Shopping in Beijing is becoming more convenient
by the day. Every year new shopping centers and plazas are sprouting
up all over the capital. Just a few years ago there was only a few
department stores and small bazaars, but now there are many superstores,
mega-malls and markets where you can buy just about anything you
need. Recently, the first IKEA just opened in the north of the city.
There is a huge PrICE Smart which is a discount wholesale foodstuffs
market for cardholders only. The Silk Market at Xiushui Jie and
the free market at Sanlitun are also favorites among tourists, expats
and locals alike.
There are various places to go
for shopping, depending on what buyers expect and the prices they
are prepared to pay.
Wangfujing As the most famous commercial area of Beijing, Wangfujing is located at the northern side of Chang’an East Street of the center of the city.. With a long history of more than 700 years, it came into being in the Yuan Dynasty. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there was the earliest business activity. Wangfujing became a commercial center when the Dong’an market was founded here in 1903.The street is less than one kilometer long, but it is crowed with specialty shoes and long-history shops, which are full of modern atmosphere and high taste. Now it is considered as the sister street of Champs Elysees in France. Besides of its modern feature, the street also preserves the Chinese traditional style, such as the Oriental Plaza, Gongmei Building ,Wangfujing Department Store, Moslem Building, Sun Dong An Plaza and so on. Full of beautiful things in eyes absorb 500,000 people everyday to feel its attractive charm.
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Qianmen Qianmen is just in the south of the Tian’anmen square.The Qianmen street was a commercial center of Beijing more than 500 years ago. If you are interested in the Chinese traditional products, then it will be a good place to go. Qianmen area has been remedied as per the architecture style of the Ming and Qing Dynastyt from last year and now the old and famous shops just like the Quanjude, Pianyi Workshop, Douyichu, all of which are the representative of the Chinese traditional culture, are congested there.. Indubitably, the atmosphere of the Chinese traditional culture will be felt.
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Silver Street Silver street is in the Dongdan Beidajie. In the old times, it was the vane of the fashion. All the franchised foreign name-brand were concentrated here. However, after reworked, the Silver street present another different feature.
With a length of 2.7 kilometers from the entrance of Dongdan to the entrance of the Dongsi, it is the combination of tradition and modern, simplicity and fad. The regionally characteristic of the products is in the leading station. You can find the accouterment of Tibet just like the ring, necklace and so on. There are too many stores like this. Undoubtly, you will find the suitable things for yourself.
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The Silk Market “The Chinese Silk Street, the World Brand”, as “the third best known tourist destination of Beijng after the Great Wall and Forbidden City, the Silk Street has been popular with the foreign tourists.
The old open market was demolished back in 2005, and in 2006 the new one has been opened with a bang in its new bright and spacious home. This is a seven story building which has everything included. B2:foodcourt B1:a supermarket, B2: Foodcourt. B1: A supermarket, bags & suitcases, shoes, caps and leather goods. F1: Men's clothing and cashmere, F2: Ladies' fashion and cashmere. F3: Tailor shop, knitted dresses, silk, kid's clothing, bedding and carpet. F4: Jewelry, ornament, traditional crafts, cosmetics, toys, glasses, electrical appliances, watches, and sporting goods. F5: Jewelry, coral, pearl, crystal.
It holds more than 1,700 retail bargainors,well-known among the worldwide tourists for its abundant selection of fake designer brand apparels. On weekdays the Silk Street attracts assumably 20,000 visitors daily(9am to 9pm) and about 50,000 to 60,000 on weekends.
Just as its name, the Silk Street is full of the beautiful silk products (pyjamas, robes, shirts, scarves and so on )as well as the textiles (cashmere scarves, clothes of all types, tableclothes, etc.), and handcrafts. Besides of these, the Silk Street has much more than just silk. The new Silk Street have introduced traditional Chinese handicrafts, antiques, calligraphy, carpets, table cloths, bed coverings, paintings, hand-knit dresses, toys, electronic gadgets, trinkets, and fine jewelry. Everything here can be had way cheaper than at any of the stores in the city, but remember to make the bargain for it.
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Sanlitun Market Besides being famous for its Bar street, Sanlitun is also well-known for its free market. During the daytime, the side of the street across from all of the bars is lined with stalls selling mostly clothing. The good thing about this market as compared to department stores is that you can bargain for prices, and they have larger sizes. Top
Tourism-administration-designated-stores Century-old stores, like those in Beijing's hutongs(alleys) and siheyuan (courtyards), have become part of the city's history. Their fame and location in some of the most bustling downtown areas keep them busy but, at the same time, the stores are small and offer a relatively poor shopping environment. And competition is rising from the rubble of modern construction. In recent years, most traditional stores have made changes to keep up with their rivals, including renovating their rivals, including renovating their facades and interior decorations, and upagrading services. Shopping in some of the best of the stores can be a unique Chinese experience. Top
Antiques A good place to find a wide selection of antiques is at Liulichang. Liulichang is a street in Xuanwumen, and many of the stores are quite old. This area has everything from scrolls, to jade articles to decadesold cigarette ad posters. There are definitely treasures to be found here,but it is hard to tell genuine antiques from dirty fakes. Real antiques are supposed to bear a red official seal that proves their authenticity, but sometimes real ones don't have it and fake ones do. The best attitude to have is: if you like it and you can bargain down to a price you can accept, just go for it. Small jade articles and silver trinkets make great presents for people at home and they are easy to take on the plane.
