Shopping in China
Jan 24th, 2008, 04:16 PM
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Shopping in China
We are going to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang. Are the areas of minority people noted for any specific products or wares? If so, where to purchase them? Any suggestions on the best places to purchase pearls, etc. on the rest of our trip? Any shopping tips re: any types of products would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Jan 24th, 2008, 07:43 PM
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I don't think I can advise particularly with regard to local tribal handicrafts in any of the cities you are visiting. Most minority groups are known for their textiles, but I don't know that other than in the Kunming, Dali and possibly the Xian area, you will find any. Perhaps others have suggestions. I can make some suggestions with regard to pearls, see below. If there are particular items you are looking for otherwise, it would be helpful if you could specify what you might be looking for. How long you will be in each place would be helpful too, as you can have shoes made in Hong Kong, but IMO you need at least one fitting so if you are only here for a few days it's not often a good idea.
I live in Hong Kong and would be <i> very very </i> wary of buying pearls in China anywhere but in Hong Kong from a reputable jeweler. There is such too much chance of getting a fake. If you can tell the difference, then go to it, otherwise, I would stick to Hong Kong.
Please do some comparison shopping at home before you leave so you can compare quality and price with what you will see in China. The quality may not be as good, but prices will be better. You have to make the decision. For the best quality, like Japanese, prices won't be all that much different. There is no sales tax, which is one savings. Bear in mind any duty you may have to pay when bringing the jewelry back home with you.
<u> Jewelers in Hong Kong </u>
Below are some jewelers who I have used over the years. All of them are located on Hong Kong Island. I personally would avoid jewelry shops in the Nathan Road area on the Kowloon side as they are aimed at tourists. There are many jewelry shops along Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, these cater primarily to locals, and you may find a lot of 18 and 24 carat gold jewelry which many Caucasians find too yellow for their skin tone.
In terms of price, cultured pearls from China are really quite inexpensive compared to what prices cultured pearls from Japan used to command. These are not the quality of Mikimoto or anything, but they are in my opinion quite pretty and have a nice luster. I would be surprised if you were asked to pay more than US$30 for a pair of just plain pearl stud earrings (6mm- 12mm size) or more than about US$100 for a 19 " necklace of 6 mm white pearls.
If you want anything custom made, all the jewelers below can do that, it would take a few days and they could send it to you in the US if that means you have left Hong Kong before it is done. I would not hesitate to leave custom work to Golden Mile or Lane Joalier, I am sure the other two are fine, I have not personally had them do custom work for me.
The shops below are not fixed price (except perhaps Tayma) and will bargain to an extent, not huge discounts, but you may get 3-5% or maybe a bit more. (Gaily Jewellery has huge "discounts" off its marked price, but it's really just that their marked prices are to be ignored.) If you can pay cash, you may get a slightly better price (another 1-2%); so when bargaining, mention that as a tool for the price. If you are paying by credit card, don't mention it until the end, unless they do ("is that a cash price?" they may ask). Visa or MasterCard will get you a slightly better price than Amex as they have to pay more to Amex. There are ATMs all over town to get cash.
Golden Mile Jewelry
Shop 114 A
1st Floor
Hutchison House
10 Harcourt Road
Central
Tel: 852-2525-6760
This is a shop I have used for many years and have no trouble recommending them. The shop is not upscale in any way, but they have a nice selection and do good custom work. I think they are a good choice for pearls and for gifts. I have dealt for a long time with a woman named Candy, but her brother Anthony is also helpful as well. The shop is located on upstairs in a building not too far from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Central. Closed on Sundays.
Lane Joaillier
106 Prince's Building
10 Charter Road, Central
Tel:.852 2869 8819
I have purchased a few things here over the years. This is a much more upscale shop in a quite expensive shopping centre in Central. They have a good selection as well. I believe they are open every day. This building is located across the street from the Mandarin hotel and not far from the Star Ferry pier.
Tayma Fine Jewellery
Shop 252
2nd Floor Prince's Building,
10 Chater Road, Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone: 2525 5280
http://www.taymajewellery.com/
This is a well-known expat jewelry designer who has a lot of very modern jewelry, I don't know what your taste is so I have included it in case you want something in a very modern setting. You can see some examples on her website. She is in the same building as Lane Joaillier so you could see both easily.
Gaily Jewellery co Ltd
54 A Queen's Road
Central
tel: 2526-0202
One of the Chinese lawyers in my office uses this jeweler and has brought visitors to the office there, I have gone with but have never bought anything. They have some very pretty designs and good prices. This would be a good place to look for pearls for yourself and for gifts as well. This is quite near to the start of the pedestrian escalator in Central. Open every day. Ignore the marked prices, you should get things for about 40-50% below the marked price.
<u> Jade Market Hong Kong </u>
I like the Jade Market. I think it is a lot of fun, as long as you don’t kid yourself that you are buying great jade or pearls. You can buy a nice souvenir for yourself or gift for someone else of a “jade” doughnut necklace or a bracelet, and there are also stalls selling all kinds of other souvenirs like Chinese coins, opium pipes, etc, so I think an hour or so spent here is worth it. It is not open at night, so go during the day. Please combine this with a walk up Shanghai Street which has a number of shops selling incense and temple goods like incense burners, altar tables, gods for the altar table, ancestor tablets, etc which are worth a look, and also stop into the very interesting temple complex on Shanghai Street which includes a Tin Hau temple. The Jade Market and Shanghai Street area a few blocks up and over from Nathan Road and the Jordan MTR. From the MTR, take Door A, turn right out the exit, then right again onto Jordan Road and walk up Jordan (away from the harbour) about 5-6 blocks to Kansu Street and turn left, the market is down on the right a few blocks under a highway overpass, it looks like a shanty town. You will cross Shanghai Street before you get to the market.
