While to locals, true British culture mostly consists of the Queen, Sherlock Holmes and Big Ben, the epitome of upper-class, it is now time to introduce another side of Britishness to Nanjingers; the carboot sale.
The second hand-markets are probably the exact opposite of the glitz and glamour locally associated with the regal island, yet they are just as representative of its culture as Diana or Benjamin Cumberbatch.
An eco-friendly social occasion that promotes recycling, car boot sales are a form of second-hand market at which individuals come together to sell used goods, ranging from clothes to DVDs and CDs, antiques or even handicrafts.
The event is being organized by the Community Clubhouse (NICC) in cooperation with sponsors Novotel, Nanjing International Club and the British School of Nanjing, and is open to charities, individuals and companies.
Community Clubhouse’s website describes the event as “a great opportunity to get rid of some of those rarely used things at the back of your cupboard just taking up space. Those ice skates the kids only wore once, the clothes they have grown out of or that teddy they no longer play with; bring them all along and help them find a new home.”
Angela He, operations director of Community Clubhouse, explains
“As far as we know, a car boot sale has never been done before in Nanjing. We like being involved in interesting cultural exchanges that introduce the multi-faceted culture of the West.
To make things a bit more interesting, we have tweaked the original concept to provide entertainment for kids, delicious food stalls and the opportunity for charities to get involved, giving the whole event more communal as well as entertainment value.
We plan on running many more events introducing European and other cultural concepts to Nanjing’s internationally-minded community.”
In fact, Nanjing is just another step on the road for the “car boot craze”. Having originated in the United Kingdom, the second-hand market has also become popular in many European countries and even has travelled as far as Australia.
The popularity can certainly be traced back its many advantages such as purchasing goods at a considerably reduced price to save money in difficult economic times as well as promoting a more sustainable consumption pattern by recycling items that would have otherwise landed straight in the bin.
To Nanjing’s expats there is of course the added state of flux in which many live their lives. The season to return home is nearing at great speed and the car boot is a fabulous opportunity to get rid of all those items the departing expats will not be taking back home. As such, one can probably expect to find much newer and less used items at Nanjing’s very first car boot sale than at your ol’ Sunday morning event in Oxford.
The event will take place on 7th June at the Nanjing Novotel East Suning Galaxy Car Park. Registration for a parking space is completely free. 50 spaces are available in total, pre-registry is required. To register send an email to info@yournicc.net.