Residents of Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are still using the barter system. When shopping, they do not have to take their wallets out, especially for smartphones and tablets. They can simply get a smartphone in exchange for a sheep, no money needed.
For instance, a laptop costs four sheep. The idea came from a 29-year-old man who decided to run a special promotion, in order to give people a better idea of the value of his products. This will encourage them to buy products he is offering in exchange for sheep.
Local computer dealer, Huang Jie, has also been handing out leaflets in various villages around the city during the weekends to better promote his unique idea. Huang said, “The demand for computers in the villages is very high. Some children even carve keyboards on their desks”.
He went on to say that many people are under the impression that computers are very expensive and he wants to show them that electronic products are quite affordable by comparing their values with most familiar commodity they know of, which is sheep. Huang also said that many thought that they need to sell their sheep for less than market value as the villages are far from the city, but he will help them to get a fair price in the end.
