We Went To A Taobao Festival, And Found All These Amazing Things

Last weekend, we found ourselves in a magical place.

We were in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, part of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in China, and home to tech giant Alibaba, which owns e-commerce sites Tmall and Taobao. So why were there huge crowds and a bunch of dancing Pikachus?
It was all for one of Taobao’s biggest events: the second annual edition of the Taobao Maker Festival, held this year in the company’s hometown of Hangzhou, in the form of a bazaar-like gathering of 108 Taobao merchants and their wares. The whole point of this festival is to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship, which all these Taobao sellers most definitely have plenty of, evident in the mind-boggling variety of goods hawked on the e-commerce site, and the sheer ingenuity of some of these products.
The event space was huge, with so many blinking lights and fancy setups we didn’t know where to start looking, and how we were ever going to stop. Besides the merchant’s booths, there were stages that saw musical performances (explains those Pikachus), product presentations, and interactive workshops.
We spent hours wandering around the space, taking in all that was on display and trying very hard not to be overwhelmed (it was tough). Still, we managed to scope out some of the most exciting and intriguing items you can get on Taobao, beyond the Feiyues, phone cases and makeup organisers.

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Nanjing Salted Duck merchandise

Yup, these are dead duck plushies. Maybe a little morbid, but mostly ridiculously cute. They’re made by a Nanjing-based Taobao store named 梅花油 (Plum Blossom Oil), which is an odd name for a lifestyle products brand, but also kind of randomly cute. These stuffed ducks have become so popular that the city of Nanjing has adopted them as one of its official souvenirs; they also sell knickknacks like paperclips and red packets too, all featuring this iconic duck delicacy.
Shop 梅花油 products here.
 
Tees and bags… made from recycled plastic bottles

This takes environmentally-friendly fashion to quite a different level. HowBottle owner Huang Ning Ning makes T-shirts and drawstring bags from recycled plastic bottles – each tee takes 12 bottles to make. And no, they don’t feel all hard and plasticky; we ran our hands over them, and the material feels unbelievably soft. What sorcery is this?
Shop HowBottle products here. 
 
China’s own Grumpy Cat


Boy, were the crowds swarming all over this particular booth. Who could resist this fat cat? Its name is 吾皇 ( Wu Huang), and it first began as a Weibo cartoon by artist Liang Kedong. The cartoon got so famous that it morphed into its own merchandise store on Taobao named 吾皇万睡 (caught the pun there?), so fans could bring their very own Wu Huang home.
Shop 吾皇万睡 products here.
 
Extremely photogenic succulents

We can’t resist collecting succulents – even if we’re not very good at keeping them alive for very long – just because they make such pleasant additions to any desk. Taobao merchant Xiao Jie is something of a succulent artist – he doesn’t just sell them in very adorable pots, but the succulents he cultivates are especially photogenic too.
Shop 二木的花园 products here.
 
Minimalist shoes


Chen Nuo is the designer behind footwear brand Nuogic, and his credentials are legit: he used to be an assistant to Jimmy Choo. Chen’s style is quite different from that of his ex-boss’, however – all minimalism and monochrome tones, with a liking for covering many of his recent designs with marble prints.
Shop Nuogic here.
 
The most amazing computer modifications in the world


We know plenty of places that do CPU mods, but we’re pretty sure no one does them like the people at the FUXK store (not a typo). These guys are world-renowned for what they can turn a humble CPU into; those machines you see in the pictures above? They’re actually functional. Prices are very much eye-watering, but you’re paying for what you get, really.
Shop FUXK here. 
 
Customised luxury sneakers

Sneakerhead Luo De Han developed a hobby of hand-decorating his kicks, and soon enough turned it into a thriving business in the form of Taobao store HANZI PRODUCT. He takes shoes like Jordans and Yeezys and turns them into one-of-a-kind fashion statements. Drawing on these incredibly expensive shoes might be sacrilegious to some, but hey, if you really want to stand out, here’s an option.
Shop HANZI PRODUCT here.
 
Wooden bags

Toting around a handbag made of wood definitely isn’t the most practical, but designer Chen Luo Man makes them so beautifully for her label FANJI, we don’t even mind the impracticalities. Whether with painted-on designs or left plain, these wood bags are quite the unexpected complement to any outfit.
Shop FANJI here.
 
Scandinavian-style furnishings

We all know that homeowner who’s furnished practically his/her entire place with Taobao buys; if you haven’t caught on already, Taobao truly is the place to shop for furniture that’s very affordable, and actually quite nice. We found a gem of a furniture store at the festival: ZiinLife!, which is all about clean lines with pastel accents, basically all you need to get your room Pinterest-ready.
Shop ZiinLife! here.
 
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