Small alleys intersects one another; with small shops lined along. The length of the line limited by tiny stairs, flooded by legs trying to precede each other. This long corridor only sometimes touches the free air, with ornamental chocolate-coloured roofs on both sides, and calligraphic-painted wood planks. In the end, the crossing intersection interposed each other labyrinth-like grooved, led this sea-flooded people into other crossing or doors toward the street.
Wonder which Daedalus created this temple’s garden, be such that it’s thread is now so dense – loaded by people. Here, all the products meet the buyers: crafts and genuine or fake antiques, souvenirs and beautiful trinkets, calligraphic art to detailed paintings inside 7 cm jars. Mounted food to candies and cotton candy, traditional medicine to decades-old tea, fabric shoes to shiny leather belts, not to mention the sale winter clothes and boutique-made clothes on fixed price.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and condensed cream of sweet cinnamon arising from the hands of a Starbucks barista from the middle of the market; mixed with melting caramel and candies in the palm of a peddler, smell of the roasted chicken and cheeseburger from McDonalds kitchen, and crab broth aroma mixed with pork from xiao lung bao tiny hole. In front of the tavern, hundreds people lined up waiting their turn to pick up their dozens xiao lung bao orders.
All men speak all languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Gongfu, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai and Malay; so far as to English, French, German, Dutch, Italian or Spanish. One haggling, other being haggled. One calling, other answering. Voices of the craftsmen who worked at various heights complete the madness of sounds. Not to mention the bicycle bells and car horns from the street outside the complex. Perhaps that’s why they say any tourist should go to this particular Shanghai’s market.
Shanghai, 2007
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