I’ve never been the biggest shopper. A lot of the clothes I own I have been wearing since I was in high school, and things only find a way out of my wardrobe once they no longer fit, have become permanently stained or fell hilariously out of fashion (RIP Adidas bucket hat). I’ve given a lot of the things I own away, sometimes out of convenience and sometimes out of necessity. I also have a tendency to lose a lot of things. Besides clothes, the physical assets I have kept essentially amount to a bag of hockey equipment, a PS3, Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia and some maps and souvenirs I have collected over the years. What more could a guy need?
Shanghai does its best to answer that question daily. The urge to buy things is almost overwhelming due to the low cost of everything and the flexibility of their price. When you consider the amount of Western items that are stamped with “Made in China” you can imagine how cheap those things can be coming straight from the source.
The fake markets have most major brands that you may want. The quality can be dubious, but for the most part they are identical in every aspect. Tyler, James and I decided to spend a Saturday picking up a few things. Tyler wanted a couple of new dress shirts, James wanted to find a cheap guitar and I needed a new wallet to replace my Canadian wallet that blew to pieces. I called up my main man Li, market guide, and he showed us around to the better quality shops to pick up the goods we needed.
After Tyler picked up his shirts, we turned our attention to my wallet needs. “Follow me,” Li says. We get taken to a closed shop used for storage and Li knocks a few times on one of the walls to show us a secret room shelved floor to ceiling with convincing wallets and bags by Coach, Prada, Dolce & Gabana, Louis Vuitton etc. etc. etc. While I don’t really care for “buying things,” I care even less about brand names. But I just couldn’t resist buying a high quality D&G wallet in a secret back room in Shanghai. This thing would probably cost me $300 back home, but I haggled the price down with the classic “this is literally all I have on me, take it or leave it” method. $30 CAD. Decent. We found a different area for musical instruments, and James was able to pick up a very playable acoustic guitar with a bag for about $60CAD.
The fake markets have most major brands that you may want. The quality can be dubious, but for the most part they are identical in every aspect. Tyler, James and I decided to spend a Saturday picking up a few things. Tyler wanted a couple of new dress shirts, James wanted to find a cheap guitar and I needed a new wallet to replace my Canadian wallet that blew to pieces. I called up my main man Li, market guide, and he showed us around to the better quality shops to pick up the goods we needed.
After Tyler picked up his shirts, we turned our attention to my wallet needs. “Follow me,” Li says. We get taken to a closed shop used for storage and Li knocks a few times on one of the walls to show us a secret room shelved floor to ceiling with convincing wallets and bags by Coach, Prada, Dolce & Gabana, Louis Vuitton etc. etc. etc. While I don’t really care for “buying things,” I care even less about brand names. But I just couldn’t resist buying a high quality D&G wallet in a secret back room in Shanghai. This thing would probably cost me $300 back home, but I haggled the price down with the classic “this is literally all I have on me, take it or leave it” method. $30 CAD. Decent. We found a different area for musical instruments, and James was able to pick up a very playable acoustic guitar with a bag for about $60CAD.
That’s what I mean about the difference between needs and wants. I would be happy using a wallet I find in a trash can as long as it didn’t have a used band-aid stuck to it, but I figure a wallet a bit more costly (and nicer) will mean I will take better care of it. Plus, it makes for a great conversation piece. Growing up does stupid things to you. I maintain that I am just a well-dressed hippy. Live simply.
You can buy souvenirs out the wazoo for extremely cheap; from a traditional threaded banner depicting ancient Chinese culture or a personal bobblehead made of yourself. If you are reading this from Canada and there is anything you want, holla at me. The girls are having similar problems with shopping restraint, and the four of them were happy to pick up some Canada Goose Jackets and Hunter boots for around $120CAD (combined).
You can buy souvenirs out the wazoo for extremely cheap; from a traditional threaded banner depicting ancient Chinese culture or a personal bobblehead made of yourself. If you are reading this from Canada and there is anything you want, holla at me. The girls are having similar problems with shopping restraint, and the four of them were happy to pick up some Canada Goose Jackets and Hunter boots for around $120CAD (combined).
Shanghai makes it difficult to be the self-sufficient, DIY, nature enthusiast that Nova Scotia and a work term at an environmental charity has guided me into. Like the Walmarts of the world, many products in China have a short life which make them disposable. Garbage is well hidden, but pollution is a very serious problem in China. A growing culture of convenience as a result of the growing economy and longer work hours is shaping the city into a Western mold. With its continued “opening,” China’s obesity rate is increasing by 2% a year. Overloaded schedules prevent people from getting daily exercise (outside of walking) and young people flock to the relatively new arrival of Western fast food joints like McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC. Even Papa John has gotten some action in China.
For China, time will tell whether tradition will hold over on modern advances in deep-frying. Fresh fruits and vegetables are available on almost any corner, and frying something in your wok is simple, time efficient and delicious. Most traditional meals are heavily vegetable, rice or noodle based and restaurants are incredibly cheap. But again, food will get its own well-deserved praise post at a later date.
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For China, time will tell whether tradition will hold over on modern advances in deep-frying. Fresh fruits and vegetables are available on almost any corner, and frying something in your wok is simple, time efficient and delicious. Most traditional meals are heavily vegetable, rice or noodle based and restaurants are incredibly cheap. But again, food will get its own well-deserved praise post at a later date.
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