Shanghai’s top 10 trading markets are being reviewed!
In Nanjing Xi Lu, in the middle of May, the temperature is heating up. A delivery man stops his bike, takes a drink and without thinking throws the empty plastic bottle on the ground. Western observers can barely suppress his outrage at his careless littering, but within seconds, a man carrying a garbage bag walks past and picks up the bottle.
A moment later, another man, doing a similar job, approaches from the opposite direction. There is a brief territorial dispute over who has the right to this precious piece of junk.
For residents of certain Western countries, Canada and Germany, for example, sorting garbage has become almost a full-time job. Newspapers, cardboard, plastics and bottles must be separated and even the smallest infractions can lead to the loss of the right to have the garbage collected. In Shanghai, on the other hand, there is a waste market. Itinerant vendors of recycled materials come to your house, weigh your ‘goods’ and pay to take away your rubbish.
The men go through the communities with loudspeakers shouting kongtiao, diannao (air conditioning, computer). This familiar sound signals the trade in used electronics and appliances which, once discarded by city folk, are sold to factories for use as scrap or taken directly to the countryside where, if the items are still operational, they are they sell on to less demanding customers. Here everything is bought and sold.
Dongtai Lu Antique Market, 87 Dongtai Lu, by Fu Xing Lu (6328 1589), is a treasure trove of ancient coins, books, propaganda posters, and curiosities where bargaining skills are required to get a good price. Fenshine Fashion and Accessories Plaza, 580 Nanjing Xi Lu (5228 2372), is a popular substitute market in Xiangyang that sells imitation handbags, pashminas, watches, and other simulated luxuries, often indistinguishable from the real thing, though quality varies wildly. .
Hongqiao Flower Market, 718 Hong Jing Lu, Honqiao, sells fresh flowers, plants, vases, planters, and handicrafts.
Hongqiao Pearl City, 2nd Floor Hongmei Lu, Yan’an Lu, is full of stalls selling pearls, semi-precious stones, coral and turquoise jewelry.
Nihong Kids Plaza, 10 Pu’an Lu (near Jinling Lu), a large underground children’s market, offers a unique place to shop for children’s clothing, shoes and toys. There is also an indoor play area where youngsters can play while you shop.
Shanghai Xin Mai Peng Electronics Market, 638 Qiujiang Lu, 91 Baoshan Lu, and 723 Qiujiang Lu, is a great cyberpunk place: the place to buy gray market tech products.
South Bund Fabric Market, 399 Lujiabang Lu (near Liushi Lu), offers a wonderful world of fabrics, from silks and cottons to brocades and cashmere. The market is home to highly skilled tailors who can produce or reproduce almost anything made of cloth, including well-cut men’s suits and elegant evening gowns.
The Qipu Lu Wholesale Market, Qipu Lu, near Henan Lu, is overwhelmingly crowded but cheap, selling clothes, shoes and accessories.
Yatai Market, Science and Technology Museum Subway Station, Pudong The rather sterile and boring version of the old Xiangyang Market, however, is home to an impressive array of gift shops, luggage storage and knock-offs.
Yuyuan Bazaar, Fuyou Lu, Jiujiachang Lu, bustles with merchants selling Chinese lanterns, chopsticks, faux-silk qipaos, and hongbao. The adjacent Fuyou Lu Antiques Market offers another option for those looking for vintage collectibles.
