For my lover of junk, collector of stuff, intrigue with the weird, and pack rat extraordinaire...
Grandma Juanita, this post is for you!
I'm so glad we share the same love of 'stuff' ;)
Brandon and I headed to the Dong Tai Lu (lu means road...) Antiques Market yesterday!
Individual shop after shop, all with pretty much the same items so your best bet is to make the full loop of the road then decide who you want to bargain with! Bargaining is a way of life here. If the item you are purchasing is off the street or in a market, you better bargain or you stand getting completely ripped off! Brandon is becoming a really great bargainer! The shop owners can be super hard core! As the number keeps lowering, they will start in about how they have to make money and this won't give them enough for food and their children will go hungry, yadda, yadda, yadda. It's all an act. They just want money! And ironically, at the 'fake' markets is where you'll find some of the best English, do not be fooled!
This market was very interesting. Supposedly they sell 'antiques' but buyer beware....they will tell you the item is from the whatever 'Dynasty' but really, they've just put dirt all over the object to make it look old. You know the vintage table top oscillating fans usually in pastel colors from the 1940s and 1950s??? We saw a guy behind a shop take a reproduction fan, distress it with sandpaper and smear some dirt on it to make it look 'vintage'. No lie! He had another waiting in the wings to work on! Bargain, Bargain, Bargain!
Full of fun junk!
Check out the Santa on the left side of the picture....
Lots of Mao paraphernalia, statues, books, jewelry.....
After sorting through all the randoms, we found a little gem for the day :)
A couple of shops had this clock. The first shop owner wanted 1200rmb ($195) and would only come down to 600rmb ($97) so we walked away. He yelled after us - probably told the other owner we were cheap 'laowei' (Chinese word for tourist/foreigner - not necessarily negative but definitely could turn that way!)
We walked on down the street headed back towards the entrance when we spotted another.
This shop owner began at 'good price' 700rmb ($114) in which B laughed and said no way, thanks. As we walked away she was hooked and wanted to bargain chasing after us with her calculator. Using a calculator is the way of communicating - each goes back and forth punching in numbers until the final price is agreed upon, and once a price is agreed, you must purchase!
After some moaning and groaning, she finally agreed to 100rmb ($16)!
See!!! They just want the money!! And crazy difference of the same item from different shop owners. Our clock is not an antique, is looks old, and we like it - all that matters :)
Here's B paying for our treasure with the disgruntled shop owner:
And our cute little treasure:
A wind up clock - the fish spin around moving on tick for each second.
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Next we headed across the street to the Insect Market!
Markets for everything here it seems!
This one doesn't just sell insects, you can find turtles, birds, bunnies, cats, fish, guinea pigs, and lots of crickets! Very tiny crickets to keep in your pocket for good luck and big ol' crickets for fighting!
They even sold squirrels and chipmunks! It was quite an experience! And boy was it LOUD!
Small crickets,
Big crickets,
Crickets in fancy baskets:
Mill worms for the birds:
Not sure of the story here.....they look like walnuts.
Each individually weighed and packaged at a high cost.
We saw some open and it looked like they were carving the nut....I don't know, must investigate.
Told you they had chipmunks and squirrels:
AH!
Another day exploring and learning about life here in Shanghai!
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