Another large antiques market is the Antiques City at Panjiayuan. This is a multi-story building which is full of antiques and general kitsch. The same rules apply here as in Liulichang: if you like it , get it. Don't worry if it is fake or not. Many of the things are not real antiques, but on the other hand, recently a 50,000-year-old fossil was confiscated from one of the sellers there. The fossil was on sale for about US$150, so you never know.
Beijing Curio City, gathering more than 250 curio shops under one roof, is China's largest trade center for antiques and fold art works. Many of the dealers are themselves connoisseurs and curio collectors. Antiques that date before 1795 are forbidden for sale or export. Those dated between 1796 and 1949* should bear a small red seal and a Certificate for Relics Export from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau(BCRB), to allow them to be taken out of Chin. The seal also proves the genuineness of the items. A word of caution: keep receipts which should indicate the name and age of the antiques if these items are bought in BCRB designated stores. Top
Porcelain Porcelain, the original China, is still a major industry, producing dinner services, figurines and reproductions of antique vases, teapots and the like. The finest porcelain in the world can be easily purchased in China. Top
Cloisonne Cloisonne(enamel formed in patterns of copper wire) is an art form developed in the 15th century, and now used to decorate vases, bowls, lamps, jewelry and omaments. Top
Lacquerware Lacquerware consists of up to 500 coats of lacquer applied to a copper base and carved into designs. The colors are red, green, yellow and black, while favorite patterns show flowers, birds, landscapes and figures. Lacquer is used for vases, plates, bowls and figures. Lacquer is used for vases, plates, bowls and screens. Some lacquerware is inlaid with gold, mother-of -pearl or jade, to decorate folding screens and furniture which are genuine works of art. Top
Silk Silk, which has brought fame to China, can be readily found in a dazzling array of colors, patterns and textures. While large State-owned stores like the Beijing Yuanlong Silk Corporation, Ltd. Can be trusted for quality and offer ready-made clothes as well as a complete array of fabric, private markets like Xiushui and Yabalu sell all kinds of silk clothing from shirts, underwear and trousers, to pajamas and bedspreads at negotiable brices. Most vendors at the markets are self-employed and speak some English. All the products are marked in Western sizes, but sizes are often deceiving, try on for size. Chinese long gowns are considered the most elegant garment most suitable for women's figures. Silk gowns can be a truly longlasting and useful item to purchase in China for yourself or as gifts for those special people back home. Top
Jade Jade is regarded by the Chinese as a stone descended from heaven. They value its hard, cool texture and translucent colors. It is extremely difficult to carve but China's craftsmen create incredibly intricate ornaments and jewelry from jade. Top
Painting &Calligraphy Serolls Painting and callgraphy works are found in hundreds of stores. They vary in age, quality and price with the finest being true works of art. The brushes, ink slabs, ink and paper that were the scholars traditional tools can be found in most antique shops. One of the best sources is the China Book Store, off the courtyard-parking in East Liulichang. Top
Handicraft Clay figurines and animals can be traced back to 1840s, and are still one of the most unique crafts in North China.
Dough modeling is another traditional folk art handed down from ancient times. Kneaded in half-cooked glutinous rice flour, dough figures, flowers and birds are popular small toys and exhibits in Beijing.
Toy Monkeys are loved by children. The monkey is a near sacred animal in old Chinese folk tales. These toy monkeys are meticulously made and shown engaged in a variety of activities.
Papercutting is one of the most popular handicrafts in Beijing. There is a wider variety of papercutting patterns available than you can imagine.
Kites can be used as ornaments and toys. One of China's favorite past times is flying kites, especially in Beijing where there is usually plenty of wind around to send them soaring into the sky. Available in many art and craft stores, kites are among the best Chinese presents to friends back home.
Snuff bottles, with paintings inside, represent a popular art from the Qing Dynasty and make excellent small gifts. You and your friends will marvel for years on how the artist paints such intricate drawings on the inside of these very small bottles.
Bone products, made from oxen and camel bones, include knives, forks, spoons, bracelets and necklaces.
Embroidery & drawn work appear on table cloths, napkins, sheets and handkerchiefs, all of which are excellent buys, the Beijing Yuanlong Silk Corporation, Ltd. has a wide selection. Top
Books Every year 20,000 book titles and 1,300 periodicals are published in Beijing, home of the Commercial Press and other well-known publishing houses. They make up a small part of the stock of the city's major book shops, where you can find beautiful art books, translations of Chinese classics and textbooks on all known subjects. Prices are reasonable, particularly in the Foreign Languages Bookstores.
The Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore and Beijing Xinhua Bookstore (with 137 branches around town) are major book sellers. The China Book Store in Liulichang binds and repairs all kinds of books and periodicals as well as selling them. Another good place for books is Haidian book street near Beijing University. Top
Kites can be used as ornaments and toys. One of China's favorite past times is flying kites, especially in Beijing where there is usually plenty of wind around to send them soaring into the sky. Available in many art and craft stores, kites are among the best Chinese presents to friends back home.
