Because Du Jun described the ghost market so mysteriously, Wang Man couldn't sleep well that night because of her excitement. She didn't get up until noon, and her original plan to go shopping during the day was cancelled.
We finally waited until nightfall, had dinner, and waited until around 11 o'clock at midnight. The four of us changed our clothes.
Liu Qingshan didn't go with us, and his fiancée didn't come. He felt bored always going out with us, so he took the initiative to stay and look after the house.
The four of us were fully armed, with cotton hats on our heads, military coats, large cotton gloves, and masks on our faces. When we spoke, white gas was sprayed from our mouths.
Not long after leaving Nankai District, we arrived at the famous Tianbao Road. About a mile away, we could already see dots of bright lights ahead.
After walking a little further, we saw a street sandwiched between two rows of city walls.
There are neither street lights nor any hanging light bulbs on the street. There are only many portable pony lanterns or small lanterns placed on both sides.
These lamps are all without exception. The flames are adjusted very low, and they can only vaguely illuminate the area about one meter away. Behind each oil lamp there is a shadowy figure, either standing or sitting.
A small oilcloth was spread out under the lamp, with various objects on it.
There are already many people on the street who come to shop for treasures like us. Everyone is wearing thick coats and their figures are hidden in the darkness.
Apart from the snapping of dead branches on the ground and the occasional whisper, there was almost no one talking in the market.
Xiaolian leaned her body towards me. The ghost market in Yanjing really lived up to its reputation. It was really like a market in another world. Anyone who comes here for the first time would be frightened.
The four of us didn't speak. We made it clear to them before we came. There are many rules in the ghost market. When we get here, we must do as the Romans do.
Wang Man and Xiao Lian were both here for the first time. They held our arms carefully and looked around curiously.
Occasionally, when we found something novel, we would be dragged forward, pretending to take out a flashlight and shine a light on the goods.
After looking at them for a long time, they didn't even bid. When the shop owner got impatient, he dragged us down the stairs.
It’s no wonder these two girls are so excited. The reputation of Yanjing Ghost Market is so great that it can almost be compared with the Panjiayuan Ghost Market in Kyoto. Many people even confuse the ghost markets in Kyoto and Yanjing.
Wang Man and Xiaolian once asked about this matter.
I explained it to them in detail yesterday.
In the eyes of ordinary people, Yanjing is actually another name for Kyoto, but among us people in the world have our own divisions.
Yanjing is the ancient name for the entire large area of what is now Kyoto and its surrounding areas. It is the birthplace of Central Plains culture.
Later, several dynasties designated Yanjing as their capital. Over time, different cultures of various ethnic groups took root here.
After modern times, the key areas of ancient Yanjing were classified as a new city, namely Kyoto Sijiucheng.
Other areas have become several surrounding cities, but traditional Jianghu people and some elderly people are still accustomed to calling these areas Yanjing, including the famous Yanjing University, which still uses this old name.
Although it is very close to Sijiu City, the customs, language and culture, including urban construction, are very different.
Take this ghost market as an example. The two places have similarities, but they also have their own characteristics.
First of all, the ghost market in Yanjing and Panjiayuan in Kyoto both follow some iron-clad old rules.
The market opens in the early morning and closes at dawn. No particularly bright light is allowed in the entire ghost market.
A lantern is placed at the foot of the stall, and the wick must be adjusted to be small.
If you like something in the ghost market, you can take out the flashlight you carry with you to inspect it, but you can only look at the goods, not people.
No loud talking is allowed during transactions, and prices are bargained secretly in accordance with regulations.
In the past, it was done by taking off the melon skin hat on the head, or pinching the fingers in the sleeves.
Make two gestures to complete the bargain.
It's not so strict now. You can whisper if you feel it's necessary, but making loud noises is strictly prohibited, and you're not allowed to ask about the origin of the goods.
More importantly, if you see on the spot that the product is fake or has other problems, you are absolutely not allowed to say anything.
Otherwise you will encounter resistance from everyone in the ghost city, and conflicts may even break out.
Of course, in addition to these common rules, ghost markets in various places will also develop their own characteristics after a period of development.
Among them, the Panjiayuan Ghost Market is the most famous and has the longest history.
The main theme is a big one and a ghost.
Big means that Panjiayuan Ghost Market has the largest area and the most goods.
From antique calligraphy and paintings, gold agate, pearls and jade, to straw sandals and cloth, diaper needles, cattle and horses, livestock...
It sells almost everything.
And it really highlights a ghost character.
This ghost does not refer to the ghost in the underworld, but refers to the fact that many goods sold in the ghost market have ghosts. To put it bluntly, they are deliberately deceiving people, which is different from the kind of fake goods sold.
Selling fake goods is counterfeit, passing off as good, and pretending to be genuine.
But there are many stall owners in Panjiayuan who are deliberately deceiving people.
For example, if you want to buy a tabby cat, but he deliberately buys a weasel, it is so dark that you may not be able to see it clearly.
Or you want to buy a purebred wolfdog. He paints the native dog with colors, sticks the ears with glue to stand up, and the wolfdog appears in the dark...
If you accidentally buy it back, you can only admit that you are unlucky. Even if you recognize him in the ghost market the next day, you are not allowed to mention it again.
Therefore, several ridiculous scams appear in Panjiayuan every year.
What stands out about the ghost market in Dashiqiao, Yanjing is that one is specialized and the other is expensive.
Specialty means that the items here are not that miscellaneous, mostly daily necessities, antique calligraphy and paintings.
Living animals such as donkeys, horses, chickens and ducks are rarely seen, and even pets such as cats and dogs are rare.
Gui means that the deception and trickery here are relatively advanced.
There must be fakes in the ghost market, and they account for the majority, but most of them are fakes or high imitations, with a certain level of technical content.
Fake antiques, fake calligraphy and paintings, fake cigarettes and wine, imitation brand-name watches, coats...
Anyway, the more valuable something is, the more fake it is here.
But there are indeed some genuine products, and some exquisite products that even the stall owners don’t recognize are buried inside.
So what is tested here is vision and insight.
It is said that some people once bought a complete set of ancient Jingdezhen porcelain, and some wealthy nobles sold their antiques as ordinary bottles...
Of course, more people are taken advantage of.
A piece of ordinary inferior jade was bought home as the best Hetian jade, a Qing Dynasty folk kiln porcelain was taken as the official kiln during the Qianlong period, and some people took a processed green glass bottle pendant as the best jade.
Even Du Jun and I don't dare to say that we won't suffer a loss 100% when buying things in a place like this. If we are not careful, we will get slapped.
Last time we came here, we just bought a better Miao knife for Liu Qingshan, and I bought a Qing Dynasty writing brush with a white jade stem.
But this time is different. It is much larger than the two times we came here. The will-o'-the-wisps on both sides can't be seen at a glance.
There are so many people wandering around and shopping for treasures, you can meet one in just two steps.
Du Jun and I also cheered up and prepared to show our strength in front of Xiaolian and the others.
Just like this, they walked past one by one.
When we walked to the middle, Xiaolian suddenly squeezed my hand hard and pointed to a lamp on the left.
