4 Best Shopping in Beijing to Shanghai, China

On the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, brocades are lavishly embroidered textiles unique to Nanjing and once used to make robes worn by emperors. The Brocade Research Institute is part-retail-outlet-part-workshop, where traditional brocades are still being made using huge, old-fashioned looms operated by two people at a time. The gift shop sells beautiful examples of the fabric. A fantastic museum has fashion shows and high-tech exhibits, including holographic displays and 360-degree film screenings.

In the courtyard of the Confucian Temple, the Chaotian Gong Antique Market has an array of curios, from genuine antiques to fakes of varying quality. A vendor's opening price can border on the ludicrous, especially with foreign customers, but some good-natured bargaining can yield success. The market is liveliest on weekend mornings.

Northwest of the Drum Tower, the Fabric Market sells silks, linens, and traditional cottons. Bargaining is necessary, but the prices are reasonable. Expect to pay Y50 to Y60 per meter of silk. Many vendors can also arrange tailoring.

This subterranean retail center contains literally hundreds of tiny shops all lit with colorful neon and hawking everything from bargain women's clothing and accessories to gems, jewelry, and beauty treatments like manicures and massages. A unique shopping experience (for the girls), it's great people-watching, too. Accessible directly from Xinjiekou subway station.