Vintage, antiques and street markets

Shanghai has a small but good vintage scene and several markets selling antiques, Mao-era memorabilia, old records and miscellaneous objects.

Almost everything is reproduction. Occasionally things are real and occasionally things are wonderful. Budget accordingly and treat it as entertainment.

The authenticity problem

China restricts the export of genuinely pre-1949 cultural relics, so real antiques leaving the country legally is rare. Assume the opposite of whatever you are told.

Buy because you like it, at a price you would pay for a reproduction. Anything else is speculation.

What tends to be real

Everyday objects from the 1950s to 1980s — enamelware, posters, badges, packaging, cameras. These were made in enormous quantities and have not been systematically faked to the same degree.

Mao-era memorabilia is widely reproduced, so even these require scepticism.

Where

Dedicated vintage shops cluster in the Concession and Jing’an areas, with reasonable curation and honest pricing.

Weekend markets move location. Ask locally rather than relying on a list that may be a year old.

Verdict

Worth visiting once. Assume nothing is as old as described and buy only what you like regardless.