Lhasa
This impressive nonprofit enterprise aims to bolster traditional Tibetan handicrafts in the face of rising Chinese and Nepali imports. Products are unique…
Must-see shopping in China
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,…
Beijing
A curio hunter's heaven or an Everest of fakery? Panjiayuan is both, and marvellous fun to boot. Picking over the wares of some 4000 dealers, you won't…
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,…
Kowloon
The Tung Choi Street Market is a cheek-by-jowl affair offering cheap clothes and trinkets. Vendors start setting up their stalls as early as noon, but it…
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…
Beijing
In a city in thrall to the mall, this futuristic, ecofriendly pyramid stands out from the crowd. Hong Kong–owned Parkview Green is a fabulously ambitious,…
Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island
Tucked away on the southern coast of Ap Lei Chau, this enormous outlet housed in a converted factory building contains 100 shops over 25 storeys. Most…
Tianjin
Trading under the name of the artist (Zhang Mingshen) who invented Tianjin's most famous craftwork almost 200 years ago, the inconspicuous first-floor…
Beijing
This charming boutique upcycles shards of porcelain vases smashed during the Cultural Revolution into unique and desirable jewellery, boxes, ornaments and…
Macau
This beautiful shop carries dozens of canned seafood brands (representing hundreds of varieties) from Portugal, all labelled with details on the history…
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…
Hong Kong
This upstairs gallery has an outstanding collection of antique maps, lithographs, photos and posters for sale. Rarely will you find such an extensive…
Beijing
A visual celebration of Beijing in all its chaotic glory, the T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags and gifts at this iconic streetwear shop make funky and…
Shenzhen
A delicious bookshop specialising in cultural and academic titles, Old Heaven also doubles as a vinyl-music shop, cafe, live venue and community creative…
Hong Kong
Goods of Desire – or G.O.D. – is a cheeky local lifestyle brand, selling homewares, clothes, books and gifts with retro Hong Kong themes. Fun buys include…
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…
Yue Hwa Chinese Products Emporium
Kowloon
This five-storey behemoth is one of only a few old-school Chinese department stores left in the city. Products include silk scarves, traditional Chinese…
Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island
One of the coolest born in Hong Kong shops around, G.O.D. does irreverent takes on classic Hong Kong iconography. Think mobile-phone covers printed with…
Henan
The artist/owner of this woodblock printing workshop, Mr Yin (尹), is a fifth-generation artisan whose family has been in business for more than 200 years…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
In the hip Star St area, this Hong Kong–born boutique has combined two old shops to create a new 1500-sq-ft flagship. It stocks a fastidiously curated…
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…
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…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
A mostly street-level fashion-shopping mecca spanning four streets in Causeway Bay – Paterson, Cleveland, Great George and Kingston. It's where you'll…
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…
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…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
A polished marble sea of high-end couture and accessories, posh Pacific Place manages to avoid the malady of mall fatigue via its expansive design,…
Hong Kong
This elegant four-level shop is a local institution, and one of the few places in Central that specialises in luxury Chinese style. It's the place to go…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
The hyperkinetic buzz at the heart of Causeway Bay, Times Square is retail nirvana for Hong Kong's shoppers, with mainstream brands over 13 floors (it was…
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…
Anhui
Old St is lined with tea shops but Xie Yu Da Tea is the real deal, founded by Xie Zhengan (1838–1910), the man who first marketed Huangshan's now famous…
Beijing
Home of the last remaining traditional kite crafters in Beijing, this cluttered little cave is piled high with hand-painted fēng zhēng (kites) in the…
Macau
This four-storey shop on the corner of Taipa Village's Rua do Cunha pedestrian street has the mother lode of made-in-Macau gifts, T-shirts, candies and…
Hong Kong
The shop (c 1917) for artisanal, naturally fermented soy sauce, premier cru yellow-bean sauce (Chinese miso) and other high-quality condiments; it also…
Nanjing
Housed in a disused parking lot under Wutaishan Stadium, this astonishingly vast indie bookshop has very few foreign-language books, but the left-field…
Shenzhen
Miniscule spy cameras, jiving robots, e-skateboards and air-conditioned jackets (yep!) – for a sea of innovative, cut-price kidult toys, head to this…
Outlying Islands
Chiu Kee (c 1970s) is one of the precious few places around that still makes hand-painted pottery. You'll see the works of its founders, the late Mr Lam…
Macau
One of Macau's best independent bookshops, Pin-to (which means 'where' in Cantonese) has a strong curation of titles in art and culture, including some in…
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…
Xining
Dedicated to training and helping Tibetan nomads to produce handicrafts, Amdo Craft returns profits from all sales to Tibetan communities. Browse an…
