I know, the money cat (Maneki Neko) actually derives from Japanese origins. But it’s so commonplace in China, as well, you see one in just about every restaurant or shop. While the cat does come as a solid figurine, it’s more popular to get one with a motorized arm that waves forward and backward.
For the longest time, I thought the cat was knocking. When I finally asked someone about it, they beamed, “Give me money!” In many Asian cultures, the “come here” gesture is done with the palm facing outward (the opposite of what we would do). So the cat isn’t knocking or waving; it’s saying, “Come here and spend money.”
I bought this particular cat from the silk market in Beijing. The vendor was a young girl who seemed almost reluctant to sell it, like she didn’t want to part with it. Maybe it was all business tact, but if I asked about the cat, I was received with a lot of, “Uh…” instead of the usual, “Cheaper, cheaper!” When we finally agreed on a price, she gave the cat a hug and a kiss before putting it away in a bag. I bet she cries about that cat every night.
” girl who seemed almost reluctant to sell it”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Man that market is a madhouse. I wanted to get out of there within 5 minutes. You cannot make eye contact with any of the vendors for any eye contact clearly means I have made a contract to buy something for you. Thats funny that someone in there actually didn’t want to sell something.
That place is good for the ego though, I liked being told how every jacket, shirt, trinket, made me look handsome.
She was willing to sell me everything else in her shop, but every time I went back to the money cat, she was hesitant to play the barter game.
You’ve got to be in a particular mood to go into that market. And you’ve got to have something in mind you want to buy, because there’s no “just looking.”
I want to buy a money cat but every time the vendor sees my white face, they try to charge me about 3x what it’s worth, even though I haggle.