Mu Lan Hua Ge Jia Ju Li Curio Company is one of the most famous vintage markets in Shanghai, due to the sheer size of it and the gargantuan piles of goods on sale. It is perhaps a little misleading to refer to it as a market – visitors here are not in for a typical flea market experience and certainly need to be equipped with a sense of adventure to venture to this location!

The adventure starts in trying to find Mu Lan Hua Ge Jia Ju Li Curio Company. It is really tricky to get to –  it is next to Lingzhao Xincun metro station on Line 8, but the best advice is to write down the name of the market in Chinese and show it to someone to get directions. Once in the vicinity of Mu Lan Hua Ge Jia Ju Li Curio Company, it is still easy to miss. The huge, tin-plated hangar is actually the vintage market, so be bold and step right in.

Mu Lan Hua Ge Jia Ju Li Curio Company appears to be more of a giant warehouse having a massive clear out of stock than anything like an organized flea market. The shopping experience here is something like walking through the house of a chronic hoarder – there is just enough space between the piles to squeeze a human through, and in amongst the piles there is literally everything to be found. Old trunks, chairs, tables, ladders, stools, musical instruments, taxidermied animals, old radios, televisions, Buddha statues, and more. And more. And more.

There is a really special atmosphere at Mu Lan Hua Ge Jia Ju Li Curio Company and the sellers definitely enjoy interacting with shoppers, haggling and talking about their wares. Any item that needs tinkering with, repairing or restoring can be taken care of, which adds extra charm to the whole experience at this market.

Be ready to barter hard, embrace the chaos and the experience at Mu Lan Hua Ge Jia Ju Li Curio Company is like no other!