affair
There is such a true story, which happened in a certain month in 2023, a Chinese aunt traveled to India with a tour group, and when she arrived at a local store, she saw some sparkling gold jewelry, and she was so excited that she wanted to buy some to take back to China as a gift for herself or relatives and friends. She asked about the price and found that it was much cheaper than the domestic one, so she was even more excited and ready to pay for it. Just then, her tour guide noticed her move, rushed over, took her by the hand, pulled her out of the shop, and surprised her with a word to her. Guess what the tour guide said?
background
To know what the tour guide said, we first need to learn about the golden culture of India. India is a big consumer of gold and a small gold producer. Indians have a deep affection and belief in gold, believing that gold is a symbol of sacredness, auspiciousness, and wealth, an investment that preserves value, and is also an essential decoration. On various occasions such as festivals, celebrations, weddings, etc., Indians wear or give gold jewelry as a sign of respect and blessings. Indians love gold even more than the Chinese.
However, India's gold production is far from meeting the needs of Indians, and large amounts of gold are imported every year, creating a huge trade deficit and foreign exchange pressure. In order to control the import and consumption of gold, the Indian government has taken a series of measures, such as raising import duties on gold, restricting the sales channels of gold, and setting gold purity standards. Although these measures have suppressed the gold market to a certain extent, they have also led to some negative consequences, such as the increase in the price of gold, the deterioration of the quality of gold, and the increase in gold smuggling.
In India, due to the imbalance between supply and demand of gold, the price of gold is often higher than that of the international market, and there are many additional costs, such as processing fees, transportation fees, taxes, etc. This makes India's gold not a cost-effective shopping option for foreign tourists, but a wasteful consumption option. Moreover, due to the lack of effective regulation and management of the gold market in India, the quality of gold is also difficult to guarantee, and many merchants will use inferior or adulterated gold to make some seemingly exquisite gold jewelry in order to make huge profits, deceiving consumers who do not know the truth. This makes India's gold not a safe shopping option for foreign tourists, but a dangerous consumption choice.
summary
To sum up, gold in India, although it may seem tempting, is actually a shopping option that is neither cost-effective nor safe, and it is best for foreign tourists to stay away from it and not try it lightly. And the Chinese aunt, because she didn't understand the gold culture and market in India, wanted to buy gold in India, but was pulled out of the store by the tour guide, and was surprised by the tour guide who said a word. So, what did the tour guide say?
"You're buying trouble for yourself, not gold!"