LAST week, a customer service area in the well-known Forbidden City in Beijing opened for business – with a bowl of noodles going for 30 yuan. Many people questioned the sense of someone selling overpriced noodles at the country's most famous tourist attraction. But the management were quick to defendtheir pricing. They explained that it was based on a combination of culture and cost factors and was reasonable for a culture-based traditional food. This wasn't the first time for people to complainabout overpriced items at the tourist attractions. Some months ago, many people criticized businesses at the Bird's Nest for charging 10 yuan for a simple cup of water. Is this simply the natural outcomeof a free market economy or just typical price *gouging by business *monopolies or maybe another profit driving under the outfit of culture?
Not surprisingly, opinions on this are divided.
Those in favor
When needs increase, prices do the same. It's quite common to see high prices at famous attractions or big sporting events, so the public are overreacting.
In the Forbidden City, with all the culture and history surrounding you, even a bowl of noodles can be a unique dining experience, one not found elsewhere.
With that many people wanting noodles, low prices won't begin to cover the rent or the service, that's just the price of business.
This is true on trains, at airports, and in other places with limited choice. It's universal. Why pick on the Forbidden City noodles? Also, you don't have to buy them there, you can choose to buy them outside.
Not in favor
When it comes to ingredients, those 30-yuan noodles are no different from other noodles. Why should people have to pay a cultural charge on noodles when they've already paid a not-exactly-cheap entrance fee?
There is no other place around to get food from. Just to continue with their walking tour for several hours, people have to pay an unexpected price in the name of cultural consumption. That's unfair and obviously monopolistic.
There are enough cultural items in the Forbidden City. If every small item has to get a cultural label in the interest of business, it's a disgraceful comment on culture.
英语词汇解析
foam泡沫
monopoly垄断经营
exorbitant过高的
gouge欺诈
grit磨
plop 使掉落
BONUS
文化打卤
A new term about someone keen to fit all commercial activities under the outfit of culture in order to have higher profit. In Chinese noodle dishes, when the ingredients of the various sauces improve, the price goes up. The sauce, which consists of tomatoes or other vegetables, fried eggs, maybe meat, is called ‘lu'. Now, some cafe owners at tourist sites are claiming that they need to charge more for their ‘lu' because it is special. What they're trying to do is relate their ridiculous food prices to the surrounding culture.