Cao Jia Du Flower Market

The Cao Jia Du Flower Market is located across town from us, near Zhongshan Park and Jing'An Temple. I went there anyway. I took the metro to Zhongshan Park and walked from there to the flower market. I really should start wearing a pedometer because I don't really know how far I walked from the station to the flower market and I'd like to know so I can give better directions to people. It is a straight shot from the metro station; you just exit onto Changning Road and keep walking until you're there.

The flower market is in a building set back from the street behind a Friendship Store located on Changshou and Wanghangdu. It's easy to miss if you're not looking, though you know you're at the right place almost immediately because the air suddenly smells fresher, of flowers and greenery. I believe that the building has 3 floors, though I only went up to the second floor via a back stair way clogged with boxes. The building houses many vendors, each with an individual stall, selling potted plants, cut flowers, and bouquets.



I loved walking in the flower market. Every building, alley, and crevice in this city is a smoking zone despite signs that say otherwise. The flower market also has no smoking signs, but here, people actually seem to abide by them. The place smelled so green and fresh that I wanted to lie down in the middle of the floor. Don't worry, I didn't.

The first floor is all fresh flowers with a few places selling teddy bear bouquets. The second floor is all artificial flowers. I don't know what there is on the third floor. I stayed mostly on the first floor.



One stall had only orchids. They had pots of plants on shelves lining the outside of the stall. Inside, the floor was littered with brilliant purple blooms that the vendors were making into bouquets. I bought an aloe plant (or something similar) and some cut peonies for myself. I also bought a couple of potted daisy plants with orange and red striped blooms for a couple of women in Eric's office. I carefully tied the aloe plant in its bag and tucked it into my backpack. I carried the other plants since they seemed too fragile to put into my pack.

On the way out, I passed a rubble field of crumbling buildings standing knee-deep in debris from what must only have been other buildings in the neighborhood.





What struck me was that there were still people living there amidst the rubble and ruin. You have to wonder what the story is there. Where did the other people go? Where will these people go? What does the city have planned for this location? The landscape of Shanghai, like that of other cities in China, can change so rapidly. Out with the old, in with the new. The flower market I had just left had its old location torn down a couple of years ago to make way for a new venue. It migrated over here.

On the way back home, I bought some DVDs from a street vendor. Eric wanted to watch 'The Fantastic Four' movie and I found it. I got a good deal since the woman charged 5 kuai per movie (all the other vendors we've encountered want at least 10). It must be my winning smile. Once back in the metro station, I stood next to a woman who was carrying two small plastic shopping bags. The bags were wiggling and cheeping. I couldn't help but stare.



She allowed me to take some pictures. Each bag had either 3 or 4 chicks. They were wiggling too much for me to count. Needless to say, a cheeping bag draws a lot of stares on the metro.

I managed to get home with all my plants intact. That afternoon, we watched the new TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) movie that I had just bought. As for 'The Fantastic Four', it was worth 5 kuai, but probably not 10.