Lido Loot

by Zhu Di

If you're looking for good bargains on Chinese arts and crafts -- and for honest vendors who think of bargaining as a sport but not a blood-sport -- head for the Lido Market.

The market was closed most of the summer while the 70 or so stalls were completely rebuilt. By the end of September most of the vendors had moved back into the market, which is located on Jichang Road just off the Fourth Ring Road.

Strolling the market is a pleasant experience; vendors don't crowd you the way they do at other markets, and their starting prices are far more reasonable than you'll find at such tourist meccas as Xiushui Jie (Silk Alley).

For instance, show an interest in some porcelain chopstick rests and you'll discover that most of the vendors offer them at a starting price of two or three yuan, a far cry from the RMB10 starting price at other markets.

You can find just about all the glories of China's handicrafts here, as well as some more Western bargains -- T-shirts, belts, jeans, Dockers pants and Calvin Klein shirts, Polo jackets in suede, or Nike windbreakers in nylon.

Stalls tend to offer a little bit of everything, though some specialize in one area of crafts. A couple of vendors offer delightful selections of silk lingerie -- camisoles, peignoir sets, robes -- as well as boxers starting at RMB25 and silk shirts from RMB110 (as usual, a kanjia expert can get items for about half the original asking price).

Some stalls offer nostalgia items: lighters with Chairman Mao Zedong's portrait that play "The East Is Red" when opened; stacks of Little Red Books; and tray after tray of Mao buttons, most in remarkably good condition.

Scroll painting prints start at around RMB120, and handcarved and painted fans of sandalwood bring a starting price of RMB10. Other vendors offer papercuts, calligraphy sets, calligraphy and painting brushes, and all sorts of snuff bottles: glass items painted on the inside, porcelain or cloisonne models, and others of etched bone.

One vendor specializes in cotton tablecloths and quilts. An exquisite ecru on ecru tablecloth had a starting price of RMB180; a brilliant quilt in a wedding ring pattern started at RMB140.

Another vendor offers tea and tea sets. The tea can be bought from huge bulk jars, or in pre-packaged sets. Jasmine and other flower teas vie for shelf space with green, black and ginseng, and bags of Ba Bao Cha (Eight Treasure Tea) start at RMB45 for a 20-bowl set.

The Lido Market also offers one of the best arrays of big pieces of porcelain and bone that I've seen anywhere. Serving trays, platters, plates, divided canape trays can be found at many of the stalls, all in excellent condition. Patterns range from traditional Ming-era court scenes in blue on white to dramatic black backgrounds etched with coppery designs of flowers, birds, landscapes.

And there's much more to this delightful shopping neighborhood than the market. A Dunkin' Donuts shop shares space with a Baskin & Robbins store, and these are flanked by several delightful restaurants -- Sichuan Yaodianzi, specializing in hot pots and Sichuan snacks; Sheng Yi Restaurant, with its Lemon Chicken and Black Mushrooms with Vegetables; the Libresso Gallery and Bistro, offering German specials (heavy on the sausages); the Resort Cafe, with its Fried Shrimp with Cashews and Shredded Pork with Chili Sauce. All offer English menus and prices that won't bankrupt your shopping budget.

Down from the market are several free-standing shops offering Beanie Babies, pottery, framing and original modern artwork, and two interior design houses -- Castle Interiors and Mood Fantasia -- that look like they could whip anyone's flat into shape.

Just across Jichang Road are the Holiday Inn Lido and the Yan Xiang Hotel, and just down Jiang Tai Road is the Harbor Plaza Resort Hotel. So, if you really want to pamper yourself, fancy restaurants and bars like the Plaza's Hoi Yat Heen and the Lido's Texan Bar and Grill are right handy.

How to get there: Take a taxi to the Lido and walk across the street. The nearest bus, the 408, runs along Jichang Road between Jiuxianqiao Lu and Jingshun Lu, with stops at both intersections.