Beijing Shopping Areas

Wangfujing Street
As the most famous commercial area of Beijing, Wangfujing is located at the northern side of Changan Avenue at 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 crowded with specialty 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, Muslim Building, Sun Dong An Plaza and so on.
How to get there:
Take Subway Line 1, get off at Wangfujing Station (王府井站）and exit from Exit A



Qianmen Street
Qianmen is just in the south of the Tiananmen 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 Dynasty. 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.
How to get there:
Take Subway line 2, get off at Qianmen Station (前门）, and exit at Exit B or C

 The Silk Market
This is a seven story building which has everything included. 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 cheaper than at any of the stores in the city, but remember to make the bargain for it.
How to get there:
Take Subway line 1, get off at Yonganli Station (永安里）and exit from Exit

 
Panjiayuan Market
For many foreign tourists to Beijing, Panjiayuan Market is a must see activity. As the largest antiques market of its kind both in China and Asia, the Panjianyuan Market is made up of more than 3,000 individual stalls covering 48,500 square meters. There is really a market for everbody to come, even Hilary Clinton has shopped here.

All kind of souvenirs are available for sale. There are reproductions from the late Qing Dynasty as well as real stuff from the Cultural Revolution era. What is known to the Chinese as the “four treasure of the study”(writing brush, ink stick, paper and ink slab), old books and paintings, ancient Chinese and foreign coins, Buddhist relics, customes of ethnic minorities, apparels are also can be found here. You'd better go there on weekends. The Antique zone is open everyday, but the Arts and Crafts Warehouse Zone is on Saturday and Sunday only.
Add: West of Panjiayuan Bridge in the Chaoyang district.
Opening hours
8:30 - 18:30 from Monday to Friday
4:30 - 18:30 Saturday and Sunday
How to get there:
Take subway line 10 get off at the final station of Jinsong (劲松), and continue to have a 15-minute walk to next bridge (Panjiayuan Bridge) in the south and West of Panjiayuan Bridge is Panjiayuan Market.


Beijing Curio City
Perfect for old and antique artifacts, as one of the Asia's largest curio distribution center, the curio city covers an area of 23,400 square meters with about 500 stores. Its main business scope covers a wide ring of ancient porcelain, clocks, paintings, jade, carving, antique furniture, jewelry and carpet. To wander around the curio city will enlarge your knowledge about the Chinese Culture. At the same time, these ancient art treasures will make your eyes dazzled.
Add: No.21, 3rd East Ring South Road, Chaoyang District (South of Panjiayuan Market).
Tel: 010-6774 7711
 

Hongqiao Market
Hongqiao is a Beijing shopping favorite, not because it is relax but because it has anything you want to find, such as antiques, jewelry, clothes, food, souvenirs, gifts, toys, shoes etc. Although the quality of the goods is not always the best, but for the prices it is about what you can afford. Rather chaotic but you will have fun poking around.
It is located in the south central area of Beijing, just the east entrance to the Temple of Heaven.
Add: Tiantan East Road, Chongwen District (Almost opposite the East Gate to the Temple of Heaven)
How to get there:
Take subway line 5 and get off at the station of East Temple of Heaven (天坛东）



Yuxin Market
Located at the west side of Sanlitun Bar St. and near to the second embassy area, Yaxiu is a well-known clothing bazaar. The items here are a little similar to the Silk Market, but the price is much cheaper. The little overlap between stalls are crowed by the foreign trade cloth, traditional handcrafts, and accessories. You also can also create your own body-skimming Qipao dress at the indoor market. The tailor and fabric vendors occupy the third floor. Choose from a rainbow of silks and flip through the stylebook to find your perfect Chinese-girl look. The time to tailor just need 24 hours and the cost is less than 200 yuan. At the end, do not forget to make the bargain.
Add: No.58, Worker's Stadium North Road, Chaoyang District

Liulichang Antique Street
Liulichang ( Liu Li Chang - colored Glazed Plant ) is an antique culture street in Beijing. It is located south of Hepingmen Subway Station, just next to Hepingmen Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. Liulichang ( Colored Glazed Plant ) gets its name in Ming Dynasty when the government established Colored Glazed Plant to produce fired colored glaze tiles to meet the need of royalty. Liulichang is 750m long with a long history from Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The area is really a good place to these who love the Chinese culture.
How to get there:
Take subway line 2, get off at the station of Hepingmen (和平门), and exit from EXIT C2.

