Shopping in Shanghai

Whether you’re a mall rat, a boutique hopper or a market hound, Shanghai can quench your shopping thirsts. In fact, you could spend days on end exploring the shopping options and areas in the city. Any weekend could see you hunting down bargains with the masses, pottering down delightful alleys, window shopping or peacefully strolling round one of the city’s deserted high-end malls.

Antique Markets
The word ‘antique’ is loosely applied to this category, as you’ll be lucky to find anything genuine among the ceramics, pocket watches, laughing Buddha statuettes and other curios you’ll see for sale. But it you’re not averse to replica trinkets, there are some good finds among the fakes. You’ll come across the same old stuff in all the stalls, so shop around, and haggle hard. Cang Bao Antiques Building is a popular spot on the weekends, when its top two floors are occupied by rural sellers from the north, flogging everything from teapots to mahjong sets at less than ¥100. For junk collectors and those looking for gifts to take home, Yu Gardens is flooded with knick knacks, from traditional decorative parasols, to 60s and 70s cigarette ad prints and tea sets.

Clothing Markets
If quality isn’t a concern, and you don’t like to be seen in the same thing twice, the clothing markets are for you. It’s possible to find bagfuls of cheap throwaways - spend just ¥300 and come away with a good few t-shirts, two pairs of shoes, a dress and some matching accessories. Qipu Lu is the biggest and best of the bunch, brimming with the latest fashions, fake goods, sparkly accessories, trendy bags and a whole basement devoted to shoes. Of course, there’s a lot of stuff you wouldn’t be seen dead in, so a bit of rummaging is required. And don’t forget to barter.

Since these markets are mainly frequented by a younger, local clientele, there’s little to buy for the over 35s, and there’s a lot more choice for women than for men. Many vendors won’t let you try the clothes before you buy, but if it’s just a matter of ¥20, you may as well take the risk. The shopping mall and market under People’s Square offers a similar selection of goods, but prices tend to be fixed and there’s less scope for bartering.

Fake Markets
No matter how hard the authorities try, they can’t seem to eliminate the fake goods. With the demise of the old Xiangyang Lu fakes market, vendors had to find themselves new homes and there are now two markets devoted to fake clothes, jewellery, watches, shoes and bags. Instead of shelling out a months-worth of wages on a Balenciaga bag, pick up a good fake for ¥100 or less. Some items could almost pass for the real thing if it weren’t for a misspelt logo, while other stuff looks so ridiculous, you’ll cringe. Check your zippers, seams and stitches before you part with any cash, as you won’t have much luck returning them. You can also find a lot of stuff at Qipu Lu.

Wet Markets
The supermarkets make life a lot easier when it comes to food shopping, but once you’ve visited your local wet market, the packaged fruit and veg in stryofoam trays you’ve become accustomed to will start to hold less appeal. Not to mention the difference in price. Next to the mountains of fresh, ripe fruit and vegetables, you can also find fresh fish and meat, dead or still breathing, suitable for both western and Chinese cooking.