We took a long subway ride to the Panjiayuan Flea Market in the southeast of the city yesterday to look for a Go board and see what other oddities of Chinese pseudo-antiquity we could find. The market is huge with hundreds of vendors all avidly hocking their wares. Jade bracelets, soapstone stamps, paper fans, calligraphy sets, and weaponry of all manner can be found for cheap prices.
The key to haggling is knowing when to walk away. A well-timed turning of your back can quickly cut the asking price in half. When there’s a language barrier the second most important thing is the four function calculator, so you can punch in your counter offer.
We picked up a Go board and a matching Xiangqi (Chinese chess) set. We also got a rice bucket, pictured in my hand at the top. I will take on any challengers in Go or chess. Steph will help anyone that has a rice paddy during harvest.
When we left the market we were accosted by a fleet of pedicabs. With nothing else to do, and our ability to rebuff business offers thoroughly drained from haggling in the market, we gave in and hopped into a velvety chariot. We weren’t really sure where our driver was taking us, but we figured if our kidneys looked to be in danger we could jump from the open carriage. Things only got really hairy when we headed into oncoming traffic at the very end.
More photos after the jump.
sick! crank let’s play go online sometime. i know it’s not quite the same as playing on a physical antique chinese go board, but hey, take what we can get. i played a bit with some coworkers at lunch in new york, so i think i actually know how to play! kind of…