Liangma Collection Market
With a history of over than 10 years, the market covers an area of 5,000 square metres. It mainly trades in worthful figuline, iade article, clock, camera, paints, carper, furniture of Ming and Qing Dynasty as well as house-hold decorate.
Add: No.59, Liangma Road, Chaoyang District
Tel: 010-64621625
Take subway line 10 and get off at Liangmahe (亮马河）



Gaobeidian Antique Furniture Street
With a development of 10 years, Gaobeidian Antique Furniture Street has come into being a characteristic culture street offering classical furniture. The Gaobeidian classical furniture street is a good stage for representing and trading Chinese Traditional furniture; the main type of the furniture is of Ming and Qing Dynasty. Vendors and buyers from all China, even from many parts of the world.
Add: Gaobeidian, Chaoyang District




Baoguosi Temple Culture Market
It is the most centralize and professional market for the age-old money. So the big difference between Baoguosi Culture Market and other antique markets is that Baoguosi market is well focused on ancient coins, old ppaper money and old books.
Add: No.1, Baoguo Temple, Guanganmennei, Xuanwu District

Jianguomenwai Street
Jianguomenwai Street is a famous metropolitan area, which nowadays has developed into a slap-up shopping centre, such as Friendship Store, Guiyou Department Store, Scitech Plaza and the China World Shopping Mall.
Jianguomenwai St. is not very far away from Tiananmen square, so it is a convenient place to do the shopping.
Take subway line 1, and get off either at Jianguomen or Yonganli

Lai Tai Lady's St.
Best known for being on the name"lady street" and next to and alleyway called "Lady Dressing Plaza", the new Lai Tai Lady's St. is one of the biggest non-clothes, but for flowers market on the east side of Beijing. Especially in the old days, strolling in Lai Tai is a perfect idea, as the huge of flowers, plants and orchids is attractive, even if you do not buy it. And there are also about 20 shops selling aquariums and aquarium equipment. Note that, the south side of the Liangmehe, opposite the Lufthansa Centre, smaller Lai Tai still exists behind Duty Nellies.
Add: Near the Lufthansa business district
Take subway line 10 and get off at Liangmahe (亮马河）

Xidan Shopping Area
Situated in Xidan North St., west of Tiananmen square, Xiandan, a up-market commercial area, is a famous centre for commerce, entertainment and dinning, just like the US department store.
The market is oriented to different costumer groups, providing mid-and high-quality commodities and highlighting the distinctive feature of professionalsm and completeness to meet the needs of people. There are a lot of old and new shops here such as: Xidan Shopping Center, Xidan Bazaar, Chung-Yo Department Store, Huanan Mansion, Paris Photo Studio, Weiwei Bride Wedding Dress Photo Studio and Capital Bookstore.
How to get there:
Take subway line 1, get off at the station of Xidan (西单), and exit from Exit K

Tongrentang Pharmacy

As the oldest Chinese apothecary, Tongrongtang is located at the south of Tiananmen. It is founded in 1669 and worked as the royal patronage in 1861. With the development of the more the 300 years, today it has expanded to have a large show-room outside Beijng. The shop is set-up by the Chinese traditional style at the frontage and interior. There are a lot of pictures of the famous ancient Chinese physicians and pharmacists.
Now it has developed more than 3,000 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine, medical herbs and tables and liquid medicines. With the worldwide interest in the Chinese Traditional Medicine, it has established many branches in Beijing as well as in whole China, HongKong, London and Sydney and more.
Add: No.255, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District

Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop
Well-known, China is the hometown of the Tea. Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop, another old-brand store, was established in the 34th year of Emperor Guangxu's regign in the Qing Dynasty (1910). The name of the tea shop, "yiyuan" means a successful beginning and continuous development. Zhangyiyuan has always been famed for its various descriptions, fine quality as well as reasonable price. All kind of teas can be available at Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop, such as the famous Longjing, Biluochun as well as the Silver Needle. As a whole, there are more than 200 kinds of tea provided by Zhangyiyuan in order to meet the different needs of the customers both home and abroad. The tea is divided into black tea, scented tea and health tea according the northerners'taste.
Zhangyiyuan Tea Shop has established many branches, in this way its line of operation will be expanded and the time-honored brand will be further developed.
Add: No.173, Zhushikou West Street, Xuanwu District



Top 10 Beijing Markets
If you are not interested in shopping at high-end shopping malls in Beijing, where everything seems to be overpriced at fixed prices, then why not dig into the plentiful free or flea markets where you can enjoy bargaining with the local vendors. If you are not familiar with the markets in Beijing, you may follow me to explore the top 10 Beijing markets below. I’m sure you will get what you want to memorize your Beijing trip.

  
Top 10 Beijing Shopping Malls
Are you feeling confused when shopping in Beijing? You may feel at a loss when you see the first-line brand flagship stores and burgeoning shopping malls here and there. Well, today I’d like to select for you the top 10 shopping malls in Beijing and guarantee that you will not leave empty-handed. Let’s go!

Top Things to Buy in Beijing

Antiques
A good place to find a wide selection of antiques is at Liulichang, Panjiayuan and Beijing Curio City. 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.

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.

Cloisonne
Cloisonne is a unique art form that originated in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). 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.

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.

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 Silk Market and Yaxiu Market 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. 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.

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.

Painting and callgraphy
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 10 Beijing Handicrafts

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.

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.

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.

Subway Map of beijing

Beijing: 10 Things to Do

Introduction

1. Emperor Hotel Bar

The boutique Emperor Hotel is perched just opposite the east gate of the massive Forbidden City palace complex. Trendy and airy, the 55-room hotel has many charms. But best of all for the weary traveler is its rooftop bar, Yin. Built on an ascending series of platforms, the bar has the best view in town hands-down. Having a drink here at dusk as you gaze over the swooping tiled roofs of the vast former residence of the Emperor is magical. A word of warning, though: Presumably in the spirit of adding Chinese authenticity, many of the house cocktails are made with the notoriously potent Chinese rice liquor baijiu. Avoid those.

2. Shichahai Lakes

Everybody visits the Forbidden City, of course, but a stroll around the adjoining lakes, which used to be part of the emperors' vast pleasure gardens is a wonderful complement. Don't pass up renting a rowboat and taking a float around Beihai (or North Lake) Park, while contemplating the huge white Buddhist stupa built in 1271 by Kublai Khan. The three lakes — Qianhai (Front Lake), Houhai (Rear Lake) and Xihai (West Lake) — north of Beihai and about a mile north of the Forbidden City are known collectively as Shichahai and are ringed by restaurants and bars. Try the wildly popular cuisine of the Hakka minority group at Han Cang on the Shichahai East

3. Hutongs

After a stop for refreshment in Shichahai, head east on Guloudajie Road into one of Beijing's few remaining hutong neighborhoods, with narrow alleys and single story traditional courtyard houses. Hutongs once dominated the city, but in recent years many have been leveled in the name of modernization. Trishaw drivers hang around offering tours, but a better and cheaper (not to mention healthier) bet is to rent your own bike and get pleasantly lost in the back lanes around the Drum and Bell towers. It's not hard to find one of numerous small bicycle shops nearby. Alternatively, look for one of 20 stands dotted around the city, run by the Beijing Bike Rental Company, which rents bikes by the hour, the day or longer.

