Must-see shopping in China

  • Dropenling

    Lhasa

    This impressive nonprofit enterprise aims to bolster traditional Tibetan handicrafts in the face of rising Chinese and Nepali imports. Products are unique…

  • Woman filters china tea in market, Beijing; Shutterstock ID 52772023; Your name (First / Last): Josh/Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online-Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: 65050/​Online Design​/JoshVogel/IYLs

    Panjiayuan Market

    Beijing

    A curio hunter's heaven or an Everest of fakery? Panjiayuan is both, and marvellous fun to boot. Picking over the wares of some 4000 dealers, you won't…

  • Pedestrians and traffic on Shanghai Old Street, remnant of a bygone age, Fuxing, Shanghai, China, Asia

    Old Street

    Shanghai Old City

    This renovated Qing dynasty stretch of Middle Fangbang Rd is lined with specialist tourist shops, spilling forth with shadow puppets, jade jewellery,…

  • Parkview Green

    Beijing

    In a city in thrall to the mall, this futuristic, ecofriendly pyramid stands out from the crowd. Hong Kong–owned Parkview Green is a fabulously ambitious,…

  • Nírén Zhāng

    Tianjin

    Trading under the name of the artist (Zhang Mingshen) who invented Tianjin's most famous craftwork almost 200 years ago, the inconspicuous first-floor…

  • Caicifang Porcelain Workshop

    Beijing

    This charming boutique upcycles shards of porcelain vases smashed during the Cultural Revolution into unique and desirable jewellery, boxes, ornaments and…

  • Loja das Conservas

    Macau

    This beautiful shop carries dozens of canned seafood brands (representing hundreds of varieties) from Portugal, all labelled with details on the history…

  • Wattis Fine Art

    Hong Kong

    This upstairs gallery has an outstanding collection of antique maps, lithographs, photos and posters for sale. Rarely will you find such an extensive…

  • Plastered 8

    Beijing

    A visual celebration of Beijing in all its chaotic glory, the T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags and gifts at this iconic streetwear shop make funky and…

  • G.O.D.

    Hong Kong

    Goods of Desire – or G.O.D. – is a cheeky local lifestyle brand, selling homewares, clothes, books and gifts with retro Hong Kong themes. Fun buys include…

  • Old Heaven Books

    Shenzhen

    A delicious bookshop specialising in cultural and academic titles, Old Heaven also doubles as a vinyl-music shop, cafe, live venue and community creative…

  • Design Republic

    Shanghai

    Run by esteemed interior-design duo Neri & Hu – the last word on everything tasteful in Shanghai – Design Republic has set up this multilevel showroom…

  • Yǐnshì Lǎo Tiānchéng

    Henan

    The artist/owner of this woodblock printing workshop, Mr Yin (尹), is a fifth-generation artisan whose family has been in business for more than 200 years…

  • Shanghai Tang at Takashimaya Shopping Centre.

    Shanghai Tang

    Hong Kong

    This elegant four-level shop is a local institution, and one of the few places in Central that specialises in luxury Chinese style. It's the place to go…

  • South Bund Fabric Market

    Shanghai Old City

    This old building with more than 100 stalls is one of the best and easiest fabric markets for tourists as many of the stallholders speak a little English…

  • Xie Yu Da Tea

    Anhui

    Old St is lined with tea shops but Xie Yu Da Tea is the real deal, founded by Xie Zhengan (1838–1910), the man who first marketed Huangshan's now famous…

  • Three Stone Kite Shop

    Beijing

    Home of the last remaining traditional kite crafters in Beijing, this cluttered little cave is piled high with hand-painted fēng zhēng (kites) in the…

  • Cunha Bazaar

    Macau

    This four-storey shop on the corner of Taipa Village's Rua do Cunha pedestrian street has the mother lode of made-in-Macau gifts, T-shirts, candies and…

  • Kowloon Soy Company

    Hong Kong

    The shop (c 1917) for artisanal, naturally fermented soy sauce, premier cru yellow-bean sauce (Chinese miso) and other high-quality condiments; it also…

