Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shopping
With much of the nation's wealth concentrated in Běijīng, shop-
ping has become the favourite pastime of the young and the
rising middle class in recent years. Whether you're a diehard
shopaholic or just a casual browser, you'll be spoiled for choice
with shiny shopping malls, markets, specialist shopping streets,
pavement vendors and itinerant hawkers all doing their best to
part you from your cash.
Arts, Crafts & Antiques
Běijīng is a great place to pick up curios such as embroidered purses, paper cuttings,
wooden and bronze Buddhas, paper lanterns, Chinese musical instruments and kites. Car-
pets, jade and pearls of varying quality can be found in abundance too.
Remember it's not just DVDs and clothes that are pirated in China: antiques, ceramics
and carpets get the facsimile treatment too, so be wary before paying for that supposed
Ming-dynasty vase. Be aware, too, that technically items dating from before 1795 cannot
be exported from China.
Clothing
Sīchóu
(silk) is an important commodity in Běijīng and excellent prices for both silk fabrics
and clothing can be found. Top places for silk in Běijīng include the Silk Market and
Ruìfúxiáng. If you have the time, there are excellent tailors who will turn your silk into
made-to-measure clothing, such as traditional Chinese gowns (
qípáo
, or
cheongsam
in
Cantonese).
Yángróngshān
(cashmere) from Inner Mongolia is also a good buy in Běijīng.
If you're on the hunt for genuine Western clothing, you'll pay much the same as you
would at home.
