A Gift from the Orient 2


The knife says “Hong Kong” and is dated 1997, the year Hong Kong was restored to China by the United Kingdom.

We needed souvenirs for ranching men, and what better than knives? But Chinese gift-shopkeepers carried no knives. A knife, given as a gift, would signify the giver’s wish to cut off the friendship.

We walked the length of the Jiuzhaigou shopping street, asking for knives at each shop.  No one had a knife, but when we walked past those same shops on our way back to the hotel, the sellers met us on the sidewalk to offer knives of all kinds.  This one isn’t sturdy enough for ranch work, or much of anything else, and we were skeptical of the seller’s claim that she had made it herself.  Still, it made the cut…along with some great memories.


About breathtakebyways

Ann Williams’ travel articles have appeared in publications all over the country including The Washington Post, Roads to Adventure, and Jack and Jill. Between researching and writing books, she specializes in creative lectures.

2 thoughts on “A Gift from the Orient

    • breathtakebyways Post author

      Thanks Linda! Hope you two are enjoying your holidays. Our son-in-law from China told us about another odd way to let a friend know that you have a problem with him. A big, stretching yawn means “I’d like to tear you limb from limb,” or something similar. Sure is easy to send the wrong message.

Comments are closed.