Shopping
Beijing has a good reputation for shopping , with the widest choice of anywhere in China. Clothes are particularly inexpensive, and are one reason for the city's high number of Russians, as smuggling them across the northern border is a lucrative trade. There's also a wide choice of antiques and handicrafts , but don't expect to find any bargains or particularly unusual items as the markets are well picked over. Be aware that much that is passed off as antique is fake. Good souvenir buys are art materials , particularly brushes and blocks of ink, chops carved with a name, small jade items and handicraft items such as kites , painted snuff bottles and papercuts. There are five main shopping districts : Wangfujing, popular but overrated; Xidan, whose giant department stores are of limited interest to visitors; Dongdan, which mainly sells brand-name clothes; and Qianmen, perhaps the area that most rewards idle browsing, with a few oddities among the cheap shoes and clothes stores. In addition, and especially aimed at visitors, Liulichang is a good place to get a lot of souvenir buying done quickly, or head to Jianguomenwai Dajie if it's clothes you're after. In the markets , you have much less guarantee of quality, but you can (and should) barter, so prices are cheaper. For general goods check the department stores , which sell a little of everything, and provide a good index of current Chinese taste. The Beijing Department Store, on Wangfujing, and the Xidan Department Store on Xidan Dajie are prime examples, or check out the newer Landao Store, on Chaoyangmenwai Dajie. The Parkson Building, west of Xidan on Chang'an Jie, is the plushest. Rising living standards for some are reflected in the new giant malls , where everything costs as much as it does in the West. Try the Sun Dong'an Plaza, on Wangfujing, the Sea-Sky Plaza, on Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, or the SCITECH, COFCO or World Trade Centre plazas on Jianguomen if you don't get enough of this at home. Shops are open daily from 8.30am to 8pm (7pm in winter), with large shopping centres staying open till 9pm. Beijing is one Chinese city where the night markets are poor, forced out by the abundance of goods in the stores
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