The local shopping centre

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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 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 taking all these happy snaps.

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Photos

The shops
Entrance to the market area

The shops
More entrance

The shops
High rises amongst it all

The shops
Down the first alley

The shops
Sweet treats of dough and nuts

The Shops
Various bit of chicken such as beaks and feet as well as bits of pigs such as trotters and noses, yum yum yum

The shops
A very common site seen loaded to the hilt

The shops
Men enjoying chess game

The shops
Entrance to the frsh produce area

The shops
Fish stall

The shops
One of the butchers

The shops
Chicken stall, aka Lenards

The shops
Noodle stall

The shops
Fresh vege, most of which are familiar to many of us

The shops
More yummy produce

Teh shops
Live fish

The shops
Live chooks

The shops
tiny cages

The shops
sold and bound waiting quietly, also debeaked

The shops
looks like pork

The shops
various stalls