<u> Hongqiao Pearl Market Beijing </u>
In Beijing, a great place to go for costume pearl jewelry is the Hongqiao Pearl Market. It is not far from the Temple of Heaven and could be combined with a trip there. Once you get past the dried fish on the first floor, the top two floors (3rd and 4th if my memory serves) you will "pearls" and other jewelry. You can also find some "antiques" as well as copy Prada bags, etc on the second floor. Bargain hard, pay cash for a better price, and have fun. <b> Most -- if not all-- the pearls are fake, some may be freshwater. </b> But they are good fakes and for costume jewelry they are at very good prices. Do not pay a lot for anything here. <i> Do not believe the shopkeeper when he tells you that the pearls are real and offers to crush some in front of you to prove it. </i> Unless you yourself can tell the difference between real and fake, don't be suckered into this. The fakes are great and not expensive and just go with that.
I live in Hong Kong and would be <i> very very </i> wary of buying pearls in China anywhere but in Hong Kong from a reputable jeweler. There is such too much chance of getting a fake. If you can tell the difference, then go to it, otherwise, I would stick to Hong Kong.
Please do some comparison shopping at home before you leave so you can compare quality and price with what you will see in China. The quality may not be as good, but prices will be better. You have to make the decision. For the best quality, like Japanese, prices won't be all that much different. There is no sales tax, which is one savings. Bear in mind any duty you may have to pay when bringing the jewelry back home with you.
<u> Jewelers in Hong Kong </u>
Below are some jewelers who I have used over the years. All of them are located on Hong Kong Island. I personally would avoid jewelry shops in the Nathan Road area on the Kowloon side as they are aimed at tourists. There are many jewelry shops along Hennessy Road in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island, these cater primarily to locals, and you may find a lot of 18 and 24 carat gold jewelry which many Caucasians find too yellow for their skin tone.
In terms of price, cultured pearls from China are really quite inexpensive compared to what prices cultured pearls from Japan used to command. These are not the quality of Mikimoto or anything, but they are in my opinion quite pretty and have a nice luster. I would be surprised if you were asked to pay more than US$30 for a pair of just plain pearl stud earrings (6mm- 12mm size) or more than about US$100 for a 19 " necklace of 6 mm white pearls.
If you want anything custom made, all the jewelers below can do that, it would take a few days and they could send it to you in the US if that means you have left Hong Kong before it is done. I would not hesitate to leave custom work to Golden Mile or Lane Joalier, I am sure the other two are fine, I have not personally had them do custom work for me.
The shops below are not fixed price (except perhaps Tayma) and will bargain to an extent, not huge discounts, but you may get 3-5% or maybe a bit more. (Gaily Jewellery has huge "discounts" off its marked price, but it's really just that their marked prices are to be ignored.) If you can pay cash, you may get a slightly better price (another 1-2%); so when bargaining, mention that as a tool for the price. If you are paying by credit card, don't mention it until the end, unless they do ("is that a cash price?" they may ask). Visa or MasterCard will get you a slightly better price than Amex as they have to pay more to Amex. There are ATMs all over town to get cash.
Golden Mile Jewelry
Shop 114 A
1st Floor
Hutchison House
10 Harcourt Road
Central
Tel: 852-2525-6760
This is a shop I have used for many years and have no trouble recommending them. The shop is not upscale in any way, but they have a nice selection and do good custom work. I think they are a good choice for pearls and for gifts. I have dealt for a long time with a woman named Candy, but her brother Anthony is also helpful as well. The shop is located on upstairs in a building not too far from the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Central. Closed on Sundays.
Lane Joaillier
106 Prince's Building
10 Charter Road, Central
Tel:.852 2869 8819
I have purchased a few things here over the years. This is a much more upscale shop in a quite expensive shopping centre in Central. They have a good selection as well. I believe they are open every day. This building is located across the street from the Mandarin hotel and not far from the Star Ferry pier.
Tayma Fine Jewellery
Shop 252
2nd Floor Prince's Building,
10 Chater Road, Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone: 2525 5280
http://www.taymajewellery.com/
This is a well-known expat jewelry designer who has a lot of very modern jewelry, I don't know what your taste is so I have included it in case you want something in a very modern setting. You can see some examples on her website. She is in the same building as Lane Joaillier so you could see both easily.
Gaily Jewellery co Ltd
54 A Queen's Road
Central
tel: 2526-0202
One of the Chinese lawyers in my office uses this jeweler and has brought visitors to the office there, I have gone with but have never bought anything. They have some very pretty designs and good prices. This would be a good place to look for pearls for yourself and for gifts as well. This is quite near to the start of the pedestrian escalator in Central. Open every day. Ignore the marked prices, you should get things for about 40-50% below the marked price.
<u> Jade Market Hong Kong </u>
I like the Jade Market. I think it is a lot of fun, as long as you don’t kid yourself that you are buying great jade or pearls. You can buy a nice souvenir for yourself or gift for someone else of a “jade” doughnut necklace or a bracelet, and there are also stalls selling all kinds of other souvenirs like Chinese coins, opium pipes, etc, so I think an hour or so spent here is worth it. It is not open at night, so go during the day. Please combine this with a walk up Shanghai Street which has a number of shops selling incense and temple goods like incense burners, altar tables, gods for the altar table, ancestor tablets, etc which are worth a look, and also stop into the very interesting temple complex on Shanghai Street which includes a Tin Hau temple. The Jade Market and Shanghai Street area a few blocks up and over from Nathan Road and the Jordan MTR. From the MTR, take Door A, turn right out the exit, then right again onto Jordan Road and walk up Jordan (away from the harbour) about 5-6 blocks to Kansu Street and turn left, the market is down on the right a few blocks under a highway overpass, it looks like a shanty town. You will cross Shanghai Street before you get to the market.
