Need a gift for the China-obsessed in your life?
Walk past the wig shops and the bulk dealers of beige socks, and up two expectedly-broken escalators, and you find yourself in the right place. This is the Shanghai Old Book Market, a treasure chest of Chinese history that recently reopened after five years. What was previously the Wenmiao Old Book Market has now moved inside, next to Yuyuan Garden.
The market opens every Sunday at 6 AM. As the name suggests, books are a prime item for sale. Many start at one kuai. Chinese language titles dominate, followed by Russian, and then a smattering of English.
But if you don't feel up to reading a Chinese book, the market still has lots to offer. Old magazines are a staple. Want original copies of Liangyou, the Shanghainese society-and-fashion published in the 1920s and 1930s? The market has you covered. How about propaganda magazines promoting North Korea, or permed-out 90s Shanghai fashion babes hawking Nokias? Check and check.
Also popular are postcard sized story books, known as lianhuanhua, the Chinese forefather to Japanese manga. These cover all manner of topics, from martial arts to a volume on Italian guerrillas in World War II.
Maps are also abundant. Get one of the Shanghai bus network in 1967 (some routes are still the same!), or Shanghai's former international settlement from the 1930s.
And then there are the detritus of social life gathered over the past century of Chinese society. Food ration stamps, expired IDs, personal archives, warped college reunion photos, and the list goes on... A cities trash can be your treasure.
How to find it:
The market covers two different floors, in different buildings across a narrow alley from each other. One is located on the 4th floor of the Fumin Commercial Building (福佑路223号), while the other is on B2 of the Fuyou Commercial Building (福佑路225号).
Both are on the north side of Yuyuan Garden, between the temple and Renmin Lu. The closest metro is Exit 7 of Yuyuan Garden station.
The market opens at 6AM on Sundays, and is reportedly open until 5pm, although many vendors seemed to be packing up around lunch time. Both buildings are actually open everyday if you are in the area, but the majority of sellers only set up shop on Sundays.