4. Nanluoguxiang

If you're keen on retail therapy, one must-see hutong is Nanluoguxiang in the Gulou, or Drum and Bell Tower, district, which has several kilometers of shops, galleries and cafés that range from the chic to the kitschy. You'll find lots of cool T-shirts here (Plastered has a good line) featuring tricked-out images of everything from Mao Zedong to garden gnomes. Fun.

5. Dali Courtyard Restaurant

Recharge from shopping in Nanluoguxiang at nearby Dali Courtyard Restaurant, a beautifully restored, laid-back place — it's not gussied up to a fake plastic sheen — that specializes in the food of the southern province of Yunnan. Influenced by the dishes of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Burma and Vietnam, Yunnan cuisine is light and sophisticated, and makes good use of the region's abundant mushrooms and unusual herbs. There is no menu at Dali. Diners enjoy price-fixed courses between US $15 and $40, made from whatever the chef found freshest in the market that day. The place is a little tricky to find. Your taxi will drop you at the mouth of the alley; walk straight down about 150 yards and look to your left for a red lantern down an even smaller alley.

6. The Legation Quarter

For a nightcap, head to the Legation Quarter, just off the southeast corner of Tiananmen Square. This elegant quadrangle of two-story buildings served as the U.S. Embassy from 1903 when it was built, until 1949 when the Communists took over. It has now been lovingly restored and houses a range of restaurants and bars and an art gallery. Head straight to the main building, which houses Maison Boulud, the creation of Frenchman turned New Yorker Daniel Boulud. You can eat his wonderful food of course, but there is also a bar where they make the best lychee martini in town, or possibly anywhere.

7. Panjiayuan Flea Market

If you'll be in Beijing over the weekend, get up early and make a trip to Panjiayuan, a giant flea market where every imaginable curio, artifact and fake Tang dynasty knock-off is on sale. It used to be called the "dirt market" because peasants would cart in objects they supposedly unearthed themselves, squat in the market's open field and hawk their wares. There are no peasants now, and the market grounds are no longer just an open field, but there are still plenty of merchants selling everything from antiques to paintings. Many of the stalls are open through the week, but the flea market is best early on Saturday or Sunday. You'll find the market southwest of the Panjiayuan Bridge, on the southern part of Third East Ring Road. It's slightly off the beaten path — though only a 15-minute taxi ride from the middle of town — and well worth the trip.

8. Coal Hill Park

Another worthwhile morning destination is Jingshan (Coal Hill) Park, behind the Forbidden City. Not only is it an oasis of flowers and trees, it also boasts a breathtaking view of the Palace from the top of one of Beijing's very few hills, which was constructed from earth that was dug up to make the moat of the Forbidden City. Each morning the park fills with middle-aged and older Chinese who gather in groups to sing the revolutionary songs of their youth, play the traditional two-stringed erhu or practice the slow, graceful movements of tai chi. Everyone is friendly and will try and get you to join them in the tai chi. Do so.

9. Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant

What's a trip to Beijing without eating duck? Avoid the grease-splattered tourist trap at Li Qun and head instead to Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant (southwest of Dongsi Shitiao Bridge) at Nanxincang, the old imperial granary to the northeast of the Forbidden City. Crispier and less fatty than other birds, these are the best Peking ducks in town. Da Dong offers numerous other dishes, most of them very tasty. But don't get greedy. Wait and eat your duck first. Savor it.

10. Reflexology

Your whirlwind tour is bound to leave you footsore so do like the Beijingers, who swear by reflexology (foot massage), which they believe not only relieves aching feet but also cures a whole range of other ills. I'm not sure about the cure part, but the experience is well worth having. There are salons all over town. The Liangzi Foot Body Massage Centres with 30 branches in Beijing are great.