Shànghǎi Shopping

  1. Amy Lin's Pearls & Jewellery

    The most reliable source in town for pearls of all colours and sizes. Both freshwater pearls, including prized black Zhejiang pearls and saltwater pearls are available here. They do jade and jewellery too. The staff speak English and will string your selection for you. The other two floors of this building house a lot of stalls selling knock-offs of Western clothes, bags and shoes. They're worth a browse but bargain hard.

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  2. Carrefour

    This French chain is currently the only foreign supermarket that actually turns a profit. The place is packed nights and weekends, largely because prices are the same as those in Chinese supermarkets. You can find everything from imported wines and French bread to cheap bikes and crockery. The Gubei branch has the widest range of western food.

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  3. Chaterhouse

    The arrival of this chain in Shanghai was greeted with a cheer by bookworms. There's a good range of new Western fiction and nonfiction, including Lonely Planet titles, and they're particularly strong on children's books. There's a reasonable selection of magazines too. There's another branch on the sixth floor of the Superbrand mall

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  4. Cheese & Fizz

    It's fairly uncommon to entertain guests in Shanghai with wheels of brie and bottles of vintage Veuve Cliquot, but this French deli would be the place to stock up. It's not just French cheeses and imported wines - there's Swiss chocolate too. There's another branch at the Shanghai Centre (1376 West Nanjing Rd) and on the ground floor of the Superbrand Mall in Pǔdōng. Come armed with an expense account or an unsuspecting friend's credit card.

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  5. Chine Antiques

    This is one of the glossiest antique stores, with prices at the higher end of the spectrum. This branch is at the Liu Haisu Art Gallery and there's a warehouse on the western outskirts. A small branch office in the Old Town (38 Liuhekou Rd) just off Dongtai Rd, can direct you to another warehouse a couple of minutes' walk away.

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  7. Chinese Printed Blue Nankeen Exhibition Hall

    Follow the blue signs through a maze of courtyards until you see bolts of blue cloth drying in the yard. This cotton fabric (sometimes also called blue calico) is similar to batik, and is coloured using a starch-resist method and indigo dye bath. This museum and shop, started by Japanese artist Kubo Mase, displays and sells items made by hand. It has been in business for 20 years, takes pride in quality, and does not give discounts.

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  8. City Shop

    For all those imported goodies you just can't get anywhere else - at a price. The Shanghai Centre branch has 50-percent off bakery items after . There are other branches in Times Square (basement, 99 Central Huaihai Rd) and Hóngqiáo (3211 Hongmei Rd). There is also a free delivery service.

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  9. Cybermart

    Cybermart is the most central and reliable location for all sorts of gadgetry, including DVD players, iPods, laptops, digital cameras and camcorders, as well as blank CDs, DVD-Rs, memory sticks and software. China though, is not the best place in Asia for discount electronics. Expect to pay the same, or sometimes more, than you'd pay back home. Nor will haggling help you much here.

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  10. D-Mall & Hong Kong Shopping Plaza

    Located in an old bomb shelter under Renmin Park, D-Mall and Hong Kong Shopping Plaza are a merging maze of boutiques with mid- and low-end Japanese, Chinese and Western clothing styles, as well as a plethora of cosmetics and manicure shops. It's more downmarket and affordable than many of the other malls in town, which makes it popular with the locals. There are two entrances on the south side of Renmin Ave.

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  11. Dongjiadu Cloth Market

    If you want to make your own clothes or choose your own cloth for a tailor, you won't get stitched up at the Dongjiadu Cloth Market, with the cheapest silk, brocade cashmere and other cloth by the metre at a fraction of the cost in the West.

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  13. Dongtai Road Antique Market

    A block west of South Xizang Rd, this market street has over 100 stalls spread over both Dongtai Rd and Liuhe Rd. The 'antique' stalls sell some interesting items among the inevitable Mao memorabilia, including ceramics, old Shanghai poster advertisements, pocket watches, paintings and a host of other collectables. You can even find the tiny embroidered shoes made for women with bound feet. Haggle hard here as it's all vastly overpriced.

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  14. Duoyunxuan Art Shop

    A multistorey traditional-looking building (look for the two enormous calligraphy brushes outside) with an excellent selection of art and calligraphy supplies. The 2nd floor is one of the best places for heavy art books, both international and Chinese, and the 3rd floor houses antiques and some excellent calligraphy and brush-painting galleries. You can get your own chop made here.

