Hong Kong
This luxurious shopping mall boasts 200 high-fashion boutiques linking the One and Two IFC towers and the Four Seasons Hotel. Outlets include Gucci,…
Must-see shopping in China
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
English-speaking sales staff are adept at parting tourists from their cash in exchange for high-grade teas from around China, sold loose by the liǎng (50g…
Tibet Gang Gyen Carpet Factory
Shigatse
This workshop employs local women to weave high-quality wool carpets. Upon arrival you’ll be directed to the workshop, where you can watch the craftswomen…
Hong Kong
This elegant space showcases mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and Asian, as well as European, contemporary art – mostly paintings and sculptures. The owner,…
Beijing
A good place to stock your suitcase with China's finest if staying in the Gulou area, this tea shop is run by a couple from Fujian, China's tea heartland…
Hong Kong
The two narrow, crowded alleyways linking Des Voeux Rd Central with Queen's Rd Central are called 'the lanes' by Hong Kong residents, and were…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Vendors in the old Wan Chai Market, built in Streamline Moderne style in 1937, were relocated to this modern complex occupying the lower floors of the…
Shanghai
Set in the M50 complex, this simple photography gallery shares a space with Osoi Design and sells abstract photos. Many present close-ups of the…
Hong Kong
This boutique fashion and beauty department store is a good choice if you're short of time rather than money. Comme des Garçons, Chloé and Alexander…
Shanghai Old City
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…
Tong Han Chun Traditional Medicine Store
Shanghai Old City
An intriguing emporium of elixirs, infusions and remedies, this place has been selling Chinese medicinal cures since 1783. There’s a vast range here,…
Xi'an
Serious shoppers can visit the Northwest Antique Market, by Zhongshan Gate. This three-storey warren of shops selling jade, seals, antiques and Mao…
Hongkou & North Shanghai
Consisting of two run-down, rabbit-warren department stores surrounding the North Henan Rd intersection, Qipu Market is where ordinary Shanghainese go…
Macau
Fine gems and high-end costume jewellery by a local designer on the 2nd floor of A Porta da Art. Styles are feminine and elegant, fitting occasions from…
Kowloon
Run by a handful of young Hong Kongers, this is a bilingual bookstore-cafe with an intellectual bent. If you’re looking for the likes of Derrida or Miłosz…
Kowloon
Brown's belongs to a new generation of bespoke tailoring shops for men. They're adept at both making traditional gentlemen's attire and instilling modern…
Beijing
One of China's largest state-run shu cheng, or 'book cities', this hulk of a bookstore is spread over four vast floors in a purpose-built building, and is…
Beijing
The Place is an open-air retail zone canopied by an enormous, upturned video screen, which shelters the usual array of fast fashion, coffee outlets and…
Shanghai
Fed by the metro station below ground, Grand Gateway 66 is a vast, airy space and one of Shanghai’s high-end malls. It has a wide range of designer and…
Hong Kong
This world-class furniture dealer specialises in classical Chinese furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and scholar's objects. It also restores…
Hongkou & North Shanghai
Explore this Duolun Rd shop, where shelves spill over with all manner of historic collectables from pre-Liberation China: books and catalogs, 1950s maps…
Beijing
With three shops grouped together in this location, Sanfo is the place to come for high-quality outdoor wear, climbing and camping gear, as well as…
Hong Kong
The territory’s answer to London's Harrods, Lane Crawford (c 1850) was Hong Kong's original Western-style department store, and one that, admirably, has…
Beijing
A throwback to a bygone era, this crusty old department store keeps elderly Xicheng residents in padded winter clothing, traditional Beijing-branded…
Chengdu
At the south end of town, the world's largest mall (and, by floor space, the largest building in the world) has more than 511,000 sq metres of consumption…
Shenzhen
An old favourite of Hong Kong day trippers, this multistorey mall, right next to the Luohu border crossing, has hundreds of tiny shops selling handbags,…
Kowloon
This third-generation family firm is run by a suited and silk-tongued gemologist selling diamonds, white gold and jade on Nathan Rd for over 40 years. A…
Hangzhou
One of the country's oldest traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics, Huíchūn Táng is still a fully functioning business with TCM doctors on-site and…
Kowloon
I.T. carries a chic and edgy selection of first- to third-tier designer brands from Europe and Japan, with high (but not outrageous) price tags. The I.T…
Hongkou & North Shanghai
While Joy City’s main attraction is the Sky Ring perched on the roof, the mall itself isn’t a bad place to while away an hour or two. Midrange shops…
Shanghai
Staff outnumber shoppers at this upmarket mall, featuring fake palms, a live pianist and an entire line-up of haute-couture fashion brands straight from…
French Concession
Muji fans will love Shanghai's flagship store (the largest in mainland China), spread over three floors and stocking everything from the usual stationery,…
Beijing
Browse rails of Asian street fashion at this mall of mini independent boutiques spread over several floors. As well as mostly womenswear and accessories,…
Shanghai No 1 Department Store
The Bund & People's Square
Opened in 1936, the Shanghai No 1 Department Store was formerly known as the Sun Company and was one of East Nanjing Rd’s big department stores (with Wing…
Outlying Islands
Of the many craft boutiques in Cheung Chau village, this hip little spot stands out for its made in Hong Kong jewellery and accessories with fun local…
Macau
One of several salted fish and sun-dried seafood shops in Coloane Village but this one happens to be located next to the attractive Ponte Cais de Coloane,…
Xingguang Photography Equipment
French Concession
There are six floors of photography equipment here. While prices vary (you need to bargain; no guarantees) there are some good buys awaiting among the…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
ACO (Art & Culture Outreach), is more than just an art bookstore. It also plays a role in the many pop-up events taking place on other floors inside the…
Shanghai
Sumptuous Shanghai Tang’s shops add splashes of vibrant colour to the greyest of Shanghai days: elegant blouses, vivacious silk dresses, gorgeous tops,…
Chongqing City
Built into the cliffs overlooking the Jialing River, this massive complex is a Disney version of the tumbledown houses that once stood in its place. If…
