A while back, I visited Beijing on a study abroad trip. One morning, we went to visit the Badaling section of the Great Wall. I knew it was a tourist attraction, but didn't realize how popular it is with the locals. In a strange twist of fate, I became a sort of tourist attraction for the Chinese. They marveled at my long blonde hair, and I posed for countless photos holding their children.

After a while, we wandered down to some stalls to look for T-shirts and other tacky souvenirs. While browsing, a woman came up to me and commented on my "golden" hair. I smiled and nodded. By this point, I was used to it. I was half expecting her to go find a baby so she could snap a photo of me holding it. Then she says "Golden hair- I buy." I gave her a strange look, and said "Ah, no thank you." She started offering me money, and then more money. Not wanting to give up my hair, I kept refusing. She got agitated and walked away.

When she disappeared into the back of the stall, we walked away, thinking she'd gotten the hint. We were heading back to our bus, when suddenly, she comes chasing after us, yelling "golden hair!" brandishing a pair of scissors. Needless to say, I ran faster than I had in a long time. Luckily, our bus was waiting, and I made it on with out getting an unwanted haircut.