<u> Hongqiao Pearl Market Beijing </u>
In Beijing, a great place to go for costume pearl jewelry is the Hongqiao Pearl Market. It is not far from the Temple of Heaven and could be combined with a trip there. Once you get past the dried fish on the first floor, the top two floors (3rd and 4th if my memory serves) you will "pearls" and other jewelry. You can also find some "antiques" as well as copy Prada bags, etc on the second floor. Bargain hard, pay cash for a better price, and have fun. <b> Most -- if not all-- the pearls are fake, some may be freshwater. </b> But they are good fakes and for costume jewelry they are at very good prices. Do not pay a lot for anything here. <i> Do not believe the shopkeeper when he tells you that the pearls are real and offers to crush some in front of you to prove it. </i> Unless you yourself can tell the difference between real and fake, don't be suckered into this. The fakes are great and not expensive and just go with that.
Jan 25th, 2008, 07:05 AM
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THANK YOU so much for your in depth reply!!
We will be in China for a month, with one week in Shanghai and a week in Hong Kong, as well as several days in the other areas originally mentioned. Are prices on suvenirs, jewelry, crafts, porcelain, ceramincs, etc. better in Shanghai?
Thanks for the jewelry shop and market suggestions. I'm interested in nice costume jewelry, jade, cultured pearls, and good quality fau pearls, so the upscale shops are out of my league. I need several gifts as well for our children and grandchildren, and house gifts. We'd like appointments for our home also. When travelling, we love to bring (or ship)home unique pieces typical of the areas we visit.
My husband and I were thrilled with your last response and would be grateful for your expert input on anything relating to our trip. Thanks for helping us become even more excited!
Incidentally, I accidentally placed this posting under "Asia", rather than "China", so I may post something similar in the China forum to attract responses re: the areas of the mimority people.
Thank you!
Judy
We will be in China for a month, with one week in Shanghai and a week in Hong Kong, as well as several days in the other areas originally mentioned. Are prices on suvenirs, jewelry, crafts, porcelain, ceramincs, etc. better in Shanghai?
Thanks for the jewelry shop and market suggestions. I'm interested in nice costume jewelry, jade, cultured pearls, and good quality fau pearls, so the upscale shops are out of my league. I need several gifts as well for our children and grandchildren, and house gifts. We'd like appointments for our home also. When travelling, we love to bring (or ship)home unique pieces typical of the areas we visit.
My husband and I were thrilled with your last response and would be grateful for your expert input on anything relating to our trip. Thanks for helping us become even more excited!
Incidentally, I accidentally placed this posting under "Asia", rather than "China", so I may post something similar in the China forum to attract responses re: the areas of the mimority people.
Thank you!
Judy
Jan 25th, 2008, 07:52 AM
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Over in Lijiang, you will have no problem finding costumes and such for the Naxi minority group. Lijiang is such a tourist spot now that souvenir stores will be easy to find.
But that's for only one minority group. You may see other ones in Guilin and Dali. I won't pay a lot of money for these crafts, though they should be interesting for little souvenirs for friends.
But that's for only one minority group. You may see other ones in Guilin and Dali. I won't pay a lot of money for these crafts, though they should be interesting for little souvenirs for friends.
Jan 25th, 2008, 07:31 PM
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Thanks for all of your input.
We expect to arrive in Shanghai the night before New Year's Eve. We understand that many things are closed through the holiday. We plan to fly to Hong Kong the day after New Year. We understand that at least the museum is open on the holiday. Can you make other suggestions on how we can enjoy our stay in Shanghai at the New Year?
Thanks for all of your incredibly helpful information!
We expect to arrive in Shanghai the night before New Year's Eve. We understand that many things are closed through the holiday. We plan to fly to Hong Kong the day after New Year. We understand that at least the museum is open on the holiday. Can you make other suggestions on how we can enjoy our stay in Shanghai at the New Year?
Thanks for all of your incredibly helpful information!
Jan 27th, 2008, 12:45 PM
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When I was in Lijiang I bought a lot of turqouise, the unpolished kind. They were very cheap and I don't really know whether it's real but I've seen similar sold in jewellers here. They were sold by the various tribes in markets. Also bought cheap jade. Then there's cheap Chinese pashmina shawls. You can also get hemp shawls and skirts. I also bought some silver bangles in the shops in Lijiang.
Jan 27th, 2008, 07:35 PM
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Lunar New Year is three days, so I am not sure from you post what day you are arriving and leaving Shanghai. But yes, you will find every shop in Shanghai shut for the holiday (It's bad luck to be open.) The holiday is officially celebrated from Feb 7-9. Many shops will start closing early on the 6th as that night is a big traditional family dinner. Shops will be closed until at least the 10th, smaller ones will stay closed longer (This is true in Hong Kong as well.) I did not realize that the museum is open, that is good news. You can also walk the Bund which is beautiful whether shops are open or closed, and walk the concession areas as well. If ferries are running be sure to take a trip up. It may be a bit ghostly, but could be more pleasant as things won't be quite so crowded, you may find the Bund more pleasant with less people. I believe you should find hotel restaurants to be open, and there are good ones, also I wonder if any of the restaurants on the Bund will be open, may be worth a try.
If you are arriving into Hong Kong on Feb 8, that is the day we have fireworks in the harbour, which are wonderful, so hopefully you will arrive in time. They start at 8 pm and last about half and hour. If you have a harbour view room you are in luck. Otherwise try to make a reservation NOW for a restaurant with a harbour view like Hutong, Felix, Pearl on the Peak, Cafe Deco, etc (I have posted a restaurant list you might check for it.) I have a feeling it's a little late for a window table. You can go the waterfront esplanades on either side of the harbour, but these tend to be very crowded, that 's why a restaurant, hotel room etc are better. If you will still be in Shanghai, they may have fireworks on the Bund, ask at your hotel.
