[Offbeat]: Death, Rebirth, Purgatory in Markets
By Drew Bates, Sep 27th, 2011 | In Shopping
"Offbeat" is a SmartShanghai column about stuff to look at or do in Shanghai that's interesting or weird (relatively, of course), that doesn't fit anywhere else. It appears weekly, monthly, or maybe even annually, when we're not busy working on other superfluous column ideas.
This week Offbeat waxes ponderous about impermanence, decay, and the end of all things against the backdrop of the closure of Shanghai's biggest (probably) birdfishflower market...
...and then it turns out the market pretty much moved right around the corner, so it ends with a circle of life, cosmic ballet sort of vibe. Memento mori, my friends.
***
Today, ladies and gentlemen, we come to you with terrible news. This morning I was nonchalantly heading over to those back-lanes behind Red Town for a jin of goldfish and a dozen roses but when I rounded the corner all I saw was destruction.
It’s gone. All gone. They’ve only gone and knocked down one of the finest examples of a birdfishflowermarket in Shanghai province. You know the one I mean, where the new-old Mao Livehouse used to be (or still is -- who knows).
That extra special market down there, opposite the picture frame shops, just past all the fancy art galleries. Reduced to rubble.
Reduced to rubble. Even the pass-off-as-antique building has been gutted. It smells pretty fresh too, with stuff that waves #1 and #2 of garbage scavengers have ignored but wave #3 hasn’t even got to yet. Where are the rows of fish tanks? What about the wholesale birds-of-paradise outlets? Won’t somebody please think of the scabby three-legged dog?
***
Well somebody did. We followed a trail of petals & flower juice and found that they’ve all move on to greener pastures right around the corner. Just follow your nose across the junction. Down the side is a strip of guys selling mops, jiaozi and pickles. Through those plastic fronds is the new venue. Three floors of nothing worth buying. You’ll still methodically stroll every corridor on behalf of some completism off-chase.
And there lies in it's entirely your common or garden variety birdfishflowermarket… with a specialism in flowers and fish… and birds.
Some of the incomers have settled right in -- even turning their box into a semi-attractive retail space (Look out for the Chelsea Flower Show contenders with some mean-looking fly traps). Others know that presentation only appeals to waffle-mongers and just lay it all out like a mucky butcher. There’s an honesty box for the hair accessories shop. They know their place.
The new birdfishflowermarket #555 is on the northwest corner of the junction of Anshun Lu and Dingxi Lu. Nearest Metro Hongqiao Lu (line 3, 4 & 10)
This week Offbeat waxes ponderous about impermanence, decay, and the end of all things against the backdrop of the closure of Shanghai's biggest (probably) birdfishflower market...
...and then it turns out the market pretty much moved right around the corner, so it ends with a circle of life, cosmic ballet sort of vibe. Memento mori, my friends.
***
Today, ladies and gentlemen, we come to you with terrible news. This morning I was nonchalantly heading over to those back-lanes behind Red Town for a jin of goldfish and a dozen roses but when I rounded the corner all I saw was destruction.
It’s gone. All gone. They’ve only gone and knocked down one of the finest examples of a birdfishflowermarket in Shanghai province. You know the one I mean, where the new-old Mao Livehouse used to be (or still is -- who knows).
That extra special market down there, opposite the picture frame shops, just past all the fancy art galleries. Reduced to rubble.
Reduced to rubble. Even the pass-off-as-antique building has been gutted. It smells pretty fresh too, with stuff that waves #1 and #2 of garbage scavengers have ignored but wave #3 hasn’t even got to yet. Where are the rows of fish tanks? What about the wholesale birds-of-paradise outlets? Won’t somebody please think of the scabby three-legged dog?
***
Well somebody did. We followed a trail of petals & flower juice and found that they’ve all move on to greener pastures right around the corner. Just follow your nose across the junction. Down the side is a strip of guys selling mops, jiaozi and pickles. Through those plastic fronds is the new venue. Three floors of nothing worth buying. You’ll still methodically stroll every corridor on behalf of some completism off-chase.
And there lies in it's entirely your common or garden variety birdfishflowermarket… with a specialism in flowers and fish… and birds.
Some of the incomers have settled right in -- even turning their box into a semi-attractive retail space (Look out for the Chelsea Flower Show contenders with some mean-looking fly traps). Others know that presentation only appeals to waffle-mongers and just lay it all out like a mucky butcher. There’s an honesty box for the hair accessories shop. They know their place.
The new birdfishflowermarket #555 is on the northwest corner of the junction of Anshun Lu and Dingxi Lu. Nearest Metro Hongqiao Lu (line 3, 4 & 10)
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carlonseider, Sep 27th, 2011
That little kid in the last pic looks like Maddox Jolie-Pitt!triplefivedrew, Sep 28th, 2011
He was packing a piece. The flowers game is cut-throat.kuba1080, Sep 28th, 2011
This is old news. They gutted those places months ago.georgeshanghai, Sep 29th, 2011
Ha, don't all Asian kids look the same..Please sign in or register to comment