WHAT IS AN ANTIQUE MARKET LIKE?

A common question many Westerners ask is what is a Chinese antique market like? Well here is the answer! The markets we scan for archetypal and staple items range from city to city (Ex: Tianjin, Dalian, HongKong, Shanghai) and each city carries its own ethos and personality. As a native to Tianjin I am partial to the people that remind me of where I grew up. The markets are full of enthusiastic sellers, food vendors, children playing, traditional Chinese music, and stalls upon stalls of antiques! I like to think these places resemble the very first "mall" with a variety of stores all linked together in a pseudo-city of oriental wonders. You can get lost in these amazing places, hours pass like minutes, and everywhere you look there is something that catches your eye. The trick is to tell the real antiques from the replicas, good prices from bad ones, and be more educated on history of the stock items then the shop owner themselves! Following this method I can guarantee to all my customers that the items are genuine, fairly priced, and hold historical value.