Lord of the fleas

Can I tell you...about the Panjiyuan flea market. This world famous "yard sale" is a weekend tradition in Beijing. As early the Ming dynasty, wealthy families who had fallen into debt would go here during the wee hours of the morning under the cover of the dark to sell their valuables in the market only to escape once broad daylight hit for fear of being recognized in public for doing something so disgraceful. Today there is nothing to be ashamed of. Vendors come from nearby villages every weekend to sell their family "heirlooms". Some are real, most are not.

I'm a total flea market junkie so naturally this was on my itinerary, equally as important as seeing the Forbidden City. I was warned to really haggle here. Cut prices by less than half of the asking price! Insult the vendors if you had to. I came armed with my friends Foster and Winnie from Hong Kong, both fluent in Mandarin. I don't know what I would have done without them. We bargained and played the game. We'd quote a price, frown when the seller wouldn't budge, walk away only to be chased down and then settle on the price we wanted to pay in the first place. All this got tiring after a while but when you're getting everything you want for not much, it's a bit of a rush.
I came specifically looking for "lotus shoes". I had bought some a few years ago in Shanghai and wanted some more to add to my collection. Lotus shoes were made for women with bound feet which up until maybe the early 30s was still being done to young girls all across China. They're essentially exquisite torture devices. Don't get me wrong, I hate what they represent but they are intriguing little objets d'art. They're also not that easy to find and only a few vendors had them. They're not what tourists typically look for at these markets so I had a bit of an advantage because the vendors just wanted to sell what they had. I also got a pair of "fu" lions or dogs that may or may not be antique but I didn't care. I like them and that's enough reason as far as I'm concerned. Besides, I got them for less than half the asking price.
This market runs the gamut from stalls that sold nothing but coral in all shapes and colors, Communist propaganda postcards and posters, Comrade figurines and of Chairman Mao, vintage perfume ( okay, snuff opium) bottles to jade rocks that are brought in suitcases!

I focused on the vendors in the open air sections without roofed stalls. Someone told me these vendors are most likely to yield more interesting and possibly more authentic pieces because they come just for the weekend and don't have the means to have a regular location under the pavilion or to rent a stall. I got my best bargains from these vendors.
I walked away with a few pairs of 'lotus shoes', a scandalous figurine of a couple in a compromising position and my 'fu' lions.
This flea market was everything I expected it to be and more but for less! Who doesn't love a fabulous bargain.