This mammoth underground market by the Science & Technology Museum metro station is Shanghai’s largest collection of shopping stalls. There are tonnes of merchandise and fakes, from suits to moccasins, glinting copy watches, Darth Vader toys, jackets, Lionel Messi football strips, T-shirts, Indian saris, Angry Birds bags, Bob Marley Bermuda shorts and Great Wall snow globes.
It includes a branch of the Shiliupu Fabric Market and a separate market devoted to pearls, the Yada Pearl Market. Shop vendors are highly persistent and almost clawing, sending out scouts to wait at the metro exit turnstiles to ensnare shoppers. Haggling is a common language – mixed with much huffing and puffing – so start with a very low offer and take it from there.