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
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Cool ThingzZ & Portuguese Spot
Macau
Portuguese products in Macau are booming these days, and this bright and welcoming shop stocks wines, olive oil, sweets and canned seafood. Or if you're…
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…
Tianjin
The former canal-side market town of Yangliuqing is famous throughout China for producing Chinese New Year block-printed paintings that people hang in…
Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South
Occupying a swish, purpose-built mall beside the Temple of Heaven's east gate, the Pearl Market is palpably less hectic than the more famous Silk Street,…
Hong Kong
Though the specialities are ancient porcelain and tombware, Arch Angel packs a lot more into its two floors: it has everything from old ink drawings and…
Beijing
Squint at the historical facade of Ruifuxiang, East China's esteemed silk-clothing merchants, trading here since 1893, and you can almost imagine late…
Beijing
A mandatory tour-group stop, this six-storey temple of retail contains acres of clothing, shoes, handbags and electronics – much of it counterfeit and of…
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…
Beijing
Beijing's premier destination for haute couture and urbane dining, Taikoo Li is where the fashionistas go to splash the cash. An open-air mall complex…
Shenzhen
A sizeable chunk of Shenzhen's prosperity can be traced to this vast cottage industry of tech that stretches across city blocks. Mall after mall selling…
Hangzhou
Hangzhou is famous for its silks and there are certainly bargains to be found in this seven-storey market. You'll have to work hard to get them, though…
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…
Hangzhou
Wushan Lu Night Market doesn't have too much to offer by way of interesting souvenirs, but it's still a pleasant place to stroll for half an hour or so…
Beijing
The downtown Beijing flagship of innovative Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi (sometimes called China's Apple). Browse low-price designer tech such as…
Anhui
An unlikely bookshop in an unlikely place, this is the Bishan branch of the stupendous Nanjing bookshop, Librarie Avant-Garde, coaxed into existence by a…
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-…
