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Beijing Shopping
Not exactly one of the late Mao’s catch phrases, ‘shop till you drop’ is now a ringing mantra of the Communist Party's popular reform drive. Domestic demand is a major linchpin of economic growth and China's magic formula when exports are down. When the Chinese population of 1.4 billion goes shopping, it shops big time. Beijing is no exception.
Beijing has shopping haunts a plenty, from vast malls and department stores to roadside markets, street-side vendors and itinerant hawkers, all of them feeding China's remorseless consumer revolution. Travellers could well come up trumps with 1ong-sought-after curios and souvenirs. It's worth spending a bit of time getting to know where the markets are and trawling through them with a careful eye.
There are several notable Chinese shopping districts offering abundant goods and 1ow prices: Wangfujing Qianmen (including Dashilar) and Xidan. More luxurious shopping areas are to be found in the embassy areas of Jiangguomenwai and Sanlitu, also check out five-star hotel shopping malls. Shopping at an open-air market is an experience not to be missed. Beijing's most popular markets are the Xiushui Silk, Panjiayuan and Hongqiao markets. There are also specialised shopping districts such as Liulichang (see Where to Shop later in this chapter).
For those on the hunt for silks, jade, Mao memorabilia, pearls, chops (see the boxed text 'Making a Name for Yourself' later in this chapter), brushes, inks, scrolls, handicrafts, clothing and antiques, you won't leave Beijing empty-handed. Small or light items to buy include silk scarves, embroidered purses, paper cuttings, wooden and bronze Buddhas, fold-up paper lanterns and kites. Down jackets are one of the best bar-gains you'll find in Beijing and are essential survival gear if you visit during winter.
You'll also be tripping over fakes by the bundle-load. The latest DVDs, VCDs and music CDs come smoking off the pirate's press seven days a week to be hawked from roadsides citywide. All of the top names Dunhill, Burberry, North Face - are faked wholesale, so if what you want is the real thing, check the product carefully.
Stores are generally open 9am to 7pm daily; some are open 8am to 8pm. Open-air markets are generally open 10am till sunset. New department stores have sprung up all around the capital. Most are open from 9am to 9pm daily. While prices at department stores are generally fixed (sometimes you can get a 10% discount if you ask), bargaining is a must pretty much everywhere else.
Most large department stores now take credit cards (smaller stores may only take Chinese credit cards, so come armed with RMB). Many large department stores and hotels also sport ATMs with international access.
It's worth noting that in many of the older shops, you can't just pay for your goods and walk out in one movement, The sales person will give you a ticket for your goods. You then go to a till, hand over your ticket and pay for your goods; the stamped ticket is then returned to you. You then return to the sales person who takes the stamped ticket and hands you your goods
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