Factory Girl

Ugh. Here I am. Disoriented. Should I sleep or type? Drink tea or wine? (I am alternating to see which has the most effect on my mood.) Wait - no more wine! I just got a call telling me the car from the factory is coming in 40 minutes. How is that possible? Seems like I got to my room from the Beijing airport just a few hours ago. But the clock says it’s been eight! I’ve been listening to pneumatic drills and jackhammers because I thought I might sleep through my appointment if I used my earplugs. And will I be able to tell the silk from the worms? Silk is in bolts. Hope I remember that. I’ll finish this later.

Ok. I am now writing before dinner though I feel like it’s some point during the night (??):

The driver was just insane. Must have learned from Natalie. He had awesome reflexes though, as he maneuvered the crowded streets deftly. There are still more bikes than cars in the city and amazingly, he hit not one of them. My adrenalin was more effective than caffeine today - I felt almost energized! Oh, and weather added to the fun - rain was coming down in sheets and the city still managed to look dusty. Everything appeared to be “construction gray”, a shade I will not be introducing at Red House. It’s hard to believe they’ll be ready for the Olympics in three months, but the same was said about Athens and that worked out. So why am I here? Earlier today I needed to remind myself as I met with a silk factory representative to inspect quality and color of that most coveted luxury fiber for Red House’s new collection.

The factory, like the rest of Beijing, is a very busy place. The pace feels about as far from Napa as I could get – even more frenzied than NYC. Mr. Han was my contact. His English is about as limited as my Mandarin so we were joined by an interpreter. The silk was lovely. I looked at strength, softness and dye lot and liked what I saw. Mr. Han is proud of their attention to detail and told me about techniques they use in the factory. They are working on a stain-resistant silk. He wouldn’t give me any details but I told him that Red House would be very interested in seeing that. (Wow – take note, red wine drinkers of the world!) Like most of what I’ve discovered in China, the way things are done is a marriage of old and new. And it works.

Got to get ready for my business banquet, which is also known as truly dreaded dining for a palate resistant to culinary intrigue of the international variety. Pray for me! If I survive, you’ll hear about it later.