Reproduced with permission from China 11th Edition © Lonely Planet 2009” www.LonelyPlanet.com

There are several vibrant Chinese shopping districts offering abundant goods and reasonable prices: Wangfujing Dajie (王府井大街), Xidan (西单) and reconstructed Qianmen (前门), including Dashilar. The hútòng of Dashilar (大栅栏; ) runs southwest from the northern end of Qianmen Dajie, south of  Tiananmen Sq. It’s a great jumble of silk shops, old stores, theatres, herbal medicine shops, and food and clothing specialists, although much was under wraps for possible development prior to the Olympics. Delve into fun Yandai Xiejie (烟袋斜街) east of Silver Ingot Bridge for Tibetan trinkets, glazed tiles, T-shirts, paper cuts, teapots, ceramics and even qípáo (cheongsam).

More luxurious shopping areas can be found in the embassy areas of Jianguomenwai (建国门外) and Sanlitun (三里屯); also check out five-star hotel shopping malls. Shopping at open-air markets is an experience not to be missed. Běijīng’s most popular markets are the Silk Street, the Sanlitun Yashou Clothing Market, Panjiayuan and the Pearl Market. There are also specialised shopping districts such as Liulichang.

Arts & Crafts

Liulichang Xijie Běijīng’s premier antique street, not far west of Dashilar.   Worth delving along for its quaint, albeit dressed up, age-old village atmosphere, Liulichang’s shops trade in (largely fake) antiques. Alongside ersatz Qing monochrome bowls and Cultural Revolution kitsch, you can also rummage through old Chinese books, paintings, brushes, ink and paper. Prepare yourself for pushy sales staff and stratospheric prices; wander round and compare price tags. If you want a chop (carved seal) made, you can do it here. At the western end of Liulichang Xijie, a collection of ramshackle stalls flogs bric-a-brac, Buddhist statuary, Cultural Revolution pamphlets and posters, fake Tang dynasty sāncǎi (three-colour
porcelain), shoes for bound feet, silks, handicrafts, Chinese kites, swords, walking sticks, door knockers etc.

Beijing Curio City (Běijīng Gǔwán Chéng; 6774 7711; 21 Dongsanhuan Nanlu; 9.30am-6.30pm) South of Panjiayuan, Curio City is four floors of gifts, scrolls, ceramics, carpets, duty-free shopping and furniture. It’s an excellent place to turn up knick-knacks and souvenirs, especially on Sundays.

Liuligongfang Art Gallery (Liúlígōngfáng; 6461 3189; AA46-AA48, 1st fl, Oriental Plaza, Dongchang’an
Dajie) The mesmerising multicolour lustre of Liuligongfang’s Buddhist glass jewellery and ornaments make for excellent gifts (or simple browsing).

Zhang’s Textiles (Huāzhāng; 8500 4118; No 2, lobby, Raffles Beijing Hotel, 33 Dongchang’an Jie) If you need an iron-clad guarantee your Qingdynasty embroideries are genuine antiques, come here and enjoy the beautiful selection.  Further branch in the China World Trade Center .

Bannerman Tang’s Toys and Crafts (Shèngtángxuān Chuántǒng Mínjiān Wánjù Kāifā Zhōngxīn; 8404 7179; 38 Guozijian Jie; 9.30am-7pm) Marvellous collection of handmade toys and delightful collectibles from Chinese weebles (budao weng; from Y30), puppets, clay figures, tiger pillows to kites and other
gorgeous items; it’s just along from the Confucius Temple.

Cuì Wén Gé  ; 8316 5899; 58 Liulichang Dongjie) Don’t expect any bargains, but there’s a riveting array of temple ornaments, ceramics, traditional roof figures, antique fans, bronzes, ceramics, antique ivory Bodhisattvas and more at this Liulichang antiques specialist; don’t miss the collection of thangka (Tibetan sacred art) upstairs.

Zhāoyuángé 6512 1937; 41 Nanheyan Dajie) If you love Chinese kites, you’ll enjoy this minute shop on the western side of Nanheyan Dajie. Chinese paper kites range from Y10 for a simple kite, up to around Y300 for a dragon; miniature Chinese kites start from Y25. You can also browse Beijing opera masks, snuff bottles, chopsticks, Mao badges and zǐshā teapots. The owner does not speak much English, but you can look around and make a selection.

Clothing

Silk Street (Xiùshuǐ Jiē; cnr Jianguomenwai Dajie & Dongdaqiao Lu; 9am-9pm) Seething with shoppers and pushy, polyglot (and increasingly tactile) vendors who try everything to lighten your wallet, Silk Street was long notorious for its fake knock-offs, and some pirated labels remain. The market sprawls
from floor to floor, shoving piles of rucksacks, shoes, clothing, silk, cashmere, tailormade qípáo and more into the overloaded mitts of travellers and expats. Head to the 3rd floor for silks, cashmere and cotton, the 4th floor for pearls and fake Rolexes, the 5th floor for jewellery, and the 6th floor for roast duck. Haggle like a fiend (credit cards accepted).

