One of the most striking features of China and Chinese culture, when compared to the west, is the availability of goods on any given Chinese street. Sure, you could go to a Walmart 沃尔玛 wò ěr mǎ or a Carrefour 家乐福 Jiā lè fú, to find your daily sundries 事物 [shíwù], or even take the plunge and delve into the crowded and loud shopping complexes (市场 shì chǎng) filled with heckling sales persons 服务员（ fúwùyuán). However, for those truly of adventurous spirit 冒险的心态 (màoxiǎndexīntài), the streets will beckon to you—and why not? After all, a short two-minute trip outside your apartment or office can get you everything you need–all for cheap.

The beauty of the street market is it’s mere simplicity (简易 jiǎnyì): they sell what you need. Be it DVDs, books, food, clothing, trinkets, home décor, jewelry, electronics etc…, it’s all going to be there, and at low, low prices. There’s usually a reason why the goods are so cheap, and aside from nefarious activity, stolen goods or just simple knock offs, the street market offers, at the very least, something to do to pass the time or improve your Chinese.

Most street market merchants are not locals, and usually show up and disappear with the seasons or with available merchandise relating to the seasons, availability or recent trends. Most goods are hand made or knock-off versions of brand name western goods. Still, what you find is entirely up to how far you walk, where you are, and who just happens to be selling goods that day. (For example see the hand woven matchstick preying mantis below.)

While selling goods on the street is technically illegal in most cosmopolitan cities, it is almost always overlooked. In fact, on the block where I lived last year in Beijing, this lack of concern was broadcast multiple times a day–almost like a play or street performance. Usually it would happen like this: The police (警察) would circle the area about ten minutes before actually getting out of their cars and walking over. There presence was known as if to say: Get ready for it. Then, almost like meercats, vendors would pop up from their stops, sound an alarm, and within an instant the various goods would be swept up into blankets and the vendors would hit the pavement. As it turned out, there was an “understanding” between the two groups, often leading to even further discounted prices for the police, and the right to “keep their corner” after the police had done their rounds.

You may ask, well why this back and forth game? This is because down on the street, there are no fixed prices. It’s a dog eat dog world (狗咬狗 gǒuyǎogǒu) out there, and you’re going to pay three to even six times as much as a Chinese citizen for the same goods if you don’t know how to bargain (谈判 tánpàn). That being said, if you play the game right, and scour the street daily, you will be amazed at the things you find.