Xiangyang Market - Shanghai's notorious fake market, and dirge to IPR champions really has closed down.
The news about the closure has been coming for months, but I really wondered if it would be as simple as just shutting down at 9.30pm on Friday the 29th June 2006.
Well, we went for a look see on Saturday morning, and it was well and truly shut down. Not only were the gates in place but they were also busy building solid walls at the other open entrances. To top it all off were some great propoganda signs at the former entrances to the once thriving counterfeit centre of Shanghai.
One banner reads "Ban Xiangyang market, protect intellectual property" the other "Protect intellectual property, beat counterfeit and shoddy".
Now that its gone, you would think that you were safe from the annoyances of the street hawkers that are trying to convince you to follow them to go to their stalls. Well, guess again - they are still there and in just as strong numbers. It actually was worse than normal, because normally as you walk the surrounding streets there are thousands of other Xiang Yang market shoppers with you, but because it is no longer a major destination, you are more of a prime target. It was quite a painful walk getting from Xiang Yang Lu to Shanxi Lu.
From what we saw there were small stores in and around the back streets that are now offering all the goodies you can no longer get at Xiangyang. The hawkers/touts will try and lure you into these stores to get their commission. We have also heard that many of the stall vendors used to have storage rooms nearby and that they are now selling out of there.
The propoganda machine may have taken over at the physical location of Xiang Yang market, but the spirit lives on in the streets and the hawkers (and the foreigners trying to score some cheap fake stuff)!
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