Shopping in Beijing
Many five star hotels have internationally known designer boutiques with higher prices than their countries of origin. No bargains here. With a population of over 12 million, Beijing needs and has a wide variety of shopping venues at all cost levels. Don't miss stopping
in at a neighborhood grocery store when you see one, or strolling in a neighborhood market where one will truly see fresh food.

What to Buy

Silk Antiques Handicraft Chinese medicine
silk Antiques paper cuttingpaper cutting chinese medicine
China was synonymous with "silk" long before anyone had heard of the Great Wall or tea. No other country in the world is as advanced in silkworm-raising and silk weaving as China, which first discovered the potential of the material 5,000 years ago.

 

A large antiques market is the Antiques City at Panjiayuan. This is a multi-story building which is full of antiques and general kitsch. The same rules apply here as in Liulichang: if you like it , get it. Don't worry if it is fake or not. Many of the things are not real antiques, but on the other hand, recently a 50,000-year-old fossil was confiscated from one of the sellers there. The fossil was on sale for about US$150, so you never know.

Papercutting is one of the most popular handicrafts in Beijing. There is a wider variety of papercutting patterns than you can imagine available.

Kites can be used as ornaments and toys. One of China's favorite past times is flying kites, especially in Beijing where there is usually plenty of wind around to send them soaring into the sky. Available in many art and craft stores, kites are among the best Chinese presents to friends back home.

 

Chinese medicine is based on the promotion of health and encompasses the entire body. Health is represented as a balance of yin and yang - two forces that represent the bipolar manifestation of all things in nature. In the Oriental medicine a doctor is paid when the patient is well, not sick.