All you need is loveliness

CNN has just published a fairly glowing précis of Shanghai aimed at first-time visitors. The article, with the treacly title “Shanghai always a lovely surprise”, features hints on the major sites, getting around and day trips -- though, funnily enough, not a single word about food.

But there was one short section of the article that prompted the pricking up of our ears.

Also be on guard against the street vendors who sell phony designer bags and watches along Huaihai Road and other areas where foreign visitors can be found. Best advice: Simply ignore their presence.

Hmmm. “Be on guard” seems to us like odd advice for tourists to Shanghai, most of whom spend the majority of their time in this city proactively hunting down the aforementioned vendors so they can stock up on fakes for the extended family.

In fact, the ultimate guide to Shanghai would have featured a comprehensive set of directions to these very sellers of phony gear (now that Xiangyang is gone), with an accompanying list of haggling instructions and average prices for polo shirts, “LV” bags and those Chinese dangling things with the red stringy bits at the bottom.

Photo from Life of Brian.