Ten recommended famous Beijing shopping streets

Tag : t-shirt fabric
Beijing is a great place for shopping. From the latest fashions tofine arts to more types of tea than you can think of, it is mostlikely that it can be found in the capital.

Liulichang Street

Liulichang, or Glass Street, near the Hepingmen metro station onsubway Line 2, aka the "loop line," got its name from thecolored glaze factories set up in the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming(1368-1644) dynasties. It evolved into a commercial area focusingon traditional Chinese culture starting at the beginning of theQing Dynasty (1644-1911) when merchants opened the first antiquestalls along the street.

If you have an interest in calligraphy and art, china ortraditional Chinese ornaments, and you're looking for a memento ofyour trip other than Olympic souvenirs, Liulichang is highlyrecommended -- and don't forget to try on the eye-catching jewelryif you fancy something.

Almost 100 traditional-style shops on both sides of the street willtake you away from the bustle of modern life into a Qing bazaar.

Shishahai Bar Street

After cheering for your country or favorite athlete at the Games,you may want to wet your whistle at Shishahai bar street. The bestway to get there is by cab. Just tell the driver to take you to thenorth gate of Beihai Park - or Beihai gong yuan in Chinese.

Modern night life in a traditional Chinese courtyard makes thestreet a favorite for foreigners in Beijing. It's also a greatplace for a little shopping. We recommend a stroll down XieyandaiStreet.

The 200-meter-long alley is lit by palace lanterns glowing abovethe steps of the small shops. The establishments here mainly winthe hearts of shoppers for their collection of designed stationery,jewellery, stylish clothing and accessories, which shop owners havegathered in their journeys to such areas as China's southern Yunnanprovince, Tibet, India and Nepal. Its highly possible that what youpick up here will not be found anywhere else in the world.

Nanluoguxiang, South Gong and Drum Lane

The history of this 800 meter-long, south-north lane, which is justa block east of Shishahai, can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty.

It is up to you to push open the wooden doors to the shops anddiscover fine silk shawls and various handicrafts designed by localartists. Like some of its counterparts in Beijing, Nanluoguxiang isalso featured by its fusion of the modern and old, East and West.Among the popular shops is the t-shirt store Plastered. Its Britishowner has Chinese characters of the famous Beijing dish gong bao jiding, or kung pao chicken, printed on white t-shirts and it sellswell.

Creativity is a major attraction of Nanluoguxiang as many shops areowned and run by local designers and artists. Places like Le Tianand Shi Jie specialize in handmade potteries. At 55 Nanluoguxiangyou may ask craftsmen to make old Beijing paper-cut works inaccordance with your own design. Clothing shops like ShanghaiTailor offers custom-made outfits. We recommend you have an on-linetour at Nanluoguxiang's English website (www.nlgx.org) beforehand.It contains a detailed directory of all the shops and recreationsites of the lane.

Maliandao Tea Street

This is a must for both local tea lovers and foreign visitors whowish to take home some cha as a gift. The 1,500-meter-long streetis located outside the Guang'anmen (a famous city gate) in the westSecond Ring Road and can be reached by buses 46, 414 and 609.

The largest tea market in the city, it is home to more than100shops and five large tea stores. The beauty of the place is youcould pick up your cup of tea from among a variety of tea productscoming in from all the major production regions around China. Thisgives you more choices than most individual tea shops in the city.You may smell and taste any kind of tea before making your finaldecision. Shop owners will offer you tips on how to make genuineChinese tea.

Wangfujing Street

Directly east of Tiananmen Square, this may be the first stop onyour shopping tour after arriving in Beijing. It is on subway Line1 and the routes of many buses.

Stretching more than 1.8 km, it's often crowded with windowshoppers, checking out the famous brand name stores, most of whichare found in the grand Oriental Plaza mall.

Sun Dong An Plaza, a magnet for the young, is another popular mall:bright and full of life.

Check out the Wangfujing Arts and Crafts Building for traditionalChinese art and craft works as well as quality jewellery.

You also should not miss the chance to see time-honored Chinesebrands, such as Shengxifu hats and Tongbihe shoes.

And if you're looking for a good book, you may find it in theWangfujing Book Store.

Wangfujing food street

For visitors not familiar with traditional Chinese street food,what they put in their mouth could be strange, or even challenging.That said, the seemingly scary deep fried scorpion, locust andcicada pupa have a reputation for being surprisingly tasty snacks.Beijing's famous speciality, bingtang hulu, or sugar-coated fruit,is a must.

Dashilan and New Qianmen Street

If you're wondering how it was to shop in ancient Beijing, werecommend a half-day trip around Dashilan commercial area and NewQianmen Street. It can be reached by taking subway Line 2 toQianmen. The whole area now is near the end of a reconstructionlaunched in May and will open to the public before the Olympics.

Founded nearly six centuries ago, Dashilan is famous for itsancient architecture. It has been home to many time-honored Chinesebrands with histories as long as the buildings. Liubiju pickledvegetables, Zhangyiyuan tea, Yueshengzhai stewed pork andRuifuxiang silk and fabric are household names locally.

Tongrentang drugstore is a good place to learn about traditionalChinese medicine. Its founder was Emperor Kangxi's royal doctorback in the Qing Dynasty. You can see how shopkeepers weigh and mixdifferent kinds of herbs in accordance with doctor