By Antoaneta Becker
HYDRA, Greece, Nov 4, 2010 (IPS) - The clichés of the China man in Greece are quickly unraveling. The cheap clothing trader and the small Chinese restaurant owner are still there. Chinese masseuses are still trawling the beaches in search for customers. This familiar crowd, though, is increasingly overtaken by throngs of picture-snapping and cash-dolling Chinese tourists.
They spill off the boat cruises on the cobbled streets of Hydra island buying silver jewelry, copper ware and sipping frapuchinos (ice coffees) in small taverns overlooking the picturesque harbour. They marvel at the maze of narrow alleys and honey-coloured buildings in Venetian and neo-classical style. The more adventurous hire the only available transport here, donkeys, to climb the steep rocks hanging above the jumble of the noble town.
Feng Yixing from Shanghai spent 15,000 euros chartering a 50ft yacht and a skipper to sail the Saronic islands with his family. Feng brought his wife, two children, parents and a maid to help with looking after the elderly and the children. The yacht, equipped with five cabins, kitchen and a lounge, is proudly moored in the harbour while the family is out exploring the town. The maid is seen hanging colourful washing on the deck blowing in the wind like medieval banners.
"They are the new Russians," says the yacht's skipper, "they love luxury and have the means to afford it".
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