Sanlitun Yashou Clothing Market (Sānlǐtún Yǎxiù Fúzhuāng Shìchǎng;58 Gongrentiyuchang Beilu) After slogging through this hopping, fivefloor bedlam of shoes, boots, handbags, suitcases, jackets, silk, carpets, batik, lace, jade, pearls, toys, army surplus and souvenirs, ease the pressure on your bunions with a foot massage (Y50 per hour) or pedicure (Y40) on the 4th floor and restore calories in the 5th-floor food court.

Feng Ling Fashion Art Design (6417 7715; 798 Art District) This place has eye-catching designs and sensuous takes on Cultural Revolutionary fashion, qípáo and evening dresses.

Mushi Boutique (Múxī; 6568 0036; www.mushi.com.cn; L107, 1st fl, LG Twins Mall, 1312 Jianguomenwai Dajie) A boutique that offers fastidiously exclusive and elegant coats, hats, leather jackets and skirts; but don’t expect to find bargains here (cardigans cost Y2000, coats Y5000).

Plastered T-Shirts (Chuāngkětiē T-Xù; 61 Nanluogu Xiang; 139 102 05721; www.plasteredtshirts.com; 1-10pm Mon-Fri, 10am-10pm Sat & Sun) Fun range of tongue-in-cheek, ironic and iconic T-shirts, fitting neatly into the entertaining Nanluogu Xiang mentality.

Department Stores & Malls

Oriental Plaza (Dōngfāng Guǎngchǎng; www.orientalplaza.com; 1 Dongchang’an Jie; 9.30am-9.30pm) You could spend a day in this staggeringly large shopping mega-complex at the foot of Wangfujing Dajie. Prices may not be cheap, but window-shoppers will be overjoyed.  There’s a great range of shops and restaurants and an excellent basement food court. Men, beware of being dragged off to exorbitant cafes and teahouses by pretty English-speaking girls.

Lufthansa Center Youyi Shopping City (Yànshā Yǒuyì Shāngchǎng; 50 Liangmaqiao Lu) The gigantic Lufthansa Center is a well-stocked and long-established multilevel shopping mall.  You can find most of what you need here, including several restaurants, kids’ toys on the 6th floor and international-access ATMs on the ground floor.

Friendship Store (Yǒuyì Shāngdiàn; 6500 3311; 17 Jianguomenwai Dajie) This place could be worth a perusal for its upstairs touristy junk, supermarke and deli.

Markets

Pānjiāyuán; dawn-around 3pm Sat & Sun) Hands down the best place to shop for yìshù (arts), gōngyì (crafts) and gǔwán (antiques) in Běijīng is Pānjiāyuán (aka the Dirt Market or the Sunday Market). The market only takes place on weekends and has everything from calligraphy, Cultural Revolution
memorabilia and cigarette-ad posters to Buddha heads, ceramics and Tibetan carpets.

The market sees up to 50,000 visitors every day scoping for treasures. If you want to join them, early Sunday morning is the best time. You may not find that rare Qianlong dǒucǎi stem cup or late-Yuan dynasty qīnghuā vase that will ease you into early retirement, but what’s on view is no less than a compendium of Chinese curios and an A-to-Z of Middle Kingdom knickknacks.

Bear in mind that this market is also chaos, especially if you find crowds or hard bargaining intimidating. Also, ignore the ‘don’t pay more than half’ rule here – some vendors may start at 10 times the real price, so aim low. Make a few rounds at Pānjiāyuán before forking out for anything, to compare prices and weigh it all up.  It’s off Dongsanhuan Nanlu (Third Ring Rd); to get there take the subway to Guomao,
then bus 28.

Pearl Market (Hóngqiáo Shìchǎng; 6713 3354; Tiantan Donglu; 8.30am-7pm) The cosmos of clutter across from the east gate of Temple of Heaven Park ranges from shoes, leather bags, jackets, jeans, silk by the yard, electronics, Chinese arts, crafts and antiques to a galaxy of pearls (freshwater and seawater, white and black), on the 3rd floor. Prices for the latter vary incredibly with quality. Pop down to the basement for a selection of scorpions, snake meat, snails and more and if you have kids in tow, don’t miss the Kids Toys market (Hóngqiáo Tiānlè Wánjù Shìchǎng; 8.30am to 7pm) in the building behind, stuffed to the gills with soft toys, cars, kits, electronic games, models and more.