Fake souvenirs real business
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Liu Ming is not just another visitor to Expo 2010 Shanghai.
He does tour the pavilions, to be sure. But most of the time, the man with a backpack is intent upon getting his business done, which is selling fake Expo souvenirs to curious visitors. He keeps his eyes open for the police, and sells only when they're not around.
Stuffed in his backpack are not only some food and snacks to sustain his one-day trip in the Expo Garden, but also piles of fake Expo mascot called Haibao, among others, that he finds extremely popular with visitors and are easy to sell.
He has one survival rule - watch out for patrolling police. When they do come around, Liu has to wrap all his things up quickly and turn himself into a common visitor.
Liu, who did not want his real name used, is among a secret group of street peddlers who, not satisfied with doing business outside the Expo Garden, have ventured inside to do their selling, despite pledges of harsh crackdowns on them from the Expo authorities.
And the reason, Liu points out, is the double blessings of being able to visit the pavilions while making big money.
Visitors can buy three key holders with a Haibao-shaped accessory for 10 yuan ($1.47) from the peddlers. One of the non-fake key holders costs 28 yuan at the franchised store, Liu said.
"Most visitors really don't mind whether it is fake or not. As a matter of fact, our handwork is pretty good," he said, adding that sometimes he earns up to several hundred yuan a day, which well covers the 160 yuan ticket price he pays for entry into the garden.
Visitors also can find Expo passports available from peddlers like Liu.
"The passports are so popular that they sometimes sell out at the franchised stores. When this happens, we can make good business. We can sell stamped passports for even more money," said Liu.
"But we have to play hide-and-seek with the police or the managing staff of the Expo. If get caught, as some of us have unfortunately experienced, all the souvenirs are confiscated by the police," he added.
The 20-something young man, however, seems not in the least intimidated by the potential risks.
A typical day for Liu starts with the excitement of rushing toward some of the most popular pavilions in the early morning when the garden opens, he said. Then after touring one or two of them, he finds places to sell the souvenirs, although sometimes he has to change places several times a day to dodge the police.
Over time, he has figured out some of the safest places to sell, and he shares that information with his friends doing the same business.
"I have to say the Expo has greatly enriched my experience as a street peddler," Liu said with a chuckle.
Although Expo organizers said earlier this month that the municipal industrial and commercial bureau has stepped up efforts to fight counterfeits of Expo souvenirs, visitors seem to be more tolerant of the fakes.
"The souvenirs at the franchised stores are too expensive when I compare them with those from the peddlers," said a visitor surnamed Zhao from Zhejiang province.
"Of course it is against the law that they sell counterfeits but as long as they do not occupy the roads and disturb the normal operation of the Expo, I think their presence can help save money for those not-so-well-off families," he said.
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