Nighttime Cruising in Zhongshan

At Central Power Plaza (兴中广场)

Fortunes in Zhongshan

Straight from National Day to Halloween: Another Toys "R" Us Promotion in China

The month-long National Day holiday promotion Toys "R" Us held in China, which featured deals on toys such a Nerf guns and Hamsters in a House, ended yesterday. Today, a Toys "R" Us store in Zhongshan hadn't skipped a beat and had already moved on to the next great thing: Halloween.

Most of the related items appeared to be on a single rack sitting at the front entrance of the store.

I wasn't at all surprised by the Halloween promotion or it lasting from October 9 to October 31. After all, I've seen more impressive displays of Halloween items for sale before, including at an RT-Mart in Shaoguan. And last year in Zhongshan I saw a promotion running during the same period of time. That one was a bit more surprising, though, since it featured a Halloween sale on cosmetics.

Late Night Broken Colors in a Zhongshan Alley

More Toy Guns and Hamsters Too in a Holiday Sale at Toys "R" Us in China

Last week I posted about Toys "R" Us commemorating the founding of the People's Republic of China with a holiday sale featuring Nerf guns. I had seen the toy gun special at two different stores in Zhuhai, China. The very next day after writing the post, I happened to come across a Toys "R" Us store in neighboring Zhongshan. Unsurprisingly, this store offered the same deal.

Despite the sale, perhaps some parents don't think the best way to celebrate the holiday is to buy a gun which shoots projectiles, even if cushiony. Fear not, Toys "R" Us had another holiday special, this one on Silverlit laser tag guns.

Some people may even find creative ways to use both types of toy guns at the same time.

For people who just aren't into any sort of gun, there were some other items on special as well. For example, if you fancy hamsters with a penchant for burgers, Hamsters in a House can do that.

Notably, according to the sign this special didn't start for two weeks until after the ones for the guns. I don't know why. I also don't know if these hamsters would appreciate a Nerf or Silverlit gun.

In any case, the month-long holiday promotion at Toys "R" Us ended today. This doesn't affect most toys sold there, but you will now have to pay more for some guns and rodents.

Fixing a Wheel in Zhongshan

Fencing in Zhongshan

She scored the point

Toys "R" Us Celebrates National Day in China with a Special Deal on Toy Guns

A "Golden week Toys Fun" promotion at a Toys "R" Us in Zhuhai, China

Whether in Mudanjiang far to the north or in Zhongshan far to the south, during recent years I have shared some of the National Day sales I have come across in China. Recently in Zhuhai, a city bordering Zhongshan on China's southeastern coast, I saw a promotion that might strike some people as more notable than others because of the retailer and products involved.

The promotion was at Toys "R" Us. Although the U.S. based company no longer has stores in its home country, stores still exist elsewhere, including China. Asia in particular has been a bright spot, and the company hopes to sell its stores there, though there are complications at the moment.

So I wasn't very surprised to see a Toys "R" Us promotion for National Day at two different stores in Zhuhai. And I wasn't surprised the "Golden Week" holiday sale lasts for over a month. And I also wasn't surprised by the "I ♥ China" roller coaster on some of the signs.

But I will admit, they did do something I didn't see coming. They commemorated the founding of the People's Republic of China by featuring a special price for a Nerf toy guns combo — the N-Strike Elite Retaliator and the Microshots N-Strike Elite Firestrike.

Save 49.9 yuan! (about U.S. $7.25)

Retaliate against who? The signs didn't specifically say.

In any case, the special on Nerf guns reminded me of my old posts about children in China conducting "war training exercises". Now, to commemorate the founding of the People's Republic of China they can do it at a discount.

Another National Day Sale at War Ground in Zhongshan

Three years ago at a store in Zhongshan, War Ground — a military-themed clothing retailer — had a sale for China's National Day, which commemorates the founding of the People's Republic of China. I wasn't surprised at seeing the sale in Zhongshan, since earlier in the year I saw the same store having a sale for International Women's Day. Last year I saw the store having a sale on National Day, but none of the signs visible from the outside made an explicit reference to the holiday.

Not only is it now National Day once again in China, but today I arrived in Zhongshan once again. So of course I checked the store. This year it is back to having a clearly labeled National Day's sale.

A later post will feature another National Day promotion in China this year. It is at a retailer much more familiar to people outside of China and perhaps inside as well. Their promotion has more bang in it than the one at War Ground.

Obviously in Zhuhai

Pink Couch Delivery to the Ant Club in Zhuhai

High Speed in Urban Zhuhai

Five years ago when I first travelled to Zhuhai by intercity high-speed rail I could only make it as far as the Zhuhai North Railway Station, from where I took a high-speed taxi. But now the high-speed rail line reaches all the way into Gongbei at the border with Macau. Today in front of the Chengfeng Plaza (诚丰广场) shopping mall, I saw a train pass by. The trains don't move at a high speed through the city. This makes photos a bit easier, though presumably that's not the main motivation.