1. Home
2. Top City Guide > Beijing >

Wangfujing Street
Wangfujing is now considered as the central heart of Beijing City. It is the first modern-style commercial street in Beijing, about 800 meters long and on two sides of it standing many stores and malls. A walk from end to end would take you about 30 mins, and that's without looking at any shops and malls. The Wangfujing shopping district aims to achieve equal ranking with New York's Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Elysees of Paris and the Ginza in Tokyo. The packed stores in the street selling clothes, tea, shoes, souvenirs, books, hats, etc - you name it, Wangfujing's got it.
At the south end of Wangfujing Street, Oriental Plaza provides various shops and high fashions. Even if you don't need to buy anything, it's a good place for people walking and checking out the richer, more trendy side of Beijing. There is also a Christian church in the street, and you can find starbucks by the church. If you like Beijing snack, right next to this there is place full of all kinds of street food during night time. 
Add: East of Tiananmen Square. 

Panjiayuan Market 
For many tourists to Beijing, the Panjiayuan Market is a must see free market. It is open on the weekens. So you manage to go there on a Saturday or Sunday if you are planning a travel plan for Beijing. Panjiayuan is simply the best and biggest bazaar in Beijing. It has something for everybody from antiques to furniture and art as well as books and baubles. Even if you don't have any money left to buy something, Panjiayuan is still a funny place to walk around and see interesting things. Photographers will find amusing subjects as well, especially the ethnic minorities selling their wares while dressed in their local costumes. 
Add: No. 200 West of Panjiayuan Bridge and south of the East Third Ring Road (between Panjiayuan Bridge and Huawei Bridge), in the Chaoyang district.

Liulichang Antiques Street: Biggest Antiques Area
Liulichang is the oldest street in Beijing. Located outside Hepingmen, this cultural street is known as "antique street" by many foreign residents in Beijing. Liulichang is 750m long with a long history from Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Now, there are lots of shops here. The area is really a nice place to these who love the Chinese culture. They sell such typical Chinese stuff as ancient books, jade, gold, pottery wares, calligraphy, paintings, musical instruments, etc. 
Add: a few minutes' walk south of Hepingmen Subway station. The antique shops are on both sides of the major street.

Silk Market 
Located to the east section of Changan Stree, it is a six story building that provides everything with a restaurant on the sixth floor. Silk Market is open from 8:30am till 9:00 am from October to March. For the rest of the year, it is open until 11:00pm. The best time to go shopping here is during the week (not weekends) in the early mornings. You need some time to get use to the bargain if you are not familiar with the bargaining system. Very often the opening prices are always 3-6 times higher than what they will eventually take for the product. If you are using western thinking about what the products are worth, then you will loose your money in the bargaining process. We found that there were better qualities in about every item and you just had to ask for them for better quality and they keep bringing out higher qualities of the same items. This was especially true for women's purses and all watches. 
Add: East of Friendship Store on the Chang'an Street.

Hongqiao Market (Pearl Market)
Hongqiao Market is also named Pearl Market. The name of Pearl Market is a little bit misleading. This huge market actually provides everything ranging from small knifes, copy watches, sports wear, bags, shoes and actual jewelry. It looks somehow messed up. On ground floor you can find some electronics, basic photo equipment, copy watches and other small stuff. On second floor they have shoes, women's and men's clothes, bags and some sporting goods. At the top of the store they keep pearls, other jewelry and souvenirs (lamps, stamps, coins, kites, silk craft and many more). 
Add: North or East Gate of the Temple of Heaven.

Xidan: Shopping Area among the Locals
Xidan Market is the shopping paradise for the locals ( local people in Beijing ). There is a department store with Starbuck and McDonalds. The shopping centre is crowded. Further north is the Xidan Market and bargain here is required. The store assistants speaks little or no english. Xidan has many shops that sell cheap men and women's casual clothing. Of course, you can find quality clothes there. This is more non-touristy shopping compared to Wangfujing and as a result, prices can be lower.
Add: 1km north of Entrance A - Xidan Subway Station of Line No.01.

Lufthansa Center
The Lufthansa Shopping Center has a very rich selection of the best goods you can buy at Beijing. Most people believe that people have to be ready for the extremely astronomical prices at the Lufthansa Center Department Store. 
Add: 50 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District.

Qianmen Street
Located at the center of Beijing near Tiananmen Square, Qianmen Street, no more than 2 km long, has been a prosperous area for more than 600 years and has accumulated some long-standing stores. Many well-known Chinese stores started their operations there. The reconstruction project aims to preserve the Qianmen Street's history in its entirety. Streetcars, decorated archway and bird cages as well as bronze drums and candied haws, all familiar to Beijing people reappear on the street.
Add: located at the central axis of Beijing, just south of Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, running from the watchtower of the Zhengyangmen Gate in the north to the Tiantian Road (Temple of Heaven Road) in the south.