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Shopping

The opening up of Beijing to the west has also had a dramatic impact on shopping. A wide range of consumer goods - both local and imported - are now available and there are many bargains to be found throughout the city. The main shopping area is around Wangfujing Street where there are a number of department stores, including the Beijing Department Store, which primarily caters for the Chinese market. The best clothes shops are on Dongdan Street as well as Silk Alley on Xiushui Street off Jianguomenwai, which also has silk stalls. Here prices are displayed but it is worth bargaining. Just along the road is the famous Friendship Store, which has several floors of tourist souvenirs, laquerware, jewellery, carpets and clothes and Chinese tea.

The long-established markets throughout the city now compete with a number of modern shopping malls the most glamorous of which is the Lufthansa Centre on Liangmaqiao Road with its many international shops and snack bars. Another major shopping mall is the Xidan Shopping Centre on Xidan North Street with shops selling a range of food, jewellery, electronic goods and clothes. Collectors of antiques should make for Liulichang where the narrow street is crammed with ancient-style shops, reconstructed in a traditional way and stocking a bewildering array of antiques and curios. Note that antiques over 100 years old are marked with a red wax seal and an export licence must be issued in order to take them out of the country. Panjiayuan market (open on Sundays only) is pure temptation in that it sells so many good-value Chinese items such as jade, onyx chops, silk items, calligraphy, original paintings, antiques, ceramics and carpets. Shopping hours are generally daily 0800-2000 but some small private shops may stay open later.



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