There are many things to love about the Panjiayuan Market in Beijing. There are also many things that will raise your eyebrows. For some odd reason, I have been obsessed this year with the thought of buying a stuffed peacock. I have no use for it. I have no place to put it. But something about the thought of having a stuffed version of this regal bird sitting in, perhaps, my dining room attracts me. So I was excited to find this peacock in the permanent stalls at Panjiayuan Market. The price, at 6800rmb was non-negotiable and the proprietor didn't seem very thrilled with my kids running inside to look at the lion (yes, lion) and Cape buffalo heads. It was sort of an Earnest Hemingway meets scary-weird black-market animal moment. Luckily there was no ivory visible...
Needless to say, I did not purchase this peacock. As we left the market, there was a guy with two stuffed pheasants (there's a big market for stuffed birds, I guess) on the sidewalk. We asked him if he could get a peacock. He thought about it for a minute and said "it would take a couple of weeks,". So there's an option.
