Thorn Tree travel forum

1

Hi, I cant tell you what is best for the other places but there are some relaly cheap places in Beijing for shopping cheaply, but you will have to do some hard bargaining. My experience from what other people say its going to be cheaper the further south you are, markets are plentyfull in Beijing but I would hope you can find something cheaper outside of the capital. For a list of all the markets in Beijing then go to any hotel and they will give you a list of them and the address for you. Landoo and silk matket are good. or take bus number 11 from Quinmen and get off just before the forth ring road and there is a huge market of everything you would need and its CHEAP !! (good quality fake brands) Even you dont buy anything walking around and seeing all the fake brand names is hilarious.

Tom

Just - Tom :-)

2

i've been to all these cities besides pingyao. you can get similar things in most cities, as far as souvenirs and clothes. agree that things in the south and west are cheaper, but it's probably don't worth the inconvience of lugging them around just to save a few dollars. you can definitely wait to the end as there are lots of markets in Beijing.

3

I was going to say that Kunming is a decent shopping city check out the "pet market" which is a scene to behold, but rmdavis82 is right about lugging the stuff around for the whole trip. Probably waiting towards the end is a good plan, except for the souveniers from distinct places of course. I don't find much humor in the pirated goods like the first poster does. Customs in both China and elsewhere are cracking down on that. Chances are the stuff will fall apart in a few weeks for the "knock offs". Buy silk and caligraphy, not knockoffs, get that at Marshall's or Ross: )

"Here Comes Sunshine..."

4

thanks guys- eastbound where can i find the pet market- that sounds great
cheers

5

I really enjoyed shopping in Lijiang, but my tastes are for the kind of shirts/clothes many stores sell there - linen/cotton, kind of folksy/hippy. (With some ethnic embroidery, etc.) If you keep walking towards the far corners of the old city you can find shops that don't get as many customers as the ones in the center of the old city. There you can find some cheaper prices. Some stores don't allow bargaining, but most will give you a discount if you ask.

6

And, you can find much of the same/similar stuff in Zhongdian for cheaper too!
Cheers!

7

ellyse - nice! I didn't know that as I haven't been to Zhongdian yet. I look forward to a trip there sometime during my stay in China (which could be as long as 3 years.)

8

Well, I knew too late as I didn't buy anything in Zhongdian and did my shopping after that in Lijiang! :P Partly because I was doing the Haba -- Tiger Leaping Gorge hike after Zhongdian and wasn't keen on having extra stuff to lug along.
Cheers!