Beijing Shopping

Sights Nightlife Performing Arts

1. Plastered T-Shirts

This is a must-visit shop for the rarest of Beijing souvenirs: something that you'll actually use when home. T-shirt designs capture the nostalgic days of Old Peking; posters, notebooks, thermoses, and other retro items take you back to the 1980s. It's fun and kitschy, and everything costs around Y100.

2. Silk Street Market

Once a delightfully chaotic sprawl of hundreds of outdoor stalls, the Silk Alley Market is now corralled inside a huge shopping center. The government has been cracking down on an increasing number of certain copycat items, so if you're after a knockoff Louis Vuitton purse or Chanel jacket, just ask; it might magically appear from a stack of plastic storage bins. You'll face no dearth, however, of fake Pumas and Nikes or Paul Smith polos. Chinese handicrafts and children's clothes are on the top floors. Bargain relentlessly, carefully check the quality of each intended purchase, and guard your wallet against pickpockets.

3. AIKA International Collection Market

Collectors can spend hours perusing the quiet halls of this large antiques, jade, art and calligraphy market that's just under the South Fourth Ring Road, beside the Big Bell Temple Museum.

4. Baoguo Temple Antiques Market

This little-known market, atmospherically set in the grounds of Baoguosi Temple, is a smaller, more manageable version of Panjiayuan. It sees very few foreigners, and no one will speak English, but armed with a calculator, stallholders will get their point across. As well as memorabilia from the Cultural Revolution, look out for stalls that sell original photos, ranging from early-20th-century snaps to people posing with their first TVs in the 1970s.

5. Beijing Curio City

This complex has four stories of kitsch and curio shops and a few furniture stores, some of which may actually be selling authentic antiques. Prices are high (they are driven up by free-spending tour groups), so don't be afraid to lowball your offer. Ignore the overpriced duty-free shop at the entrance.

6. Beijing Postcards

Run by historians, this small gallery near bustling Nanluoguxiang showcases a small collection of hundred-year-old Beijing maps and photos of the Drum and Bell Tower. As well as selling postcards, reprints, and calendars, the company also runs town walks and historical talks—some of the best you'll find in the city. Check the website for upcoming events as well as a list of other stores selling its products. To visit the gallery, email or phone for an appointment.

7. Beijing Silk Shop

Since 1830, the Beijing Silk Shop has been supplying the city with bolts of quality silks and other fabrics. There are tailors on-site to whip up something special, as well as ready-to-wear clothing on sale.

8. Beijing Xinshiweiye CD DVD Shop

Easily the most reliable DVD store in the city, this store has plenty of oldies as well as the usual "just released in cinemas" Hollywood blockbusters. Look for the "CD DVD Shop" sign out front—the stall is otherwise unlabeled. Because of the many pirated titles among its merchandise, the shop is occasionally raided by police (this isn't be too arduous for them, as it's only a 10-second walk from the nearest station). If that's happened recently, you'll find largely bare shelves with nothing but the odd black-and-white classic on display. Usually normal service is resumed pretty fast. DVDs start at Y10 each; box sets range from Y60 to Y500.

9. Buy Now Computer Shopping Mall

Buy Now (or Bainaohui) is home to hundreds of stalls selling laptops, PCs, iPods, speakers, phones, and just about any electonic malarkey you can imagine. Both real and knockoff goods tend to be mixed in with each other, so choose wisely. Some stall owners will bargain, others won't, but it's always worth a try.

10. Candy & Caviar

Chinese-American fashion designer Candy Lin owns and operates this gem. From her peaceful and professional store, she designs for both men and women—her label has attracted a celebrity following, including Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas and Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou. Expect lots of sharp tailoring, stark colors, and relatively high prices.

11. China World Mall

Nothing embodies Beijing's lusty embrace of luxury goods quite like China World Mall, which is home to a giant branch of the Hong Kong designer emporium Joyce. The average spend here must run into millions of yuan. However, for smaller budgets, there are plenty of cafés and affordable restaurants; the cinema is decent, and there's also a good ice rink for kids. The mall is open every day, from 10 am to 9:30 pm.

12. Daxin Textiles Co.

For a wide selection of all types of fabrics, from worsted wools to sensuous silks, head to this shop. It's best to buy the material here and find a tailor elsewhere, as sewing standards can be shoddy.

13. Dong Liang Studio

Prices begin at steep and climb to positively perpendicular at this boutique. A visit here is key for anyone wanting to get under the skin of the local fashion scene. Its stock reads like a who's who of rising Chinese designers, with clothes by Vega Wang, He Yan, Manchit Au, and many more.

14. Fei Space

Fei Space more than holds its own against the other galleries in the 798 Art District, with a funky interior design and eclectic selection of clothes and housewares. Some of the fashion brands are unique to the store (including the first foray into China by Topshop and Topman), and all of them are uniformly stylish—and expensive. That includes the collection of jeans by Victoria Beckham.

15. Heyan'er

16. Heyan'er

He Yan's design philosophy is stated in her label: "bu yan bu yu" ("no talking"). Her linen and cotton tunics and collarless jackets speak for themselves. With their earth tones, aubergine hues, peacock patterns, He Yan's designs echo traditional Tibetan styles.

17. Hongqiao Market

Hongqiao, or Pearl Market, is full of kitschy goods, knockoff handbags, and cheap watches, but it's best known for its namesake pearls. Freshwater, seawater, black, pink, white: the quantity is overwhelming, and quality varies by stall. Prices also range wildly, though the cheapest items are often fakes. Fanghua Pearls (4th floor, No. 4318) sells quality necklaces and earrings—with photos of Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher shopping there to prove it—and has a second store devoted to fine jade and precious stones. Throughout the market, stallholders can be pushy; try to accept their haggling in the gamelike spirit it's intended. Or wear headphones and drown them out.

18. Indigo

Located just on the edge of Dashanzi (798 Art District), this complex is one of the city's many impressive "super malls." Light, airy, and with a few new stores still not open, the malls houses brands that include the GAP, H&M, and Sephora as well as the Parisian Bread and Butter and homebred earthy fashion house JNBY; there is also a branch of the excellent Page One bookstore. The indoor garden isn't much to write home about, but a gigantic outdoor park area often hosts family-friendly events.

19. Kuntai Shopping Mall

Sitting above Walmart in this mall are cameras, tripods, flash memory, phones, and MP3 players (called MP-San in Chinese). If you forgot the USB cable for your digital recorder or need extra camera batteries, this is the place. Bargain hard and you'll be rewarded.

20. Lost & Found