places is where our lion and dragon puppets are bought. As you can see, this store is chock full of everything from puppets to hand drums to dancing dragon heads!

Other stores include kite stores, and the world famous Super King games company where ORiEnTspiration gets their popular Mah Jong sets!

Self Motivated

One of the interesting things about a city of over 6 billion people is that there is always time for rest - even in the middle of the day!

In actuality, this worker is a delivery bicyclist - one of a thousand on the streets of Guangzhou looking for work. These workers are "contracted" by vendors and manufacturers to transport merchandise goods to different places within the city.

Obviously, this guy must be overworked. He would not even smile for a photo opportunity!

Guang Fo Tea Factory Visit

Our first day in Guangzhou meant a visit to our exclusive supplier of Chinese Tea: The Guang Fo Tea Factory. With several hundred different varieties of teas, the choosing just the right teas for our customers is both hard and easy - after all we are served each and every tea to tantalize our taste buds!

In the near future, expect to find several different Jasmine teas, a great selection of black and white teas, and of course, am expanded selection of the flowering bulb teas.

Met President Obama in Asia Today

Sort of...

But it has to count, wax or not!

We had the chance to visit the world famous Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hong Kong, and it's kind of freaky.

Even though I knew better, some of the wax figures looked just a bit too real. But I guess that's the point, and the wax museum's job - to make the historical people of ours and past's generations come alive!

For those interested, there are Madame Tussaud's museums in New York and Las Vegas. It is very interactive and well worth the trip!

Sunday Dim Sum: A Family Tradition

As in most parts of the world, Sundays are meant for family time. And family and Sunday in Hong Kong mean Dim Sum.

Dim Sum can best be described in my opinion as a giant picnic lunch free-for-all. Most of these resturants have multiple levels of seating(4 to 6) with more than a thousand seats per level. Think about the biggest wedding reception you've ever attended and multiply is 5X! CROWED!

While the noise level may rival major sporting events and concerts in the United States, there is an orderly fashion about Dim Sum. Everyone seems to get their food choices pretty efficiently.

Now the menu consists of BBQ pork buns, prawn(shrimp) dumplings, chicken feet, and lots of items that the mention of would make Westerners go hungry quick. But in this part of the world, it's more about family than the food!

Arrival in Hong Kong

Evans and I arrived in Hong Kong for a few days of R&R before we head into Guangzhou, China the week of June 15 to start meeting with our manufacturers and vendors.

New Blog, New Adventure

ORiEnTspiration's Official Blog has finally launched! You will get our updates from time to time, making sure that you can get the most updated scoop every time.

This year, Evans (artist , owner) and David (manager, owner) will go to Hong Kong and the Mainland China again to get more merchandise for ORiEnTspiration. You can also let Evans and David know what Chinese clothes, teas, or even home decor you want to get at the store; feel free to submit any suggestions and ideas to this blog.

Vivian