For cultured pearls, in Hong Kong, I would try the Golden Mile or Gaily Jewellery shops for gifts. You really won't pay a lot if the Chinese pearls are OK with you. If you want Japanese, as I said you will pay more, but IMO the Chinese are actually quite nice. (I don't wear pearls a lot, so like these for the odd occasion when I do wear them.) For fixed price, but good quality, you might also try the Chinese Arts and Crafts shop, the main shop has a good bit of jewelry as does the Pacific Place shop, for locations see http://www.chineseartsandcrafts.com.hk (click on “E” for English).
If it's costume jewelry, then I would go to the Hongqiao Pearl Market in Beijing and load up. It's a lot of fun and stuff is good. You can have any length made you want, you can design your own necklaces (i.e. they will intersperse other colored stones with the pearls), they will add nice clasps like a Ming symbol, etc. There are also fakes for sale in Stanley Market in Hong Kong, but IMO the ones in the Pearl Market are better quality fakes (!). The Jade Market in Hong Kong may also have some fake pearls, but if you don't have the time to go there, I would not make a special trip, as you will see "jade" souvenirs for sale in many places like Stanley Market (see below) and even the traditional fruite/veg market areas around Wan Chan and Peel Street. But if you want a really big selection of jade (albeit I have my doubts about the authenticity of most of it), then do go to the Jade Market.
Be careful with jade, unless you know what you are buying, you will get fakes, even in Hong Kong. Jade is not cheap, as it is highly prized in China. There is jadeite (which is not really jade) and then real jade and all color variations from white to purple to dark green. Theoretically, jade should always be cool to the touch, that is how you can differentiate it from other materials. You may see more jadeite for sale than jade (but no one will tell you that it is jadeite), but if you like it and it does not cost a lot of money, then who really cares. Any of the shops I mentioned would be fine if you want to buy real jade, also the jewelry shops in the Mandarin Hotel shopping arcade have some stunning jade pieces (with some prices to match, but fun looking). But a good piece of real jade like a bracelet is going to be a few hundred dollars, you can't get a real jade bracelet for US$40.
In Hong Kong for fun and funky gifts, I really like Shanghai Tang. They have some fashion forward clothing (think hot pink silk Mao jackets) and then gifts like watches and wallets and some house wares, esp frames and silver items like candle holders. Some things are expensive, some are reasonable. Their ginger room spray is great, if you like how the store smells, that is what they use and you can buy it too. Their main shop is in Central in the Pedder Building, they have outlets in Pacific Place Mall and at the airport. See http://www.shanghaitang.com/shanghaitang/index.jsp
for locations and some idea of their items.
For lots of other Chinese-themed gifts and souvenirs, for sure take a look at Chinese Arts and Crafts, mentioned above, or the slightly down scale version Yee Hwa Chinese Products Emporium. The latter has various locations in town, their biggest shop is in Kowloon right on Nathan Road, go to http://www.yuehwa.com/yh/english/hkallstore/p2_2k4.html for locations. Both are fixed price, good quality, tons of selection, they will ship, very reliable. The main Chinese Arts and Craft shop in Kowloon is at the Star Ferry and is huge, with a very large gift department and clothing department on the second floor (jewelry on the first). I also like the gift shop at the Hong Kong Museum of Art (10 Salisbury Road) which is basically across the street from the Chinese Arts and Crafts shop. It has art books, artwork (esp wall scrolls) cards, Chinese music CDs, and all kinds of other art-related stuff at good fixed prices. I like to buy the Chinese music CDs because they are so cheap and its a good way to learn about classical Chinese music. They have interesting greeting cards as well.
For homewares, you can stroll the streets of Hollywood Road for antiques (closed Sundays), and don't' forget about Cat Street and Ladder Street at the end of Hollywood Road near the Man Mo Temple which has a street market with kitsch stuff (little red Mao books and other communist paraphernalia), Chinese coins, etc. If you like textiles (and I can't believe I forget this in my first post), then you have to go see Teresa Coleman Fine Arts at 79 Wyndham Street (http://www.teresacoleman.com). She has lots of Chinese robes and textiles. Quite expensive, but very beautiful. The robes make wonderful wall hangings, and the smaller textile pieces can be framed (she sells some already framed). There is also GOD design at 48 Hollywood Road (http://www.god.com.hk/), it has some unusual house wares, although IMO it's really just a more upscale IKEA and you can get similar stuff in the US at places like Pier One (for less money). Also try the Prince's Building in Central across the street from the Mandarin Hotel for more upscale home and antique shops (open everyday).
IMO buying furniture has its issues (it's expensive to ship and the pieces may crack, see below) but a Chinese robe or an antique map or print can be brought back with you and will most likely hold up much better in your climate. They also make great souvenirs. For antique maps and other ephemera try Wattis Fine Arts (21 Hollywood Road, 2nd floor tel: 2524-5302, entrance is actually on Old Bailey Street) or Picture This
(Suite 603B, 6/F, 9 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong, 2525-2820
http://www.picturethiscollection.com...current/page1/, they also have a shop in the Prince's Building, but most of their maps are in the Queen's Road shop.) If you want to buy good rare porcelains, then Hollywood Road is the place, otherwise you will see lesser quality and much less expensive stuff in many shops in Hong Kong, and places like the Chinese Arts and Crafts shops or Yee Hwa Chinese Products Emporium.