  • Librairie Avant-Garde

    Nanjing

    Housed in a disused parking lot under Wutaishan Stadium, this astonishingly vast indie bookshop has very few foreign-language books, but the left-field…

  • Huaqiang Electronics World

    Shenzhen

    Miniscule spy cameras, jiving robots, e-skateboards and air-conditioned jackets (yep!) – for a sea of innovative, cut-price kidult toys, head to this…

  • Pin-to Livros e Musica

    Macau

    One of Macau's best independent bookshops, Pin-to (which means 'where' in Cantonese) has a strong curation of titles in art and culture, including some in…

  • Tianshan Tea City

    Shanghai

    Running low on loose-leaf oolong and aged pū'ēr cakes? This three-storey sprawl is hands down the largest collection of tea shops in the city. Taste-test…

  • 10 Corso Como

    Shanghai

    The first China branch of this glamorous Milan boutique incorporates the same model of 'slow shopping'. Over five floors there's a mix of men's and women…

  • Cool ThingzZ & Portuguese Spot

    Macau

    Portuguese products in Macau are booming these days, and this bright and welcoming shop stocks wines, olive oil, sweets and canned seafood. Or if you're…

  • Jingdezhen Porcelain Artware

    Shanghai

    This is one of the best places for high-quality traditional Chinese porcelain. Blue-and-white vases, plates, teapots and cups are some of the many choices…

  • New Year Paintings Gallery

    Tianjin

    The former canal-side market town of Yangliuqing is famous throughout China for producing Chinese New Year block-printed paintings that people hang in…

  • Hongqiao Pearl Market

    Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South

    Occupying a swish, purpose-built mall beside the Temple of Heaven's east gate, the Pearl Market is palpably less hectic than the more famous Silk Street,…

  • Interior of Arch Angel Antiques at Central 53-55 Hollywood Road, Hong Kong

    Arch Angel Antiques

    Hong Kong

    Though the specialities are ancient porcelain and tombware, Arch Angel packs a lot more into its two floors: it has everything from old ink drawings and…

  • Ruifuxiang Silk

    Beijing

    Squint at the historical facade of Ruifuxiang, East China's esteemed silk-clothing merchants, trading here since 1893, and you can almost imagine late…

  • Silk Street

    Beijing

    A mandatory tour-group stop, this six-storey temple of retail contains acres of clothing, shoes, handbags and electronics – much of it counterfeit and of…

  • AP Xinyang Fashion & Gifts Market

    Shanghai

    This mammoth underground market by the Science & Technology Museum metro station is Shanghai’s largest collection of shopping stalls. There are tonnes of…

  • Taikoo Li Sanlitun

    Beijing

    Beijing's premier destination for haute couture and urbane dining, Taikoo Li is where the fashionistas go to splash the cash. An open-air mall complex…

  • Huaqiang Bei Commercial St

    Shenzhen

    A sizeable chunk of Shenzhen's prosperity can be traced to this vast cottage industry of tech that stretches across city blocks. Mall after mall selling…

  • Hangzhou Silk City

    Hangzhou

    Hangzhou is famous for its silks and there are certainly bargains to be found in this seven-storey market. You'll have to work hard to get them, though…

  • Aura A Space & Akimbo Cafe Lab

    Shanghai

    Half–indie fashion store and half–minimalist cafe serving single-origin brews, this is an extremely cool space to hang out in and the price tag is…

  • Wushan Lu Night Market

    Hangzhou

    Wushan Lu Night Market doesn't have too much to offer by way of interesting souvenirs, but it's still a pleasant place to stroll for half an hour or so…

  • Xiaomi Home

    Beijing

    The downtown Beijing flagship of innovative Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi (sometimes called China's Apple). Browse low-price designer tech such as…

  • Librarie Avant-Garde

    Anhui

    An unlikely bookshop in an unlikely place, this is the Bishan branch of the stupendous Nanjing bookshop, Librarie Avant-Garde, coaxed into existence by a…

  • Amylin’s Pearls

    Shanghai

    Amylin's is the most reliable retailer of pearls of all colours and sizes. It's been touting its wears since 1993 in the most unlikely location – a pearl-…

More destinations you need to see