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Fangbang Lu Market: The Weirdest Hidden Gem in the City

2018-03-24 Ryan ShanghaiWOWeng


I’m going to do something I swore I’d never do: I’m going to tell you about my favorite hidden gem in the entire city.



No no, it’s not a bar, a club, a park or some back alley restaurant. My favorite place here is a used clothing and shoe market on the second floor of a building at the corner of Fangbang Lu and Zhonghua Lu. It’s magical.



I’ve lived here for years and I’ve only ever told a handful of people about ‘the Fangbang market.’ I’ve visited probably a few dozen times and I have never, ever seen another foreigner inside. I also have no idea what the name of this place is, nor do I know anything about its history. What I do know, however, is that it’s special.



I don’t even remember how I found it, which is quite remarkable considering there are no clear indications that something like this exists there. To enter, you must walk halfway into a wet market and then make your way up a set of dimly-lit stairs and through a wall of filthy hanging plastic.



Once inside, prepare your senses to be assaulted by clothes and shoes of every color and shape, everywhere. Be careful when taking photos, the vendors don't like it (I had to be quite sneaky to get many of these shots (thus the low quality).




Why do I love it? It’s dirty, many of the clothes smell, almost all the vendors chain-smoke, but oh man are there some cool items for sale. Leather jackets, bomber jackets, bootleg everything, cashmere sweaters, shirts with Chinglish sayings on them, jeans, and so much more. And the deeper you dig, the more you’ll be rewarded. Everything is negotiable.



Even if you don’t need to purchase anything, the sheer spectacle of it warrants a visit. It’s old-Shanghai from top to bottom.






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