Another nice gift idea are framed things like paper cutouts, the "folk art" prints, Chinese zodiac prints, black and white sketches of Hong Kong, photos of Hong Kong, etc. In most cases, you can buy these already framed and <u> very </u> inexpensively in Stanley Market, there are about a dozen art galleries there. These are small sized, maybe 8 by 8 inches, so they can be packed into luggage (ask for bubble wrap) and as they already are framed, are ready-made gifts. You would spend more in the US to simply <i> frame </i> these items than you will here to purchase the whole thing, so they are a good bargain. I love the folk art paintings, these are prints and you can buy them in larger sizes unframed to carry back with you. These are brightly colored happy village scenes and are whimsical, sort of primitive art. Stanley Market is a great half day or more trip on the thrilling #6 bus (sit up top in front) and there are several good places for lunch along the waterfront (try the Boathouse, 86–88 Stanley Main Street, Stanley
Tel: 2813 4467) or really any of the dozen or so restaurants lining Stanley Main street. Many shops take credit cards, but this is bargain place and you should bargain, and cash will get you a better price. There are ATMs in the market if you run out of cash.
If you really want to buy furniture then you should consider making a trip to the warehouse out near Aberdeen called Horizon Plaza. Shops are open every day, including Sundays (lots of expats out on Sundays). You can take a taxi from Central to this area in about 20 minutes, will cost about HK$200-250. (You could take a bus, a change or two would be required, the trip would take about an hour, ask your hotel.) There are about a dozen furniture shops here, including several that do custom work, like the marvelous Alyssa Liang. Get a printed directory from reception on the ground floor, it lists shops by category. The lifts in this building are quite slow, so have some patience. There is only one coffee shop in the building in the Shambala furniture store, so have a good breakfast or lunch before you go. All the shops will ship for you.
Horizon Plaza
2 Lee Hing Street
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong
Furniture shops I would recommend in particular:
1. Shambala 2nd floor (good quality, good Tibetan furniture, good rug selection) Website: http://www.shambala-art.com/
2. Rhymba Rhyme, 5th floor (mostly Indonesian, but some very interesting pieces)
3. Dynasty Antiques, 4th and 20th floors (two shops, may have two names)
4. Alyssa Liang, 10th floor (simply gorgeous hand made furniture, clean-lined, she makes to order as well)
5. The Birdcage, 22nd floor, (small selection but excellent, Clarence will also take orders for specific items if you describe what you want, and will then ship them on to you after he locates them from sources in the PRC, he has very good prices.
I understand that you can take ferries up the Pearl River and go to even cheaper warehouses in the PRC where a lot of the above shops source their goods, however, you may not have time for this. I could find out more info if you are interested. (My house is full at this point and I am done looking for furniture!!)
For any purchase of a rug or furniture, do a LOT of comparison shopping at home first, as this is the only way to ensure you are getting a bargain. One my trips home I can see that finding Asian furniture in the US is so easy now, and stores buy and ship in bulk and so get better prices than you could. IMO with the time to look and judicious bargaining, prices are lower here, at least by 30% and probably more, but if you have to pay for shipping, then you are going to be losing the savings. Figure on paying at least 60% of the cost of the item to ship it. Don’t forget about customs duties, as items you do not carry with you are NOT included in your duty-free allowance of US$800 per person. If you ship, have the store arrange it and insure it and always pay by credit card. Arranging commercial shipping yourself is generally more expensive and definitely more time consuming. Be very sure that shipping is to your door, and not to the nearest port or airport, or consider the time, trouble and possible extra cost of a port or airport pick up when tallying up shipping costs. Try to avoid shipping if you can, a rug that is 9 by 12 or less can actually be folded into a square (albeit a heavy one) and wrapped, and you can check it with your luggage. (Check the weight restrictions on your airline; you may have to pay excess baggage, but this should be cheaper than shipping..)
The one thing about buying wooden furniture in Asia is that when you bring it back to a drier climate it can crack as the piece dries out. I had this problem when I moved to Switzerland for a few years, and I know others on this site have mentioned issues with it. Sometimes the crack can be right along the face of a cabinet, ruining the look of the piece. Stores will tell you tat they can "treat" the wood to prevent this, but IMO that does not work. Air conditioning is also quite drying so this will also be a problem if you live in a warm climate and run air conditioning. This may be one reason to consider buying pieces in the US, as you can return the piece if it cracks, and/or pieces have usually had a chance to dry out a bit and the cracked ones won't be on sale. (The cracking occurs in the first 6 months or so, the fist winter, etc)
<u> Beijing and Shanghai </u>
I really know Hong Kong best and am quite spoiled by it, so don't spend a lot of time anymore shopping in the PRC on trips there, other than taking friends to the Hongqiao Pearl Market, or some of the boutique areas on Shanghai around the French concession. Of course Liulichang Street in Beijing has many interesting "antique" shops and other shops. The DK/Eyewitness Guide for Shanghai gives some excellent walking tour suggestions for the old concession areas and has good maps. The Luxe Guide to Shanghai will give you some very good combined walking and shopping suggestions as well (hilarious tone of their writing), and their Beijing guide is good as well. These are not sightseeing guides, they are really shopping and restaurants, but come out 4 times a year so are very current. I generally always agree with their Hong Kong reccos (their Hong Kong guide may be worth buying) and usually see one or two good ones in their other city guides as well. see http://www.luxecityguides.com . The Xiantiandi area, the restored shophouse area is nicely redone and has lots of restaurants and some interesting shops, a little bit ersatz China, but also the China of the future as that is what the people want, so worth a look from that point of view.