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  15. Electronics Market

    If you want to put together your own computer, soup up an MP3 player or score a pair of speakers for the apartment, try this market located right under the elevated railway tracks that lead into Baoshan Rd metro. It's a Cybermart for people who don't mind the lack of a guarantee or receipt. Prices are low and negotiable (DVD players go from around Y150 up), but how long everything will last is another matter.

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  16. Foreign Languages Bookstore

    Ignore dire predictions of what can you or can't get here. The days when the selection of titles at these government-sponsored bookstores ran from Dickens to Sherlock Holmes are long gone. Now, there's an ever-expanding range of fiction and nonfiction, as well as an impressive selection of Lonely Planet guides and phrasebooks. It's a good place to come for titles and maps on Shanghai.

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  17. Friendship Store

    Can't stand crowds? Hopeless at haggling? The Friendship Store is a great place to pick up last-minute souvenirs at fixed prices, and the lack of crowds makes it possible to browse at your leisure. Prices are reasonable and give you an idea if you plan to haggle elsewhere. It has a good bookshop, carpets, antiques, an ATM and a money exchange.

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  19. Fuyou Antique Market

    There's a permanent antique market here on the 1st and 2nd floors, but the place really gets humming for the 'ghost market' on Sunday at dawn, when sellers from the countryside fill up all four floors and then some. The range is good, but there's a lot of junk, so you need a shrewd eye if you don't want to pay too much over the odds.

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  20. Grand Gateway

    Possibly the most popular mall in the city, Grand Gateway is a vast airy space with a decent range of Western brands like Agnes B, Benetton, Diesel, DKNY, Jack Jones and Levi's, as well as big selection of cosmetics. There's an excellent range of restaurants on the 5th and 6th floors, and an outside food street.

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  21. Guyi Antique Furniture

    There aren't many genuine antiques here, but there are a lot of good-quality reproductions and it's especially strong on screens, cabinets and desks. They speak English and have two other branches nearby.

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  22. Henry Antique Warehouse

    This enormous showroom, with more than 2000 high-quality antique pieces, both large and small, is a good first stop for antique hunters. It's down a lane off Hongzhong Rd in a not-so-obvious location; look for the signs. The Traditional Furniture research department of Tongji University is based here.

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  23. Hong Qi Xiang Fabric Market

    Shanghai's fabric market has been shifting locations around town in recent years, but has now hopefully settled permanently near Yuyuan Bazaar. It's a far cheaper source of silk than places like Silk King, with prices no higher than around Y200 per metre. There are many other types of fabric here, both natural and synthetic, but the quality of the material does vary. Most places will do tailoring as well, or they'll know someone nearby who does.

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  25. Hongqiao International Pearl City

    Popular with the local expats, the 2nd floor of this market has a smaller selection of freshwater and saltwater pearls than Amy Lin, but is worth a browse. It's a relaxed atmosphere and you can bargain here. On the 1st floor, there are clothes and golf gear, on the 3rd floor carpets and luggage.

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  26. Huā Yàng Nián Huá

    This shop takes its name from the Chinese title of the Wong Kar Wai movie In The Mood For Love , which featured Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung in an array of stunning qípáos . Appropriately, they make fine tailor-made qípáos here, from around Y1200 , but there's no guarantee you'll look like Ms Cheung once you slip one on.

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  27. Hui Jin Department Store

    This often-overlooked store is worth a visit for sales on Chinese and foreign brand names; the basement has a decent supermarket with some imported items. Next door is Shanghai No 6 Department Store (Dìliù Bǎihuò; 第六百货), which is popular with the locals and thus usually crowded.

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  28. Huifeng Tea Shop

    It may be a rather clichéd choice, but there's no doubt that a Yixing teapot and half a jīn of oolong tea makes for a convenient gift. This friendly shop has good-quality clay teapots, tea cups and, of course, plenty of Chinese tea. The price varies considerably, depending on the type and quality of tea.

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  29. Insh

    Contemporary fashion with a bohemian twist is what's on offer at this trendy place. Come here for cute patterned bags (around Y400 ), T-shirts (around Y160 ) and stylish jackets. The designs are fun and aimed firmly at the younger crowd.

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