"Looky, looky..."

Shopping at Dongtai Lu Antique Market

My husband was off for 8 days in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of Chinese National Day. It was an ideal time to explore the city due to the mass exodus of city folk who traveled back to their home provinces.  Traveling by taxi this week was much more advantageous than the metro (our usual mode of transport) - we zipped from one end of city to the next for a fraction of the time and cost of a 'regular' non-holiday. One of the most interesting places we visited was the Dongtai Lu Antique Market - the largest remaining "antiques" market in the city. We saw few, if any, valuable antiques. We saw mostly replicas covered in the city's grit in an attempt to disguise their newness.  But we still highly recommend visiting this market for nothing more than photo ops and to savor the sights and sounds of the trinkets and trinket dealers.  Phrases bantered about went..."Looky, looky, cheap price for you" and "Looky Lady (mister), cheap, cheap" and when we insisted on the cheap prices promised we got, "You KILL me" and "I no feed my children" and "I make no money"...and so forth.

Haggling is more fervent here than any other country I've shopped; we've literally been screamed at in the process of coming to amicable terms, but the Chinese just naturally bark at one another.  There is a rhythm, a 10 minute getting-to-know-you period, involved in the first-time purchase from a new shop.  Becoming a client is a pretty big deal here, and we've been rewarded nicely for our patronage.  We are certain we're not getting 'local' prices, but we're getting much better prices and without a moment's haggle after our 3rd or 4th trip.  The shop owners are especially appreciative when we introduce new patrons to their shop.

Just as one needs to go prepared to dine for an entire evening in a latin country, one needs to plan a healthy time frame around shopping in Shanghai. Shopping here is a time honored past time and is definitely different than western shopping practices.  Much better bargains will be had here, but patience with Chinese convention is key.  Disclaimer - the same rules and relationships do not necessarily apply to the fake markets (black market goods).

Get directions to market via google maps