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 Some people say the Silk Market (Xiu Shui) is for
foreigners and Xidan is for Beijingers. But whatever you are looking for, shopping is good
sport and a pleasure for those who like to search for bargains. Big shopping centers in
Beijing contain just about everything anyone could imagine. Many offer free concerts,
fashion shows or other entertainment. Lufthansa, SOGO and Chung-yo are favorites, but so
are the renovated Wangfujing and Xidan areas, Beijing's most modern shopping malls. For
more down-to-earth shopping, why don? you try Beijing's open-air markets? In these places,
successful shopping requires patience, time, a good eye for a bargain and bargaining skills.
Wangfujing
 This street is named for the 10 princes”
mansion and their sweet-water well that was built during the Ming Dynasty. It was
forbidden in those days to dig wells at random near the Imperial Palace. According to the
principles of Chinese geomancy, the position of a building or tomb in relation to its
natural landscape affects the fortune of its occupants. Drilling into the earth near the
emperor's home without allowances for fengshui (wind and water) might have brought ruin to
the royal family. As the only well in this neighborhood, and because it was prized as a
scarce commodity, the well was closely monitored by the resident aristocracy.
The street,
forever a trendsetter, has been reformed to a mostly pedestrian shopping mall, although
bus services still use the street otherwise closed to vehicular traffic.
The best-known
shop is the Beijing Department Store. To the north of the department Store is the One
World Department Store, which features a collection of Chinese and foreign name brands and
fine quality products. Sun Dong An Market is the largest market in Beijing with 100,000
square meters of floor area housing more than 200,000 kinds of goods.
Subway: Line One, Wangfujing Subway Station; Bus: 1,2,4,5,10,20,37,728
Qianmen-Dashilan Shopping Area
Dashilan street
was a commercial center of Beijing more than 500 years ago. Its old shops and small stalls
are preferred by Beijingers.
As the first and oldest commercial street in Beijing, the Qianmen-Dashilan shopping area has developed along with the fortunes of Beijing. Many laozihao (Chinese time-honoured brand businesses) are located here where they have welcomed customers for generations. Now the centuries-old shopping area is experiencing renovation and is looking forward to yet another new century.
Subway: Line 2 Qianmen Station; Bus: 2, 5, 9, 20, 44, 726, 820
Xidan
 The Chung-Yo Department Store and the Xidan Market provide an
ideal shopping, dining and entertainment environment. Chung-Yo's business is usually
brisk. It offers monthly promotions, such as its Teacher's Day promotion on September 10,
a "Clone Competition" (Chung-Yo takes photos of families and selects those that
resemble each other the most). Discounted prices cause even the thriftiest of consumers to
open their wallets without a thought. All the world's name-brand products are abundant
here, which reflects Beijing's growing cosmopolitan presence. Rock'n'roll, shouting
assistants, fashions make Xidan a paradise for shoppers.
Beginning this
month, shoppers can enjoy "Open-air shopping", two corridors will link the four
shopping centers. One is between Chung-Yo Department Store and the Pacific Department
Store; the other lies between Huawei Mansion and its opposite building. Shopping
promotions are being featured.
Subway: Line One, Xidan Subway Station; Bus: 1, 4, 10, 102, 603, 728, 808
Silver Street
Silver Street is in the Dongdan
Beidajie. It is where all the franchised foreign name-brand shops are concentrated.
Jianguomenwai Dajie
Jianguomenwai Dajie is famous
for its colorful metropolitan scenes. The street is lined with star-rated hotels, office
buildings, fancy restaurants, beauty salons and shopping centers. The well-known shopping
centers are Friendship Store, SCITECH Plaza, Guiyou Department Store and the China World
Shopping Mall.
Fuchengmen-Fuxingmen Area
Just outside the Second Ring Road in western Beijing, there's a multitude of discount markets selling everything from tools to toys. There are some great prices on clothing and small electronics, but haggling is required at every small stall. The biggest and most comprehensive in the area are Wantong, Guanyuan and Tianyi.
New Silk Street
 Corner of Xiushui Dongjie and Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
9 a.m.-9 p.m.
+86 10 5169 9003
Subway:
Line 1, Yong'anli Station
Synonymous with a visit to the city, the old Silk Street was a treat of all treats for bargain-hunting tourists. Today, development in the area has made way for bigger and brighter things and one of those is the New Silk Street, a composite of the traders and wares of the old alley now spread out on three floors of this comfortable, safe new building on Jianguomenwai Dajie, Beijing's main drag.
As before, the New Silk Street offers great values on fine cashmere and silk of all types and designer labels are available at knock down prices. The new Silk Street keeps respectable hours, so beat the rush and get there early. Nearby shopping malls offer plenty of places to rest from your busy day's activities where you can sip designer coffee or catch a quick bite at any one of the Chinese or western restaurants in the area.
Tongli
Sanlitun Bar Street, Chaoyang District
+86 10 6417 6668
Opened in 2003, the Tongli Studio is a complex combining novel boutiques, restaurants, bars, and galleries. High-quality and delicate artistic merchandise are its major attractions.
Yashow Market
 58 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
+86 10 6416 8945
Bus Line: 115, 113, 406, 701, 117, 416, 403
Also of interest to bargain hunters in Beijing, the Yashow Market is a big draw for the tourist with some bucks to spend and some serious shopping to do. Centrally located, Yashow is surrounded by the bars, restaurants and cafes of the Sanlitun area, the most popular eating and drinking area for tourists in the city, which makes extended bouts of shopping even easier.
The Market itself offers every imaginable article of clothing. If it's on the market, Yashow will have it or a version of it at the very least. Try shoes on the ground floor, custom-fitted suits on the third, and fashion clothes for young and old on the floors in between. Also on the lower ground floor, luggage and hats add variety to the shopping experience.
Liulichang
The famous Liulichang street
lies in Hepingmen since the Qing Dynasty for 200 years. There, those who failed in the
imperial examination usually sold their books and inkslabs, and the declined families'
heritages exchanged money with their antique collections. It became gradually a market
consisted of about 100 shops dealing in traditional works and articles.
Works of Chinese calligraphy
and traditional Chinese paintings, old wood block-print books, Chinese ink brushes,
inkslabs and paper for calligraphy known as the for treasures of the study and other
scholars traditional tools can be found in Liulichang.
Rongbaozhai, being the most
important shop there, has more than 300 years' history and a fine copy technique for old
Chinese painting.
Tourism-administration-designated stores
Tourism-administration-designated
stores are specially open for overseas guests but an increasing number of local residents
also shop here because of the stores unique stock and good service. They are ideal places
to buy arts and crafts, antiques and other Beijing specialties. Money changing, postal and
consigning services are often offered.
Century-old 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
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