Although the name “Qiujiang Road” (虬江路) may not ring a bell for many non-Shanghainese residing in Shanghai, it is one of the favorite spots among locals for budget shopping for…well, almost everything. Qiujiang Road is Shanghai's largest hub of cheap electronic products, fake luxury products, and second-hand goods. Imagine a semi-outdoor version of the Fake Market on West Nanjing Road that spans across several blocks and you get the basic idea of what Qiujiang Road is like. However, unlike the Fake Market, which sells mainly fake luxury products, Qiujiang Road offers a much wider range of goods, from laptop computers to washing machines, classical music CDs to fake Rolex watches: you name it, and under most circumstances you can find it on Qiujiang Road. As the name suggests (the character 江, jiang means "river" in Chinese), Qiujiang Road was built on the former course of a local river, after it had been filled up by authorities in 1914 because of extensive sedimentation. Due to its proximity to the former Shanghai Railway Station, merchants from different places started to gather near the area and trade various kinds of goods. After World War II ended, Qiujiang Road became a hotspot of second-hand trade as many foreigners were eager to get rid of their belongings before leaving China. In the late 1980s, personal computers were introduced to China, and Qiujiang Road, which was already well-known as the premier second-hand market, quickly became home to a sizeable community of electronics and computer shops. Today, Qiujiang Road still remains Shanghai’s dominant conglomeration of stores selling electronic, fake-luxury, and second-hand goods. Situated under overhead railway tracks, surrounded by houses built in the 20s and 30s, and lit with a cacophony of flashing LED lights, today’s Qiujiang Road looks just like the stereotypical Asian market in cyberpunk films like Blade Runner or Pacific Rim. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, Qiujiang Road is still worth visiting for those who are looking for an adventure. Qiujiang Road is composed of several individual markets, some of which specialize (like in electronics or hardware), while others are general markets. The semi-outdoor market called Shanghai Audio & Video City (上海音像城) is the largest of the general markets. On the North Side of Qiujiang Road near Baotong Road is the Qiufu Electronics Market (虬富电器市场), the oldest specialized market for computer parts and accessories. On the south side of Qiujiang Road between Luofu Road and Zhongzhou Road lie a row of hardware shops. If you go further east, you will find several larger electronics malls, including the Haizheng Plaza (海正数码广场) and the Qiujiang Electronics Mall (上海虬江电子数码商厦), both of which offer a diverse selection of electronics products. The prices of goods can vary greatly on Qiujiang Road, no matter what kind of goods you are looking for, but with some basic bargaining in Chinese, you can easily finalize a deal at a good price. That being said, as is the case with other fake markets in Shanghai and elsewhere in the world, there are some hazards and scams that of which one should be wary before venturing into the stores on Qiujiang Road. Beware of items that seem “too good to be true”: for example, a 64GB microSD card selling for a mere 64 RMB is definitely a scam. Do compare the prices on Qiujiang Road against online retailers--doing this will not protect you from scams, but will also save you money. For English speakers, a good place to check the normal price of a product is Amazon China, since their website is available in English. In addition, most storekeepers are unable to speak English, so be sure to bring over a Chinese friend, preferably a local Shanghainese (since they are more familiar with pricing), if you are unsure about your Chinese skills. This article was written by Richard Lewei Huang. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Richard Lewei Huang