Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SHOPPING
Locals, out-of-towners and tourists haunt Wangfujing Dajie, a prestigious, partly pedestrianised but these days
rather old-fashioned shopping street heading north on the west side of the modern shopping centre, Oriental Plaza.
It boasts a solid strip of stores selling well-known midrange brands, as well as a number of tacky souvenir outlets.
ORIENTAL PLAZA
|SHOPPING CENTRE
( Dōngfāng Guǎngchǎng; 8518 6363; 1 Dongchang'an Jie, 10am-10pm; Wangfujing)
Entering this
vast, modern and hugely popular shopping mall is like being transported to Singapore. It's
filled with midrange and high-end clothing brands from Asia and the West, plus a range of
food outlets and Western coffee shops.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES BOOKSTORE
( Wàiwén Shūdiàn; 235 Wangfujing Dajie, 9.30am-9.30pm; Wangfujing)
Stocks a decent selection of
English-language novels (ground floor and 3rd floor) as well as lots of nonfiction and art,
architecture and design books. The kids' section is good. It stocks hundreds of Lonely
Planet guides, and this is also a good place to pick up maps of Běijīng (¥8).
|BOOKS
ARTS & CRAFTS EMPORIUM
( Gōngyì Měishù Fúwùbù; 200 Wangfujing Dajie, 9.30am-9.30pm; Wangfujing)
A souvenir market dis-
guised as a department store, this place sells better quality goods than the big tourist mar-
kets, and in a much more stress-free environment. It's well known for its jade (with certi-
ficates of authenticity), jadeite, cloisonné vases, carpets and other Chinese arts and crafts.
There's also jewellery (gold, silver, jade and pearl) on the first two floors. You'll find calli-
graphy, lacquerware, paintings, seals and woodcarvings on the 3rd floor. Head to the 4th
floor for jade carvings. Prices are marked, but you can still bargain.
|ARTS & CRAFTS, JADE
HÁOYUÁN MARKET
( Háoyuán Shìchǎng; west off Wangfujing Dajie, Wangfujing)
Branching off from Wangfujing Snack St
is this small, bustling souvenir market. It has lots of Mao memorabilia, pandas and
Buddhas, as well as other tacky tourist tat, but if you're pushed for time and need a last-
minute present, you might find something. Haggling is imperative.
|SOUVENIRS
TEN FU'S TEA
|TEA
