Copy Shopping in Shanghai

Its very simple really.  You're strolling down any major shopping street and a little guy or woman will approach you with a tiny brochure "Copy watch copy bag copy belts etc" You say "Good prices?" of course they answer yes best quality low price".  You size then up and use your intuition to feel if they are just a hump doing his job or someone with nefarious intentions.  Its 99% never the latter.

You ask "How far" that you're going to have to hoof it down a hot sunny crowded street and its never far-- "2 minutes only 2 minutes!"  Ugh.  Okay.  So you follow him (but not too close so no can identify that you are together.....)

The guy walks fast its hard to keep up.  There is no communication just looks to make
sure you are still following.  Here we are following this man down the huge Nanjing walking street
in Central Shanghai

After a walk of nearly 15 mintes you turn off the main tourist street to a lovely side street with boutiques and hardware stores and family marts and the like.

You enter a perfectly normal little bag and luggage store front and are taken to the back room where a panel of brightly lit displays of new handbags opens with a secret doorway behind it.

There are narrow steep wooden rickety stairs that you can barely navigate.

Following our guide into the unknown rooms of Chanel and Gucci

You finally get to the secret room which is very small and claustrophobic.  They begin shoving different bags at you that are not your taste so you ignore and look for what you might like.  I'm NO expert in designer handbags but there were some I could tell were MEGA high end.  Why bother hiding then so expertly otherwise.  I heard that factory workers sometimes stay at the factory after management has left.  They produce however many extras of the same exact bag being produced by Hermes Marc Jacobs Gucci Prada whatever and then they hide it in the ceiling for later or just truck it right out.

So you continue browsing--  dont look at the room opposite of the sales closet because its someone's bedroom.

Secret sales closet upstairs

Look across the hall from the copy sales room and you see their bedroom

So you're ready to buy.  They will type on a calculater the price.It is usually twice what they can actually get-- so you type back on the calculater a price lower than half.  They scoff at you and wave you away like they have just been given the most awful insult.  Then they type a new price about 20 percent lower.  You scoff at them and type in closer to your half price.  They say okay best chinese price to you today because you are my friend....half of what they orginally said.  Or if they dont go low enough you scoff and walk toward the door.  They will grab your arm and say okay okay!!!  this price ok?  usually just 10 or 20 more than your target so you acquiesce.

I walked out with a $1750 Gucci bag for around $100.  I was so proud and did not feel quilty.  These people are risking a lot to make money to support extended families.  They have no major education and are paid slave wages with grueling conditions in the factories.  (mostly up to code but still grueling in our eyes).  Until conditions and wages improve in their daily work I suppose this risk looks very appealing to them.
Anyway its not something I do all the time but it is something you should try at least once for the adventure.

Day 3 and 4 Guangzhou and Dongguan

Headed into China Monday by train from the Hong Hom station in TST direct to Guangzhou.  Nice easy ride.  Met a new vendor of kids crafts.  I hate kids crafts but these guys have their act together and made me embarrassed about the company I work for as they were much more together than we are!

That night their driver hauled us an hour and a half to our hotel in Dongguan so we could meet our next vendor.  Wow it is dismal out and about in China-- same as usual.  Grey brown skies and everything so dirty.  Sad.

Dongguan attempts to beautify w fountains and landscaping but the
pollution cannot be overcome

That night we wanted to shop but it was too dangerous in our area to go out in the dark.

Man in the street carrying stuff

Our great supplier in Dongguan took us to an "Italian" restaurant in Dongguan for a treat-- I thought oh lord this is going to be a nightmare as I've been to Italian in Taipei and it was really disgusting.  However it turns out it was a trueblood italian guy who opened this restaurant and lots of westerners and euros go there and it was really great.  They even had a delicious Malbec.  Shock.

Antipasta at Italian joint in Dongguan 

Finally got to go shopping and get my ratchet nails fixed at the mall-- the little girls spoke about 5 words of english and I knew 5 of Mandarin.  We used the translation app on their phones to communicate.  So funny.  Some of their questions that came up were "Do you want to take the whole hand off?" and "Do you want color or the green plastic?"  How do I answer that?  But in the end I got a fabulous manicure.

Nails Dongguan style

Next morning flew to Yiwu.  More on that later.

China Travelogue Hong Kong

After much procrastination I have finally logged on to record some tidbits from my current trip.  Got to Hong Kong Saturday and was feeling fine.  My colleague Kristine and I checked in to a new hotel-- "Hotel Panorama by Rhombus" and wow what a view for a cheap price.  Its in TST which I usually dont care for but figured what the hell.  Too bad it was foggy but still amazing view.  Foghorns of the big ships passing through Victoria Harbour was a wonderful soundtrack.

View from Hotel to Victoria Harbour-Hong Kong Island across the way

Headed out for shopping and such.  Mongkok Ladies market for great junk.  On the way there we ran into a parade that was protesting Chinese mainlanders shopping in Hong Kong.  They were yelling at all the people on the street to go home to the motherland!  We didn't know what it was at the time.  I saw it in the paper the next day.

Kristine (blond) attempting to circumnavigate the marauding hordes
at Fa Yuen Street Ladies Market in Mongkok

Street performer at market in Mongkok-you could hear

his grandiose music for blocks around

After being totally drained by the noise and crowds-fighting with vendors for cheaper prices and dodging pushy chinese natives and passing by one too many Durian and street meat stalls we had to take respite back at our hotel on the club lounge floor (ooooh).  

Octopus tentacles ready for roasting

Sunday was our day to attend the Hong Kong Jewelry show in Wan Chai.  We took the Star Ferry across the harbour.  I love that thing so much.  It looks like it has not been updated since the turn of the century and still only costs about Fitty Cent.

Jewelry show was mostly fine jewelry but there were some great druzy and gemstone that we found.

Watch for these soon for sale on ebay or etsy!

When we arrived at the jewelry show they directed us to our special place
 which was of course the Hall of Extraordinary

That night my friend Jo Tam came to have drinks at the club lounge of our hotel-- good times I miss her.  We worked together at Blue Moon.

After drinks we went for typical foot massage-- wonderful.

foot massage joint

Monday we will travel to Guangzhou and Dongguan factories.... TTFN