Beijing Shopping Tips by vic&michael

Xidan: Xidan Shopping Street Xidan Review

Xidan has many shops that sell cheap men and women's casual clothing. Quality of clothing varies though.
Also there is a large store that sells misc. Chinese sweets & tea, good for presents to take home.

Address: Xidan Street

Directions: 1km north of Entrance A - Xidan Subway Station

Theme: Other

Wangfujing Street: Splurge out in Beijing Wangfujing Street Review

I visited Oriental Plaza on Wangfujing Street. The food court had many choices of delicious food and restaurants. Easy to order by pointing, or restaurants have English menus. The shopping itself is very expensive. Brand-name stores. Nothing that you wouldn't find in any other generic upper-class Department Store in the world. Nice to visit if you are feeling like a hot and dirty backpacker, and would like a rest in clean white, air-conditioned area with a cool drink & clean meal!

Theme: Department Store

Buy a lot of TEA!

Tea makes a great souviner to take home and give away. Chinese teas come in many interesting forms. There are many flower teas that look beautiful and have a lovely fragrance, leaf teas with different fragrances, and a mix of flower and leaf teas. Created specially in a ball-shaped that opens up like a flower bud to show the flower in hot water.

If you go to Mailiandao street, it is a street with many tea shops. Walk down the road till you come to a large building, and it has many many tea shops inside. You will be hassled by the women inside until you sit down, relax and try their teas. You will be served many different types. Don't be scared to tell them if you don't like a certain tea's flavor. Choose the teas you want as you go, or pick your favorites at the end.

Michael and I bought aobut 6-7 different types of tea. We had a great time! And a good caffine buzz afterwards! haha. A great way to spend a rainy / relaxed day.

What to pay: 120 RMB / 500g tea (average)
But who buys 500g tea!? We just bought enough to fit into little containers. (which you can buy there).

Theme: Food and Drink

Panjiayuan Market: Have Fun Bargaining! Panjiayuan Market Review

Panjiayuan Market is overflowing with Stuff. I couldn't believe how much Stuff you could potentially buy in this market. I especially liked buying pottery teapots and artworks.

Be sure you bargain hard. Bring a small calculator with you, to calculate how much you are paying in your currency, and to show the shop owner how much you want to pay.
Don't be afraid to walk away if you don't want to pay the price they are asking. You can always go back or find it at a different stall. Many times, you can pretend to walk away and they will re-negotiate a lower price with you. If someone offers you something at 150 RMB, offer 20 RMB. Settle for 40-50 RMB. The mark-up is really that ridiculous in the markets.

What to buy: Antiques, nick-nacks, pottery cups/teapots, Chinese art, wall-hangings, wooden carvings, jade (mostly fake in the markets)...

Directions: Southeast of city, at Jin4 Song1 district. Beijing dialect would pronounce as Pan1 jia1 yuanR2, of course (don't forget to roll your tongue)!

Phone: 6775 2405

Theme: Other