Its fun shopping in Beijing. Read our Beijing shopping guide below before you head out for some handy tips of places to go, or take a look at our shopping in China guide for more shopping ideas. After a day of shopping, eat out in one of Beijings colourful restaurants.

Beijing Shopping Guide

Beijing offers a wide array of shopping alternatives from the cheap to the expensive, catering to its burgeoning population of about 12 million. So if you know what you want and how much you want to spend, shopping in Beijing is fun. You can shop at the international designer boutiques in the five star hotels (where you cannot bargain), but make sure not to miss out on the neighbourhood grocery stores and markets (where you can bargain), for here you are sure to find fascinating knick knacks, food and what not.

Dongsi

Dongsi, in the north end of Wangfuijng, is a shopping area with both state and privately owned shops of all sizes. Don’t miss the Longfu Building, a big departmental store near the Longfu temple that offers some interesting choices.

Government Tourist Stores

The Friendship Store at 17 Jiangoumenwai showcases all things typically Chinese, from jade to silk and jewellery and was at one time the only store in Beijing to do so with currency exchange and credit card facilities. Today, there are more government shops, strategically positioned near the state owned tourist restaurants where tourist groups congregate for lunch. If you have adequate time set aside for shopping, these stores are most suitable. They are well staffed and their range is extensive, from porcelain and ceramic to cloissone, embroidery, lacquer ware, jade and silk. They have facilities for exchanging currency, accept credit cards and offer shipping facilities. Unless your purchases are large, these shops do not entertain bargaining.

Start from here so that you have a good idea of prices and the quality before you go elsewhere.

Huotong Area Stores

Shops in this area are almost a hundred years old and are being cleared to make way for the new Beijing. Catch them before they come down, for a novel experience in window shopping and browsing.

Qianmen Dajie

Qianmen Dajie is the five hundred year old main shopping area of the city, located to the south of Tian’anmen square. For a truly Chinese experience, step into the huotong (an alley) in Dazlan, running westward from the north of Quianmen. From Chinese medicine, silk, clothing and food stores to theatres, these four hundred year old shops are literally glimpses of Chinese history.

Silver Street

At Silver Street, you can pick up outfits in the Western style. Running parallel to Wangfujing Street, it lies one block to the east of this street.

Wangfujing Street

This is one of Beijing’s busiest and most crowded shopping areas, especially on weekends. Renovated recently, it has both government and private shops, a huge multi-storied shopping mall and many restaurants.

The streets from the Beijing Hotel to the Palace Hotel are fun areas to browse through. Bargaining is not entertained here, as many shops are state owned and prices are essentially reasonable. Rest assured that you will not be cheated or overcharged in this area.

Xidan

To the north of West Chang’an Avenue is Xidan, another interesting shopping area. Step into the Xiadan Market, the largest shop here, recently modernized and manned by friendly and efficient staff, or browse through the Xidan shopping centre close by for some novel shopping options.

Ganjiakou Market

Right next to McDonald’s, near Beijing Zoo, is the Ganjiakou Market. Stop by to pick up a variety of Asian goods here and don’t forget to bargain.

Hongqiao Market

This market, near the Temple of Heaven, in Tiantan Street, is a veritable treasure trove. You can take your pick from porcelain to pearls, from clothing to accessories, souvenirs and much more showcased across the three floors of the main building. Be sure to look at the antiques behind the pearl stalls. Bargaining is acceptable in Hongqiao Market.

Liangmahe

About 50 small stores, opposite the Kempinski Hotel on the East Third Ring Road, make up the Liangmahe Market. There are ceramics, paintings and antique furniture to choose from. You can also shop at the warehouses of these furniture shops in other areas. Don’t be startled by the high prices, you can really beat them down with some astute bargaining.

Liulichang

Step back in time and browse through the shops in Liulichang, which were rebuilt in the 1980's to resemble a traditional market place of the Qing dynasty. Carry home some fine Chinese calligraphy, rare books, Chinese paintings and art and craft from Liulichang, but unfortunately bargaining is not encouraged here.

Panjiayuan

Panjiayuan is the antique connoisseur’s delight. At the rear end of this market are farmers selling authentic antiques from their villages. Go to Panjiayuan early on a Sunday morning and walk away with some exotic antiques after some clever bargaining.

Russian Market

There was a time when the Russians came here in large numbers to buy clothing to sell back at home, thus giving the Russian Market its name. Situated on the west side of Ritan Park, the market offers clothing that is cheap but of very average quality. You cannot find couture here but a stroll through the Russian market is a novel experience and bargaining can be fun.

Sanlitun Market

Sanlitun Market is the black market of Beijing. Here you can find both the originals and the fakes, right from clothing to accessories, jeans, shoes, ladies wear and what not. It is also a big hub for computer related goods sold at black market rates. Situated at Sanlitun Lu, in Chaoyang district, close to the north East Embassy area, the Sanlitun market is like the Silk Market. However, prices here are lower and you must bargain. Lined with stalls on one side of the street and restaurants on the other, the Sanlitun Market is relatively less crowded and you can pick up some good bargains at a leisurely pace.