I think you will find more silk hangings, porcelain and local handicrafts. I don't know that you would find goods cheaper in Shanghai as opposed to other cites in the PRC. It may be the opposite in fact, as Shanghai is more expensive than other cities. Hard to say. I'm not aware of a place like the Hongqiao Pearl Market in Shanghai, although there is a textile market at Dong Jia Du. It's not local handicraft textiles, it is fabric for home and clothing. They have what appears to be cashmere at good prices, but as with most everything in the PRC, I am a little wary of whether it is real. (I have also bought fake cashmere in Hong Kon
If you are arriving into Hong Kong on Feb 8, that is the day we have fireworks in the harbour, which are wonderful, so hopefully you will arrive in time. They start at 8 pm and last about half and hour. If you have a harbour view room you are in luck. Otherwise try to make a reservation NOW for a restaurant with a harbour view like Hutong, Felix, Pearl on the Peak, Cafe Deco, etc (I have posted a restaurant list you might check for it.) I have a feeling it's a little late for a window table. You can go the waterfront esplanades on either side of the harbour, but these tend to be very crowded, that 's why a restaurant, hotel room etc are better. If you will still be in Shanghai, they may have fireworks on the Bund, ask at your hotel.
For cultured pearls, in Hong Kong, I would try the Golden Mile or Gaily Jewellery shops for gifts. You really won't pay a lot if the Chinese pearls are OK with you. If you want Japanese, as I said you will pay more, but IMO the Chinese are actually quite nice. (I don't wear pearls a lot, so like these for the odd occasion when I do wear them.) For fixed price, but good quality, you might also try the Chinese Arts and Crafts shop, the main shop has a good bit of jewelry as does the Pacific Place shop, for locations see http://www.chineseartsandcrafts.com.hk (click on “E” for English).
If it's costume jewelry, then I would go to the Hongqiao Pearl Market in Beijing and load up. It's a lot of fun and stuff is good. You can have any length made you want, you can design your own necklaces (i.e. they will intersperse other colored stones with the pearls), they will add nice clasps like a Ming symbol, etc. There are also fakes for sale in Stanley Market in Hong Kong, but IMO the ones in the Pearl Market are better quality fakes (!). The Jade Market in Hong Kong may also have some fake pearls, but if you don't have the time to go there, I would not make a special trip, as you will see "jade" souvenirs for sale in many places like Stanley Market (see below) and even the traditional fruite/veg market areas around Wan Chan and Peel Street. But if you want a really big selection of jade (albeit I have my doubts about the authenticity of most of it), then do go to the Jade Market.
Be careful with jade, unless you know what you are buying, you will get fakes, even in Hong Kong. Jade is not cheap, as it is highly prized in China. There is jadeite (which is not really jade) and then real jade and all color variations from white to purple to dark green. Theoretically, jade should always be cool to the touch, that is how you can differentiate it from other materials. You may see more jadeite for sale than jade (but no one will tell you that it is jadeite), but if you like it and it does not cost a lot of money, then who really cares. Any of the shops I mentioned would be fine if you want to buy real jade, also the jewelry shops in the Mandarin Hotel shopping arcade have some stunning jade pieces (with some prices to match, but fun looking). But a good piece of real jade like a bracelet is going to be a few hundred dollars, you can't get a real jade bracelet for US$40.
In Hong Kong for fun and funky gifts, I really like Shanghai Tang. They have some fashion forward clothing (think hot pink silk Mao jackets) and then gifts like watches and wallets and some house wares, esp frames and silver items like candle holders. Some things are expensive, some are reasonable. Their ginger room spray is great, if you like how the store smells, that is what they use and you can buy it too. Their main shop is in Central in the Pedder Building, they have outlets in Pacific Place Mall and at the airport. See http://www.shanghaitang.com/shanghaitang/index.jsp
for locations and some idea of their items.
For lots of other Chinese-themed gifts and souvenirs, for sure take a look at Chinese Arts and Crafts, mentioned above, or the slightly down scale version Yee Hwa Chinese Products Emporium. The latter has various locations in town, their biggest shop is in Kowloon right on Nathan Road, go to http://www.yuehwa.com/yh/english/hkallstore/p2_2k4.html for locations. Both are fixed price, good quality, tons of selection, they will ship, very reliable. The main Chinese Arts and Craft shop in Kowloon is at the Star Ferry and is huge, with a very large gift department and clothing department on the second floor (jewelry on the first). I also like the gift shop at the Hong Kong Museum of Art (10 Salisbury Road) which is basically across the street from the Chinese Arts and Crafts shop. It has art books, artwork (esp wall scrolls) cards, Chinese music CDs, and all kinds of other art-related stuff at good fixed prices. I like to buy the Chinese music CDs because they are so cheap and its a good way to learn about classical Chinese music. They have interesting greeting cards as well.
For homewares, you can stroll the streets of Hollywood Road for antiques (closed Sundays), and don't' forget about Cat Street and Ladder Street at the end of Hollywood Road near the Man Mo Temple which has a street market with kitsch stuff (little red Mao books and other communist paraphernalia), Chinese coins, etc. If you like textiles (and I can't believe I forget this in my first post), then you have to go see Teresa Coleman Fine Arts at 79 Wyndham Street (http://www.teresacoleman.com). She has lots of Chinese robes and textiles. Quite expensive, but very beautiful. The robes make wonderful wall hangings, and the smaller textile pieces can be framed (she sells some already framed). There is also GOD design at 48 Hollywood Road (http://www.god.com.hk/), it has some unusual house wares, although IMO it's really just a more upscale IKEA and you can get similar stuff in the US at places like Pier One (for less money). Also try the Prince's Building in Central across the street from the Mandarin Hotel for more upscale home and antique shops (open everyday).
IMO buying furniture has its issues (it's expensive to ship and the pieces may crack, see below) but a Chinese robe or an antique map or print can be brought back with you and will most likely hold up much better in your climate. They also make great souvenirs. For antique maps and other ephemera try Wattis Fine Arts (21 Hollywood Road, 2nd floor tel: 2524-5302, entrance is actually on Old Bailey Street) or Picture This
(Suite 603B, 6/F, 9 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong, 2525-2820
http://www.picturethiscollection.com...current/page1/, they also have a shop in the Prince's Building, but most of their maps are in the Queen's Road shop.) If you want to buy good rare porcelains, then Hollywood Road is the place, otherwise you will see lesser quality and much less expensive stuff in many shops in Hong Kong, and places like the Chinese Arts and Crafts shops or Yee Hwa Chinese Products Emporium.
