In Shanghai, They Issue a Warning - "Never Follow Any Stranger Anywhere"

But we did anyway...

Shanghai skyline taken from the Jin Mao Tower observation deck by the author. The iconic Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower is the centre piece.

It's classic travel advice - beware of strangers offering unbeatable deals on art or gold, as they’re almost certainly scams.

Having survived Bangkok’s infamous tourist traps before, we felt worldly enough to be able to spot trouble. After all, we'd once outsmarted a gold dealer there, recognising the layers of exploitation that even ensnare the local tuk-tuk drivers.

In Shanghai, however, they don't send out slick salesmen to catch tourists. Ordinary people tempt you to follow them through a maze of alleys and homes to a hidden underworld of high-end counterfeit goods.

Like Alice following the White Rabbit, we followed such a stranger.

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