Shopping

It seems there is no better way to learn a city than by shopping. Or maybe that's just me. The exploration of open markets brings everything together - it forces you to dive in, interact and communicate. And market shopping is not a place for neutral salespeople. Once an item is touched, a body appears. Asking, showing, anxiously trying to convince that this is the best, the least expensive, the most genuine thing. Somewhere between a mixture of chinese, english, and finally a mutual language of snorts, smiles, laughs and a calculator (and groans if you are successful), you reach understanding. The span of Shanghai is so vast, you can only pick a few areas at a time. This trip, made with a new co-worker friend Shiaw-Ling and her buddy Dan from Beijing, both old hands at market shopping in Shanghai, started at the "antiques" street, where nothing is older than a year old. Then we progressed to to Yu Gardens. Originally built by a filial son for his parents as a place of peaceful meditation, it now is surrounded by shops, teahouses, and food stalls. And a mass of humanity like I have never experienced. It makes shopping in Hong Kong on a Saturday look like child's play. Once inside the actual garden, it is indeed more peaceful. At least there is some breathing space to contemplate, if not meditate.