Another nice gift idea are framed things like paper cutouts, the "folk art" prints, Chinese zodiac prints, black and white sketches of Hong Kong, photos of Hong Kong, etc. In most cases, you can buy these already framed and <u> very </u> inexpensively in Stanley Market, there are about a dozen art galleries there. These are small sized, maybe 8 by 8 inches, so they can be packed into luggage (ask for bubble wrap) and as they already are framed, are ready-made gifts. You would spend more in the US to simply <i> frame </i> these items than you will here to purchase the whole thing, so they are a good bargain. I love the folk art paintings, these are prints and you can buy them in larger sizes unframed to carry back with you. These are brightly colored happy village scenes and are whimsical, sort of primitive art. Stanley Market is a great half day or more trip on the thrilling #6 bus (sit up top in front) and there are several good places for lunch along the waterfront (try the Boathouse, 86–88 Stanley Main Street, Stanley
Tel: 2813 4467) or really any of the dozen or so restaurants lining Stanley Main street. Many shops take credit cards, but this is bargain place and you should bargain, and cash will get you a better price. There are ATMs in the market if you run out of cash.
If you really want to buy furniture then you should consider making a trip to the warehouse out near Aberdeen called Horizon Plaza. Shops are open every day, including Sundays (lots of expats out on Sundays). You can take a taxi from Central to this area in about 20 minutes, will cost about HK$200-250. (You could take a bus, a change or two would be required, the trip would take about an hour, ask your hotel.) There are about a dozen furniture shops here, including several that do custom work, like the marvelous Alyssa Liang. Get a printed directory from reception on the ground floor, it lists shops by category. The lifts in this building are quite slow, so have some patience. There is only one coffee shop in the building in the Shambala furniture store, so have a good breakfast or lunch before you go. All the shops will ship for you.
Horizon Plaza
2 Lee Hing Street
Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong
Furniture shops I would recommend in particular:
1. Shambala 2nd floor (good quality, good Tibetan furniture, good rug selection) Website: http://www.shambala-art.com/
2. Rhymba Rhyme, 5th floor (mostly Indonesian, but some very interesting pieces)
3. Dynasty Antiques, 4th and 20th floors (two shops, may have two names)
4. Alyssa Liang, 10th floor (simply gorgeous hand made furniture, clean-lined, she makes to order as well)
5. The Birdcage, 22nd floor, (small selection but excellent, Clarence will also take orders for specific items if you describe what you want, and will then ship them on to you after he locates them from sources in the PRC, he has very good prices.
I understand that you can take ferries up the Pearl River and go to even cheaper warehouses in the PRC where a lot of the above shops source their goods, however, you may not have time for this. I could find out more info if you are interested. (My house is full at this point and I am done looking for furniture!!)
For any purchase of a rug or furniture, do a LOT of comparison shopping at home first, as this is the only way to ensure you are getting a bargain. One my trips home I can see that finding Asian furniture in the US is so easy now, and stores buy and ship in bulk and so get better prices than you could. IMO with the time to look and judicious bargaining, prices are lower here, at least by 30% and probably more, but if you have to pay for shipping, then you are going to be losing the savings. Figure on paying at least 60% of the cost of the item to ship it. Don’t forget about customs duties, as items you do not carry with you are NOT included in your duty-free allowance of US$800 per person. If you ship, have the store arrange it and insure it and always pay by credit card. Arranging commercial shipping yourself is generally more expensive and definitely more time consuming. Be very sure that shipping is to your door, and not to the nearest port or airport, or consider the time, trouble and possible extra cost of a port or airport pick up when tallying up shipping costs. Try to avoid shipping if you can, a rug that is 9 by 12 or less can actually be folded into a square (albeit a heavy one) and wrapped, and you can check it with your luggage. (Check the weight restrictions on your airline; you may have to pay excess baggage, but this should be cheaper than shipping..)
The one thing about buying wooden furniture in Asia is that when you bring it back to a drier climate it can crack as the piece dries out. I had this problem when I moved to Switzerland for a few years, and I know others on this site have mentioned issues with it. Sometimes the crack can be right along the face of a cabinet, ruining the look of the piece. Stores will tell you tat they can "treat" the wood to prevent this, but IMO that does not work. Air conditioning is also quite drying so this will also be a problem if you live in a warm climate and run air conditioning. This may be one reason to consider buying pieces in the US, as you can return the piece if it cracks, and/or pieces have usually had a chance to dry out a bit and the cracked ones won't be on sale. (The cracking occurs in the first 6 months or so, the fist winter, etc)
<u> Beijing and Shanghai </u>
I really know Hong Kong best and am quite spoiled by it, so don't spend a lot of time anymore shopping in the PRC on trips there, other than taking friends to the Hongqiao Pearl Market, or some of the boutique areas on Shanghai around the French concession. Of course Liulichang Street in Beijing has many interesting "antique" shops and other shops. The DK/Eyewitness Guide for Shanghai gives some excellent walking tour suggestions for the old concession areas and has good maps. The Luxe Guide to Shanghai will give you some very good combined walking and shopping suggestions as well (hilarious tone of their writing), and their Beijing guide is good as well. These are not sightseeing guides, they are really shopping and restaurants, but come out 4 times a year so are very current. I generally always agree with their Hong Kong reccos (their Hong Kong guide may be worth buying) and usually see one or two good ones in their other city guides as well. see http://www.luxecityguides.com . The Xiantiandi area, the restored shophouse area is nicely redone and has lots of restaurants and some interesting shops, a little bit ersatz China, but also the China of the future as that is what the people want, so worth a look from that point of view.
