Electronic Instant Gratification

The Dashanlu Technology Market is the sort of place of which geeks dream. Three five floor buildings filled with a diverse selection of electronics. Speakers, cameras, wires, computers, components, surveillance equipment, and cash counting machines all waiting in tightly packed stalls to be bought and taken to their new homes. Though not as large as the Beijing Tech Market, Jinan's still packs a punch.

Approaching the market is a calm experience, with it being off of the major roads of the city. However, that comes to an apbrupt end once you are a block away from the market. On Dashanlu the street explodes with vendors, pedestrians, and parked scooters. Boxes of newly purchased laptops, businessmen carrying new desktops, and software vendors ( sans parrot and eyepatch though they would have been appropriate) are common sites on the street. Of paticular note, due to their antiquated nature, were camera film distributors who also sold a host of chemicals for developing your film based photography.

Inside each building is  an organized chaos of electronic related products. My favorite purchase of the day was a silicon keyboard protector for my laptop. Though they offer generic versions of this product (Universal Silicone Keyboard Protector Skin for Laptop Notebook ), I was able to find a custom version for my Thinkpad. For a dollar, I couldn't be more thrilled.

I can't help but think China must be a hardware geeks dream. For those into hacking hardware, a virtually endless set of new and old components awaits. I suspect , if you wanted, you could even whip out your soldering iron on the spot and get to work.

They style of the vendor stalls varies greatly with some major brands having comfy couches and branded areas and others (like the picture below) looking like IT Hell.

Sadly, finding a powerful vantage point to capture the scene eluded me on this trip. So, you are left with a photo of the two primary buildings (note the laptops on the back of the bike) as well as an inside shot of the stalls. As a bonus, I also including a picture of a chair made of elastic bands. Enjoy!