In Beijing and Shanghai we found some of the most quaint shops down historic, cobblestoned alleys.
Here Mayor Bogaard feasts his eyes on something fascinating in a Shanghai alley shop window. It was drizzling that day.
There are also plenty of open-air markets and services, such as these in Beijing:
The photos above were shot by Fred Alcantar, chairman of the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee.
I've read a bit about the alleys and historic districts--did you find that they had been fixed up for tourists quite a bit, or did they seem authentic? Your photos look interesting.
ReplyDeleteSome were improved for western sensibilities, such as the one in the top photo, and others were very rustic.
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