I am doing a 10 day whirlwind tour to HK, Shanghai and Beijing(4 night inslatter). I like to look at everything, but time is short. Which city is best shopping and where--I think I can only get to one or two shopping areas witht he time.<BR>Thanks.

Just got back from China yesterday.<BR>As far as shopping, Beijing is definitely the cheapest of the places you mentioned. As far as where to shop, it depends on what you're looking for.<BR><BR>You've probably heard about Stanley Market in HK - it's a big market, but the vendors in HK and Shanghai don't bargain the way they do in Beijing. If you see something in Beijing you like, buy it and try to pay about 1/3 to max 1/2 of what they originally ask.

Beijing is definately the better city to shop in. Might I suggest that you shop at Hongqiao Market. Be sure to bargain... you can almost name your own price here and on the street. This market seemed to have just about everything one would shop for. The 3rd floor is full of stalls with freshwater pearls at very, very good prices. I especially liked Judy at Stall #154. You can get a strand of pearls for about $10. I bought several for gifts. Chops also make great gifts as do snuff bottles. The snuff bottles sold in the gift shop of the Palace Hotel were the best I saw in all of the cities we visited in China. The artist is there after 7:30 in the evening to personalize. Another option is the Silk Market.<BR>Hong Kong was much more expensive. The Ladies Market had quite a variety of things to choose from, as did Stanley. If you are looking for pearls, I suggest Rio Pearl (Kowloon). They had a very nice selection... but pricier than Beijing. Hope this helps. <BR>

Thank you. Did you use local currency in Beijing? What about Hong Kong?<BR>Judy, how much was price range of snuff bottles? Did you find a big difference in quality of pearls between Beijing and Kowloon?<BR>Thanks again, I am looking forward to the trip

My wife and I have a chance for a 7 night visit to Beijing in either January or Febuary.Our hotel would be the Capital and we understand that its nice and centrally located with numerous sites within walking distance.We are ready to book this trip but are concerned with the weather during those 2 months.Any weather related advice would be appreciated....thanks a bunch.

Oops didn't mean to latch on to Chris's post,meant to start a new one and will !!

The local currency in Beijing is RMB. It is very easy to change either travlers checks or USD (or whatever currency you have) into RMB. Many hotels offer change services, as well as banks. The exchange rate for travelers checks is slightly better than the exchange rate for cash. It is also possible to use an ATM machine to get money - which will be at the slightly less favorable 'cash' exchange rate.<BR><BR>The Pearl Market (Hongqiao) is certainly an excellent place to shop. Be sure to bargain hard because the prices asked by the vendors (particularly for clothing and handbags) is higher than in other markets. The prices for pearls is excellent. I too had a very good experience with Judy's Pearls (booth 154) on the third floor of the Pearl Market.<BR><BR>Another possible shopping place is the Friendship Store. Altough the prices are higher than in market - there is no bargaining and you can do all your shopping in one stop. It is also a good place to visit just to get a sense of what sorts of things are available in Beijing. I bought some really spectacularly lovely silk scarves at the Friendship store - they had a larger selection than other places we visited in Beijing.<BR><BR>Have a great trip.