Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Yuegezhuang Wholesale Market, in Fengtai by the West Fourth Ring Road; and Nanhu
Market, a Korean favorite, on Nanhu Nanlu in Wangjing. For a haul of fresh seafood, make
your way to the enormous Jingshen Seafood Market on Shiliuzhuang Xijie in Fengtai dis-
trict, just south of Songjiazhuang subway station (Line 5).
Given that the produce markets don't refrigerate the meat and fish, it's best that you
get there early in the morning, especially in summer before the day heats up. If this isn't
your style, two butchers that have more of a Western feel are Boucherie Michel in the
expat hub of Xingfucun Lu, west of Sanlitun, and Chez Gerard, a tiny gem of Western
goods on a narrow
hútòng
(alley) connecting Wudaoying Hutong and Guozijian Jie, near
the Lama Temple. Another alternative is to shop online via Australian meat supplier Elders
(
www.elders.com.cn
)
. They're based in Shanghai, but delivery to Beijing is free if you or-
der over RMB1,000 worth of goods—something not hard to do if you order a couple of cuts
of meat and a bottle or two of wine.
Contaminated food is a serious issue in China, thanks to shoddy standards at various
links in the production chain. Organic products are consequently in increasing demand.
They can be hard to get in local supermarkets, but international supermarkets have a
better offering, and then there are shops that specialize in the greener goods. Lohao City
(
www.lohaocity.com
)
is perhaps the strongest contender and has various outlets around
town. Smaller companies such as Wonder Milk, Green Yard (
www.greenyard.cn
)
, Little
Donkey Farm (
www.littledonkeyfarm.com
)
, and Guoren Green Alliance (
ht-
tp://lvselianmeng.taobao.com
)
make a concerted effort to produce food that's closer to
nature. Email group Beijing Organic Consumers Association (
ht-
tp://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/beijing_organic_consumers
)
can put you in touch with
like-minded healthy shoppers, with whom you can share tips on where to buy what. Kosher
groceries can be picked up at a lot of the international supermarkets, but for a more select
range, visit
www.chabadbeijing.com
or
www.kosherbeijing.com
.
Homeware and Kitchenware
To deck out your abode with homeware and kitchenware, you can plunge yourself into
Beijing's only Ikea outlet, beside the North Fourth East Ring Road in the Wangjing area.
It can be chaos in here—husbands sleeping entirely under the covers of beds, children
jumping up and down on sofas—but it is the place to get of staples that can be hard to
come by elsewhere in the city, such as tea towels and fitted sheets. Alternatively, try Muji
(
www.muji.com.cn
)
, which is an upscale Ikea with heavier price tags. Designs are minimal-
ist and classy, and they also carry a cool range of stationery. If you don't mind the catering
look, you can bargain for cheaper wares at Dongjiao markets, or head just a short walk west
