The Duke professor on the trip, Bill, has a distinctive white hair/beard combo that is probably pretty rare in China. When we go to a really touristy place, in addition to all the folks hawking watches, postcards, hats, children's toys, and other stuff, there are these artists who quickly paint pictures of you on a plate and then try to sell it to you. You don't ask them to do it, they just sneak up on your group with a small picture of you drawn on a plate and try to sell it to you. You tend to buy because you kinda feel an obligation after they personalize it so much. It is a good scam ;)
Well, they always seem to draw Bill, because his bearded look is so distinctive. It has happened 2 or 3 times already. It would sorta be fun if one of them would paint someone else but poor Bill keeps on being the target. Yesterday, at the Summer Palace, Bill obliged and bought his picture on a plate -- negotiated from 30 yuan down to 20 yuan ($5 down to $3). After he did, the painter wrote some Chinese characters on Bill's arm, to say thanks. We were told the characters read stuff like "strength" and "fortune" and "longevity."
But we have no idea what it really said. We all joked it probably read, "sucker will pay 20 yuan for anything," or something like that.
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