In the dirty, overcrowded alleys of Qianmen, everything is cheap and most goods are stolen or smuggled - socks, shirts, puppies and even workers from distant corners of the country for hire are on offer.
Just as it was when the emperor lived in the Forbidden City, on the other side of Tiananmen square, Qianmen is famous for its poor, and bargain shopping - a good place to ask what has happened to the government's anti-smuggling campaign.
It was launched with much fanfare by Premier Zhu Rongji on July 16, with the aim of boosting import duties, win back market share for domestic manufacturers and raise the prices of smuggled items.
Customs targeted raw materials for the chemical industry, oil products, steel, cars and plywood.
According to the official press, the campaign has been a considerable success. Television reported gun battles at sea between smugglers in boats equipped with state-of-the-art telecommunications being chased by customs vessels full of soldiers with machine guns. Shenzhen customs stopped two cargo vessels from Hong Kong and found 1.13 million pirated compact discs.
In the first 30 days of the campaign, the authorities seized 1.03 billion yuan (about HK$958.41 million) worth of smuggled goods - a record for a single month.