INTRODUCTION

On a hot and humid summer day in 2006, the Xiangyang Market offered up hundreds of outdoor stalls and “brand name” goodies: Louis Vuitton wallets, Gucci monogrammed handbags, and Prada key rings neatly lined rolling carts as vendors yelled loudly, “Good stuff here, you should take a look!” Only in the 2008 Beijing Olympics closing ceremony would one fi nd a place so densely packed. Non-Chinese customers were the majority, some of them carrying large suitcases behind them to accommodate their “souvenirs.” Inside those cases were bags, scarves, watches and other goods-a potpourri of local market commodities with global cache.