Less than two hours journey South of Shanghai by High Speed Train but a world away in its ambiance and atmosphere lies the magical Chinese trade city of Yiwu. This city is a major hub in the 21st century East-West trade, serving as a meeting place for manufacturers, middlemen/women, and buyers who come from all over the Near and Middle East, Russia, Japan, Europe and Africa to take up residence and make deals. Their magnet is the monumental Futian wholesale Market a massive five story interlocked shopping complex that undulates through the city on a North-South line like an engorged Anaconda. It seems to go on forever with every floor and wing devoted to one type of item: here a street of power tools, there a line of shops with telescopes and high-powered optics, here a floor devoted to toys where everyone is Santa’s helper.
I had been here two years before and was blown away, both by the wheeling dealing and by the streets decorated with signs in Arabic, Russian, Turkish, Korean, lined with hookah cafes and Central Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants. The command was made: Board the Magic Carpet and fly to Yiwu! Ten Shanghai Cacophony Societists answered the call, assembling in three teams, one A Friday night, one B Saturday morning and one C Saturday afternoon. Masked, Covid-Green Code QRs and Passports in hand the advance team of Crimson/Tipsy/Emily, Shining Path, Bok, and Anna arrived safely in Yiwu, dodged death in traffic in our cab, found our plush rooms at our caravansary where we lounged by the pool and awaited the arrival of our local guide Alex!
Shining Path met Alex through a Finland WeChat group and they met outside the hotel at 8 like long-lost brothers, speaking in the European-Mongolian that is native to that Northern land. Whisked away in a Mercedes SUV we soon found ourselves enjoying hummus and other delicacies at The Lobby, where we hob-nobbed with the locals who all knew our guide.
Our Shanghai group presence caught everyone’s attention and soon were friends with everyone. After filling our belies we were taken to the night market where local wares were piled high. Here we finished up our list of items for the Treasure Hunt tomorrow. We then finished our evening with a full-on Colombian band and floor show at a local nightclub, returning after 2 am for a well-earned snooze.
The next day saw the advance team gorging themselves at the buffet breakfast and then back to the pool for a decadent morning sauna and swim. Outside temperatures soared to 36 C! The B team of Elaine, Yifan and Phillip, were quickly briefed on local conditions and by 1:00 we set forth to meet Alex at Complex 4 of the mighty wholesale market.
This was easier said than done because while the complex was across the street, the designated special entrance and health check for foreign devils was not. Finding that and then providing the health checks through another downloaded app took time, even with the help of our man Alex, who returned to guide us though the halls. The Treasure-Hunt items were distributed: a Prayer Clock with Five Dials, an African Soccer Team Shirt, a MAGA hat (boo!), a Steampunk Monocle and the like.
Alex led us on a roundabout route through the Bazaar-of-the Gods! His in-laws ran a resin plastic replica display art studio called TFK that resembled the set of the Moloko Bar from Clockwork Orange. We lounged on the plastic art and enjoyed a tea break before pressing on. At one point we stopped at a Christmas display shop to sing a carol to the bewildered proprietors.
Then Alex and Shining Path lost the group who had run off in search of a Sex Shop selling anatomically correct male dolls. During this confusion the duo miraculously found the newly-arrived C Team of Dawn, Mike and Yummy and together they hunted down and untied the entire team somewhere near Camping Equipment Land!
We made our way back to the hotel, one group on share-bikes and the other on foot in the blistering heat. Only three items in the treasure hunt had been found and this was because we didn’t start earlier in the day and break out into separate teams, but no matter. We smuggled Alex into our room, bought him a bathing suit and threw him into the pool with the rest of us.
Then, fortified we dressed up in our exotic best, and we headed off to a gala dinner of exotic mutton, kebabs, and cheesy nan at the Ariana Afghanistan restaurant. Words cannot describe this luscious food which was worth the trip from Shanghai!
We then returned to a Saturday night at The Lobby where we were introduced to local luminaries like Abu Jaffar, a local worthy with the charisma of a Bollywood film star. He ordered us sparkling wine, cake and ice cream and then after puffs of Hookah and ribald joke telling we were ordered to dance on the bar. Without hesitation, we complied.
The evening ended at another night club with ANOTHER Colombian band and dancing revue, which was no problem. Along the way Alex mysteriously disappeared! But his friend took us under his wing and got us to our last destination. Local customs took some mastering, for example whenever we tried to over, say, four beers for four people, twelve would magically appear! No matter, it turned out that is what we required. Two members of the band invited themselves to join us and I greeted them heartily in my border town Spanish. Again, we lasted until 2 am and got home with our pockets lighter, bellies full, thirsts quenched, and hearts and minds afire.
The next morning, after another swim n sauna, we met for breakfast and where awards were given to the three who found their Treasure Hunt items: Yifan, who produced a snow paperweight with a Dutch motif, Anna, who found something with a raccoon, and Philip, who located a male sex doll. Around 11 Alex, checked in, safe and sound to our relief! We all scattered off in time for our trains, resolved to return to Yiwu, better organized and ready for more adventures in this special place. If Burning Man was Tarkovsky’s Zone, then Yiwu is the Solla Sallew of Dr. Seuss fame.
Join us next time!