Must-see shopping in Shanghai

  • Spin

    Hongkou & North Shanghai

    High on creative flair, Spin offers a modern take on Chinese ceramics with oblong teacups, twisted sake sets and all manner of plates, chopstick holders,…

  • Pedestrians and traffic on Shanghai Old Street, remnant of a bygone age, Fuxing, Shanghai, China, Asia

    Old Street

    Shanghai Old City

    This renovated Qing dynasty stretch of Middle Fangbang Rd is lined with specialist tourist shops, spilling forth with shadow puppets, jade jewellery,…

  • Bags at Suzhou Cobblers, the Bund Area

    Suzhou Cobblers

    The Bund & People's Square

    Right off the Bund, this cute boutique sells exquisite hand-embroidered silk slippers, bags, hats and clothing. Patterns and colours are based on the…

  • Lolo Love Vintage

    French Concession

    There are dozens of 1920s brooches and pearl necklaces in glass display cabinets, rock and roll on the stereo and brilliantly kitsch bits and bobs like a…

  • Design Republic

    Shanghai

    Run by esteemed interior-design duo Neri & Hu – the last word on everything tasteful in Shanghai – Design Republic has set up this multilevel showroom…

  • Shanghai No 1 Food Store

    The Bund & People's Square

    Brave the crowds to check out the amazing variety of dried meats, mushrooms, ginseng, chicken feet and sea cucumber, as well as more tempting snacks…

  • Shanghai Museum Art Store

    The Bund & People's Square

    Attached to the Shanghai Museum and entered from East Yan'an Rd, this shop offers a refreshing change from the usual tourist tat. There is an excellent…

  • Blue Shanghai White

    The Bund & People's Square

    Just off the Bund, this little boutique is a great place to browse for a contemporary take on a traditional art form. It sells a tasteful selection of…

  • Foreign Languages Bookstore

    The Bund & People's Square

    Open since the 1950s, this monumental red-brick bookshop is Shanghai's best for English-language fiction, nonfiction and travel guides. There's also a…

  • South Bund Fabric Market

    Shanghai Old City

    This old building with more than 100 stalls is one of the best and easiest fabric markets for tourists as many of the stallholders speak a little English…

  • Tianshan Tea City

    Shanghai

    Running low on loose-leaf oolong and aged pū'ēr cakes? This three-storey sprawl is hands down the largest collection of tea shops in the city. Taste-test…

  • 10 Corso Como

    Shanghai

    The first China branch of this glamorous Milan boutique incorporates the same model of 'slow shopping'. Over five floors there's a mix of men's and women…

  • Jingdezhen Porcelain Artware

    Shanghai

    This is one of the best places for high-quality traditional Chinese porcelain. Blue-and-white vases, plates, teapots and cups are some of the many choices…

  • AP Xinyang Fashion & Gifts Market

    Shanghai

    This mammoth underground market by the Science & Technology Museum metro station is Shanghai’s largest collection of shopping stalls. There are tonnes of…

  • Aura A Space & Akimbo Cafe Lab

    Shanghai

    Half–indie fashion store and half–minimalist cafe serving single-origin brews, this is an extremely cool space to hang out in and the price tag is…

  • Chouchou Chic

    French Concession

    French-Chinese hybrid Chouchou Chic sells kids’ clothes (up to age eight) that are infinitely cuter than what you find at the souvenir stalls. Most of the…

  • D.Art

    French Concession

    This charming gallery and shop behind a gate is too easy to miss, but deserves to be found. D.Art packs colourful prints depicting rural Chinese life into…

  • Urban Tribe

    French Concession

    Urban Tribe is the only contemporary Shanghai label to draw inspiration from the ethnic groups of China and Southeast Asia. The collection of loose…

  • Amylin’s Pearls

    Shanghai

    Amylin's is the most reliable retailer of pearls of all colours and sizes. It's been touting its wears since 1993 in the most unlikely location – a pearl-…

