Tuesday August 23, 2005
Officials paste appeal in English on Xiangyang Market stalls
SHANGHAI: Xiangyang Market saw the introduction of English language notices at the weekend in a bid to ward visitors off buying fake goods.
The street market has become a must-see for visitors here, with its stalls piled high with an abundance of cheap handbags, purses, bags, shoes, belts, jackets, clothes, watches, telescopes, scarves and false jewels.
The market abounds with people from all walks of life and from every corner of the globe, all looking for a bargain. English is invariably the lingua franca of many deals struck.
But for officials at the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, it is the first time since the market opened three years ago that they have used English to try to get their message across to shoppers.
The administration has had about 3,000 notices in English pasted onto the walls of almost all the stalls.
“The rights of 40 world-famous brands are protected. Anyone who sees counterfeits of these on sale should report it to the police by dialling 110,” says the notice.
The brands under protection are all big names such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry and La Coste.
“We need the visiting foreigners' help to eliminate fake designer goods. Local tourist agencies have reportedly been taking visitors to stalls selling fakes at the market,” said an official with the bureau, who declined to give his name.
He added that the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration last week warned local tourist agencies against leading visitors to the market to buy fakes.
“Who would sell fakes at the height of a police act?” a shoe seller surnamed Li rhetorically asked China Daily as she looked up from a Chinese-English dictionary, which she was reading at intervals between customers.
The fake goods could well make a comeback, however, if the market administrators fail to get really tough with the hawkers, she said.
An American, who called himself Ralph, said the administrators might find themselves in a dilemma since being tough would probably harm the fun atmosphere of the market.
“The market has been mentioned on numerous tourist websites, all of which remind the visitors to aim at one-third of the quoted price when they bargain. How can one do so with genuine goods?” he said. – China Daily
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