Sammie

I hate to start with "where ..." but that is the start. Where does one shop in Bejing for some nice take home items that are not fakes but not high end. I would like to bring home a few items and gifts knowing much of the value is the memory of the trip or the fact that I remembered someone back home. For example, I would like a piece of pearl jewelry but want real gold clasps yet do not need the highest end pearls. I don't expect to pay $10 but not paying $100s either. I guess I could change the findings here at home, but that'll just never happen. I would like to bring home a few souvenirs that have some Chinese meaning and again are not junk. While I really do not enjoy hard core bargaining I did it all through Indonesia and Thailand several years ago. By nature I'm not a shopper (at home or away) it's not fun so street marketing for shopping sake is not entertainment for me.
Suggestions?
Thanks all

Iowa_Redhead

I have no suggestions for you, but this is the sort of thing I was wondering too! I want something nice, but not high end.

peterad

As a piggyback question, is hard/expensive to ship things home from china, like painted screens, furniture etc? Are the post offices user friendly or a nightmare of chinese custom forms?
Thanks!

Marija

In China you assume <i>everything</i> is fake and poor quality and bargain accordingly. There's no such thing as 5 star hotels having only reputable shops inside. I say this staring at our "priceless red jade", but really 100% red painted rock, Son of Dragon statue.

Amy

You know what? My favorite Chinese souvenir is a little battery operated travel alarm clock that I bought (out of necessity) for the equivalent of two dollars...and, of course, my photos. I'm not a shopper when traveling, either, so perhaps I don't have the best advice, but I'd say that if you see something that you really like as far as how it looks, go for it without expecting it to be of major quality. (For instance, I got some pretty pillow shams--for decorative sofa pillows--but without the belief that they were actually silk! )

kja

I went to a set of shops called Baigongfang that PeterN_H had mentioned in an earlier post. See

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...ocals-shop.cfm

Baigongfang is along Guangming Lu east of the Temple of Heaven to the south (right) side as you are walking away from the Temple of Heaven (head east from the metro stop) and just after the street name changes to Guangming Lu. I'm no expert, but I was pleased with the quality of goods I found there, which included a variety of traditional Chinese crafts. I don't think I was very successful in bargaining, but I did negotiate prices that were ones I was willing to pay. There was almost no one else there when I went, which I did twice.

Sammie

Thanks all - back home with treasures in hand!

ileen

Wow! You are already back from your trip with "treasures in hand."
Hope you will share your experience with us.
What all did you buy and approximately what did you pay for some of the special items.
Your tips will help everyone on this board.
Also, what is one item that you think all travelers should get from China--something we cant find easily in the US at the bargain price.
Thanks! waiting for your response.

Sammie

ileen - I'm not much of a shopper as my original post states. I bought fun stuff - I went to the Pearl Market and the Silk Market and for those who know those places, yes, all fakes I'm sure. But I came home with a few fun necklaces that will improve my wardrobe. Spent maybe $5 to $15 bucks on any one item. I also bought some eye glass frames for $25 but did not let them give me the free eye exam for lenses - will do that back home. Well away from those Markets I bought a jade bracelet. I think it's real but will be asking the jeweler to be sure. Everything I bought all wadded together is no bigger than a grapefruit.

I gave up on finding anything "special" or meaningful other than that mentioned above. It was hot and humid and time was short. Truth be told, I can drive 30 minutes and find most of it in Chinatown.

I will say if you do like to shop and buy all that junk (which can be fun) give yourself plenty of time. It takes a fair amount of time to go through the bargaining process and it can be very exhausting especially after a long hot day of sightseeing. I gave about an hour to an hour and a half at each place before they closed.