Beijing - Post Report Question and Answers
Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
In theory, yes. However, it’s hard to find handicrafts in the heart of Beijing (or Shanghai and other large Chinese cities) that aren’t mass-produced for tourists. However, if you get off the beaten track, especially in smaller cities or more rural areas, you’ll have more luck finding something unique. - Nov 2024
Loads to buy. It may be hard to determine authenticity when it comes to antiques. - Nov 2021
Yes, but you'd need some language. - Nov 2020
Yes, so many things - furniture, pearls, and so much more. - May 2020
Yes: furniture, calligraphy, pottery. - Nov 2019
This is a first-world city and a lot of the old markets are being razed. This is definitely not that kind of country any more. There is the Pearl Market but it is so commercial. You can find handmade lamps and furniture but the prices are not cheap. - Oct 2017
Paintings, rugs at the Qianmen Carpet Factory, tons and tons of food. - Dec 2015
Jade, pearls, porcelain. - Apr 2015
Furniture, paintings and pearls. - Jul 2014
Antique furniture, fake handbags, pirated DVDs - Jun 2013
Artwork of all kinds; trips around the country. - Aug 2011
Massage! - Apr 2011
A society with 1.4 billion people makes few unique things. Settle for things that are definitely Chinese. The best gift I've found is silk bathrobes at YaShow market - real pure Chinese silk, very high quality, about $30. There really isn't much to buy here, though - it's all the same stuff you can get at Wal-Mart in the US, except lower quality and at higher prices (China has a 17% value added tax, and with incomes so low, the quality of items sold here tends to be either akin to dollar stores or super high end luxury goods). Of course, you can always buy a "Pravda" bag or a "Cucci" watch. If you're a geek, head to Zhongguancun. The fake (aka "Shanzhai") iPhones are hilarious, and you can buy incredibly powerful laser pointers with a 2km range. - Jan 2011
Fake everything if you're into name brands. Jade, pearls, silk dresses, cashmere coats, lamps. - Apr 2010
Furniture and silk. - Jan 2010
