Saturday, November 21, 2009

China's China Town


I took this photo of the market standing at a window on the second floor of the Macy's store in "China Town" in Shanghai. (The area looks exactly like San Francisco's China Town and is meant to cater to tourists.)
We complain about the crowds at the mall, but each weekend this market packs in as many as 10,000 people who come to shop and see and be seen. Most are locals.
The Shanghai Macy's store anchors the square, and busloads of tourists are dropped off to spend their Yuan. But the basement level is a warren of tiny shops. Rugs, antiques, pottery and other exotic items are sold from stalls. There's also a Burger King.
We spent our last day here, fighting the crowds and picking up souvenirs.