  • Zhenchalin Tea

    French Concession

    From the entrance, this looks like just another tea shop, but poke around inside and you’ll find specially blended herbal teas from Ayako, a traditional…

  • Madame Mao’s Dowry

    French Concession

    What better way to brighten up your hall than with a poster of jubilant socialist workers? Madame Mao's Dowry has an emphasis on design during the Mao era…

  • IAPM Mall

    French Concession

    There is a mix of high-end designers (Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, Prada) and younger casual brands (Mango, Camper, Muji) at this upscale…

  • Silk King

    The Bund & People's Square

    The city’s largest fabric chain is good for a quick browse to see a typical selection of Chinese prints and fabric designs. In-house tailors can make you…

  • drivepro

    French Concession

    You can spend a good while perusing the weird and wonderful gifts in this steampunk-style store. Awesome collector's items are displayed in a museum-like…

  • Garden Books

    French Concession

    The shelves are well stocked at this bookshop-cafe-gelato-bar, with a great selection of novels, art books, cookbooks, language references, and books on…

  • Brocade Country

    French Concession

    Peruse an exquisite collection of minority handicrafts from China’s southwest, most of which are secondhand (ie not made for the tourist trade) and…

  • IFC Mall

    Shanghai

    This incredibly glam and glitzy six-storey mall beneath the Cesar Pelli–designed twin towers of the Shanghai International Finance Center hosts a swish…

  • Comme Moi

    French Concession

    Fitted out by Shanghai-based designers Neri & Hu and located in the art deco Donghu Hotel building, this is the flagship store of Comme Moi. Created by…

  • Fēiyuè

    French Concession

    This Tianzifang Feiyue outlet – the legendary Shanghai sneakers brand dating back to the 1920s – is a good bet for lots of styles of the low-key classic…

  • ‘Yi’ Nina Nino Cashmere

    The Bund & People's Square

    This boutique shop specialises in garments made of cashmere from Inner Mongolia, with incredibly soft jumpers, gloves, beanies, rugs and accessories. They…

  • Labelhood Pillar

    French Concession

    For an up-to-the-minute look at what's hot in local fashion, head to this beautiful boutique housed in a converted villa – it's an incubator for young…

  • Shiatzy Chen

    The Bund & People's Square

    One of the top names in Asian haute couture, Taiwanese designer Shiatzy Chen finds her inspiration in traditional Chinese aesthetics. The exclusive…

  • Duoyunxuan Art Shop

    The Bund & People's Square

    A multistorey, traditional-looking building (look for the two enormous calligraphy brushes outside) with an excellent selection of art and calligraphy…

  • Huifeng Tea Shop

    French Concession

    A friendly, reliable tea shop, which has loads of good-quality clay teapots and cups, and a great range of Chinese tea from oolong and green to flower and…

  • Xintiandi Style

    French Concession

    Serious shoppers should make for Xintiandi Style, a high-end mall featuring a handful of Chinese and independent designers including Singaporean label Mu…

  • Zen Lifestore

    French Concession

    Small but serene shop with a highly browse-worthy collection of design-led gift ideas, including Frank Lloyd Wright–style bookmarks, pieces from the V&A…

  • Chouchou Chic

    French Concession

    Super cute hand-designed qípáo dresses for young girls and children's Western-style outfits. Prices start at around ¥150. There are other branches on…

  • FZH

    French Concession

    An independent little indigo shop, selling awesome hand-made, hand-dyed blue-tinted garments, using traditional methods. Pick up stylish printed shirts,…

  • City Shop

    Shanghai

    Excellent supermarket with rows crammed full of imported goodies. Whether you're craving some Weetabix cereal, a pop tart or an international newspaper or…

  • Ploy

    French Concession

    Awesome little vintage glasses store, hidden in a lane off Julu Rd, with refurbished original frames displayed in glass vats and bookcases. Glasses start…

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