Shopping in Guangzhou

Shopping in Guangzhou
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Guangzhou offers a wide range of shopping experiences -- from department store and fashion boutiques to the strange world of traditional medicines and exotic foods.

For example, deep in Old Gunagzhou, the Qingping Market, north of Shamian Island, is the real deal in Asian shopping. It is a crowded, disorganized mass of stalls and shops that began to spring up with economic liberalization during the 1980's. While you can buy everything from antique porcelain to souvenirs of Chairman Mao, the area is famous (or infamous) for its variety of culinary "delicacies." Looking for some python steaks? How about dried rat meat, or stir fried crickets? Cats, dogs, birds, and bugs are all to be had here if you're brave enough...

Department Stores:

* Guangzhou Donshan Department Store - A large, modern store in the Dongshan District with an inventory of about 80,000 items ranging from electrical appliances to clothes.
* Nangfang Department Store - Established in 1954, the store has a national reputation and has chain stores in different sections of Guangzhou.
* Yong'an Company dates to 1947, making it one of the oldest department stores in Guangzhou. It is located at Shangxiajiu Road and Dishipu Road.
* The Friendship Store - One of the city's more modern and upscale retail outlets. It is located in the east of the city, on Taojin Lu. The store has five floors.
* The South Mansion Department Store - On Yanjian Xi Road.
* Xindaxin Company - Located on 4 Zhongshan Wulu. The 16-storeys include 15 shopping centers. If you can think of it, it's probably here. This list is by no mean comprehensive. Beijing Lualone has a number of different department stores between the Pearl River and Zhongshan Lu.

Perhaps the best shopping, though, is in the smaller and more traditional shops on the city's various shopping streets and markets. Beijing Lu has a number of these - trendy little boutiques pushing Hong Kong fashions. Most shops are open from 9am to 10pm.

Other shopping streets and markets include:

* Yide Lu - A number of large wholesale warehouses. Everything from children's toys to dried foods. Shops on the street also carry home decorations.
* Hai Yin Fabric Market - Located on Dong Hu Lu, this one of the largest markets in China.
* Qingping Market - land of the weird and wonderful. You can find a tea pot to take home. It is an amazing place to walk through! Handbags, shoes, and jewelry galore. But where else can you buy a live monkey? The market is a confusing maze of alleys and back roads next to Shamian Islands.
* Shamian Island - The island itself is a worthwhile place to shop. If you visit the island and Qingping you will grasp the contrast. Shamian Island is lined more with upscale boutiques.
* Night Markets - The best ones are on Xinhu Road or Jiaoyue Road. Last but not least, no shopping experience in Guangzhou is complete without a trip to Liwan Plaza. Restaurants, discos, boutiques and more: it is one of the biggest shopping complexes. The plaza is north of Shamian Island, between Changshou Lu and Xiajiu Lu.