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Published: November 26th 2008
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The shops
Entrance to the market area My Local Shopping Centre
Where I live in Shanghai is the area west of the Huangpu river, which is called Pudong. This area is really in the outer suburbs of the city but is a delightful mix of the old and the new. It is very high-density living but still has some small traditional dwellings and market gardens amongst the high rise apartments.
As well as two fairly big western style supermarkets there is also a more traditional type of open air market which sells almost everything. It was fairly quiet this afternoon when I went to visit but in the early morning it is quite busy with people buying their food fresh for the day.
Live chickens and doves slaughtered immediately, plucked and put warm into a bag are some of the stomach churning delicacies. The chickens are rammed into tiny cages but do not seem too stressed, maybe they are resigned to their fate and know little else. Enough to make you vegetarian for life!!!!
Boot makers, tailors, bakers, sellers of dry goods, fruit and vege, noodles, clothes, flower sellers, you name it, it’s there somewhere.
Many of the women sat in front of the
The shops
More entrance stalls doing the most amazing knitting with very fine wool, thin needles and knitting in the round, making socks, jumpers and other garments.
Men were playing a version of Chinese chess, grandparents were taking the children for a walk, and heavily laded bicycles and scooters are constantly coming in and out carrying people and goods.
The smell is less than great with piles of rotting rubbish swept up for someone to take away. However the main streets are immaculate with even the leaves being swept up constantly, but other areas away from the main thoroughfares are heavily littered.
China has banned all plastic bag use, you pay 2Y for one if you want to use one at the supermarket, so it has reduced the use of them from 2 billion a day to a very small amount.
The market place is full of life, old and young, rich and poor, traditional and modern, all mixed together. I was the only western person today that I saw, some of the children got really scared of me, some smiled away quite happily, most people were really happy to have their picture taken although I did feel really touristy
The shops
High rises amongst it all taking all these happy snaps.
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