I think you will find more silk hangings, porcelain and local handicrafts. I don't know that you would find goods cheaper in Shanghai as opposed to other cites in the PRC. It may be the opposite in fact, as Shanghai is more expensive than other cities. Hard to say. I'm not aware of a place like the Hongqiao Pearl Market in Shanghai, although there is a textile market at Dong Jia Du. It's not local handicraft textiles, it is fabric for home and clothing. They have what appears to be cashmere at good prices, but as with most everything in the PRC, I am a little wary of whether it is real. (I have also bought fake cashmere in Hong Kon
Jan 27th, 2008, 11:33 PM
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In Shanghai I bought an excellent black mens cashmere overcoat ( defnitely cashmere ) at Peoples No. 1 Dept Store in Nanjing Rd for the equivalent of about US$150 .The store has individual shop spaces within it . I was not in the market for anything but toured the store looking and decided it was too cheap to pass up . Had it 2.5 years now and still looks great and in fact like a $2500 coat .So womens wear should be similar.I also bought terrific jewellery for gifts at Yuyuan Bazaaar in turquoise , freshwater pearls , jade etc for about US$40 a necklace .And at the river end of Nanjing Rd ,on your left if walking towards the river, was a great silk shop that tailor made and near it another one that sold terrific ladies silk jackets in superb patterns ( dragon flies ) that we saw nowhere else.Sorry to be so vague .
If you go to Yuyuan Bazaar do not miss Nanjing Steamed Bun Restaurant at 378 Fuyou Lu, Yuyuan Bazaaar.The best steamed buns in Shanghai from a shop window .Bought 6 , ate them and had top go for another 6 .You cannot miss it because of the queue .
If you go to Yuyuan Bazaar do not miss Nanjing Steamed Bun Restaurant at 378 Fuyou Lu, Yuyuan Bazaaar.The best steamed buns in Shanghai from a shop window .Bought 6 , ate them and had top go for another 6 .You cannot miss it because of the queue .
Jan 27th, 2008, 11:49 PM
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You really should have a tailor or other professional look at that "cashmere" as for US$150 I have my doubts...it may also only be like 10% cashmere and the rest synthetic which certainly feels very nice indeed. It's really hard to tell unless you know fabric, which I don't but am learning. I had a cape I bought here and wore for more than 5 years until I happened to be have it in a tailor's shop here about 2 years ago, and she told me it was fake. It was sold to me as real in a Hong Kong shop in the Pedder Building. Came in a nice bag saying "pure cashmere". I always loved it, it felt great to me, really realy soft. I got a ton of compliments on it. Since that experience, I have done a lot of research and learned that up to 40% of the cashmere sold in the US is mislabeled as "pure" or 100% cashmere when in fact it is no more than like 10% cashmere. Cashmere is one of those things that you just never really know, and IMO it's like diamonds, you can't really get a bargain on it if it is of any good quality. Be very careful, or just be happy with a good buy on something that is soft but not cashmere (or at least not very much).
Jan 29th, 2008, 07:51 PM
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Yes I have read your concerns before Cicerone and thanks .I have bought or had tailored for me quite a lot of cashmere clothing over the last 20 odd years , largely in Hong Kong , and know a little ( like you ) about fabric . Other than putting a match to this and watching it flare up it seems to meet all the tests .If it is fake I do not really care as it looks so good , does not create a static vortex when I walk , was so cheap and noone believes that I would wear fake . A win / win .lol
So I suppose my tip is that if it is really cheap assume it is fake but if you still like it then buy it and take the risk .
Oh , lastly judithh , when in HK I used to buy cashmere knitwear from Dorfit Knitwear on the Kowloon side. Long time now since I have done so but I still wear the 20 year old pullovers and the only repairs have been to the seams where the cotton has perished .Use your search engine to see if it is still going to get the address .They sold by the wool ply weight .
China Arts and Crafts opposite the Star Ferry Terminal in Kowloon used to also have quite good knitwear .
I endorse Cicerone's recommendations about the Jade Market . Again about 15 years ago I bought 2 strands of grey semi baroque pearls with a nice lustre there for very little and had them strung as one and a gold clasp put on elsewhere in HK as a gift and they valued up very well .
So I suppose my tip is that if it is really cheap assume it is fake but if you still like it then buy it and take the risk .
Oh , lastly judithh , when in HK I used to buy cashmere knitwear from Dorfit Knitwear on the Kowloon side. Long time now since I have done so but I still wear the 20 year old pullovers and the only repairs have been to the seams where the cotton has perished .Use your search engine to see if it is still going to get the address .They sold by the wool ply weight .
China Arts and Crafts opposite the Star Ferry Terminal in Kowloon used to also have quite good knitwear .
I endorse Cicerone's recommendations about the Jade Market . Again about 15 years ago I bought 2 strands of grey semi baroque pearls with a nice lustre there for very little and had them strung as one and a gold clasp put on elsewhere in HK as a gift and they valued up very well .
Jan 29th, 2008, 10:07 PM
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We have been to Yunnan a few times and it is a place we really like. In Lijiang there are lots of textiles to buy - some have more work in them than others of course (check reverse side to see they are hand made rather than machine made if you can (some pieces are "backed" and so this is difficult to see)). Not all are hand worked! We bought some nice things at the market outside of Dali and in Lijiang I also bought direct from a lady who was selling textile pieces. There is also "ethnic" jewellry to buy as well as baskets etc. I also bought a beautiful copper chinese tea pot - its very unusual and long handled sort of a ladle all hand crafted. This is a very interesting area.
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