I was looking for some bamboo for an art project and so I thought the flower and bird market was probably the best place to find bamboo. These markets are one of the historic joys of Shanghai.
In Nanjing, the flower and bird market near FuZiMiao I think is far superior to anything Shanghai has to offer but LaoXiMen is very close to where I live so I hopped on the line 1 and off at exit 1.
Afte
r a short time the bird and flower market is on your right and a welcome shelter from the rain. I could see that not many other people had ventured out in the Sunday afternoon rain because the place was quiet and visitors were outnumbered by the stall holders.
The sound of birds chirping was not overpowering and I was careful not to walk down any ailes which had pets in cages. In fact, I only saw one cat in a cage and it didn’t look unhappy.
I am so worried about exposing myself to the experience of a Chinese pet market and this is one reason I am careful about which markets I choose to visit. Happily this market was all about birds and crickets and flowers and bamboo and stone. What a great place to spend a rainy Sunday.
I wanted to buy everything I saw and eventually left with some wooden stands and rocks for my art project.
These markets are about much more than birds and flowers and if you’re looking for a souvenir which is a little bit different to what you see in tourist shops, this is an ideal place to come.
There are minute pieces of doll’s house furniture, the most amazing succulents, polished rocks, jade from the far east of China, bamboo from Yunnan and beautifully crafted bird cages.
If crickets are your thing, then there is no shortage here and some of the cricket fighting paraphernalia is hand-crafted and stunning, little boxes, tiny cages, tickling sticks, fighting arena. 
If you want to learn about real China, about the traditions of the working classes, then a flower and bird market is a must. But beware, these markets are not set up for tourists, they are for the locals so don’t expect people to speak English.
