If you get the chance to visit the Dong Tai Antiques street in Shanghai be ready for a flea market rather than an Antiques market. A most interesting place though, and with some VERY careful looking, the odd genuine piece can be found, at a very cheap price, after some serious haggle.
Our local guide told us that the Shanghai Government are about to close this street down due to lack of patronage, and judging by the very few people about on the day we were there, I would have to agree. Loads of Mao badges, watches, and every sort of Chinese statue, carvings, tin toys, and everything else one would expect in a flea market.
As an example of the local selling pitch, I was looking at a Japanese sword, but was not sure if it was genuine, but when asked how many I wanted, my suspicions were confirmed! I did however buy a genuine 1936 Chinese military hanger, which I will post on the Ethno Forum in due course.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...427#post176427
Meanwhile here are a few photos which I hope are of interest, particularly the military motorbike and the cannon. The touch hole of the cannon has been spiked.
As a matter of interest, the last pic shows a contractors "vehicle". Not part of the antiques section, but these are quite common as a transport method for building materials on small jobs.
Stu