317 Best Places to Shop in China

Opened in 1907, this old-style Hong Kong department store in Sheung Wan made its name with cheap deals on household appliances, kitchenware, and crockery. Of chief interest to overseas visitors are the local cosmetics, porcelain tea sets, and snacks.

There's a nostalgic charm to the butterflies, birds, and natural forms fashioned from jade, pearls, precious stones, and gold here. Everything looks like an heirloom inherited from your grandmother. With on-site gemologists and artisans, and a commitment to post-sale service, this store has a long list of repeat customers. If, however, you lean toward Scandinavian aesthetics and clean lines, this probably isn't the place for you. Wing On Jewelry also has a Causeway Bay branch at 459 Hennessy Road.

The gorgeous scarves displayed in the windows here lure in passersby with their bright colors and luxurious fabrics. In contrast to those of the vendors in the markets, the cashmere, silk, and bamboo used here are 100% natural. The design and construction are comparable to top Italian designers, while the prices are much more affordable.

If you've seen a notable pair of spectacles on a Hong Kong celebrity, chances are they're from this retro shop that's been around for more than 50 years. Woo Ping has a reputation for stocking unusual, statement-making vintage eyewear that often can't be found anywhere else. Prices run affordable, and they do regular prescriptions, too.

The Wushan Night Market has stalls selling late-night local snacks as well as those purveying accessories of every kind—ties, scarves, pillow covers—knockoff designer goods, and imitation antiques. It's open nightly from around 6.

A combination antiques/curio/tchotchke emporium, this 20-year-old market is the place to come for souvenirs. Weekends see more than 200 venders selling their wares, with antiques ranging from coins to bronzeware. Jade jewelry and figurines, porcelain pieces, traditional Chinese furniture, and calligraphy supplies are also for sale. The authenticity of the antiques is questionable, so decide on a price ahead of time and then bargain with the seller until you reach it. Though weekends are when the market is busiest, there are enough stalls open on weekdays to make the trip worth it.

A few blocks north of the China Tea Museum, the Xihu Longjing Tea Company has a nice selection of the famed longjing (Dragon Well) tea.

This shop has a good selection of Chinese bric-a-brac, including jade, jewelry, carpets, and porcelain. As all items come with a state-certified export certificate, you won't have to worry about getting your purchase through customs. There is a smaller branch inside the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum.

This is the place for Hong Kong–based artist Hu Yongkai's charming, slightly cartoonish depictions of Chinese women in traditional settings (you've almost certainly seen fakes in a Stanley Market stall). Among emerging and established local artists the gallery, which isn't as stuffy as some and more commercial than others, also represents Bob Yan, whose extremely popular and colorful dog portraits are commissioned by private clients.

One of Hollywood Road's oldest shops is at the Cat Street end, next to Man Mo Temple. Its vast and varied stock includes porcelain, stone carvings, and ceramics.

Though mostly built as a neighborhood park in which bird-owning residents can meet and "walk" their caged pets, the Urban Renewal Authority also included some 70 stalls to be used by those who lost trade when the famous Hong Lok Street songbird stalls were demolished in a revitalization project in the late nineties. Though it sells various kinds of feathered creatures, you can also pick up the picturesque, empty carved cages and put them to better (empty) use in your home decor. Access the main entrance from Boundary Street, a short walk from the Prince Edward MTR station.

Need a kilt? This is where the Hong Kong Highlanders Reel Club comes for custom-made ones. The Yuen repertoire, however, extends to well-made suits and shirts. The tiny shop on an unimpressive gray walkway is filled from floor to ceiling with sumptuous European fabrics. It's a good place to have clothes copied, and prices are competitive.

The gallery's massive street-level windows still hold court on this sleek bar and restaurant strip. Inside you'll find contemporary, often abstract, paintings from China, with a smattering of work from Burma and Vietnam.

The porcelain goods here are truly lovely, available in an eye-popping array of colors. Designs range from delicate Chinese landscapes to modern geometric prints. You'll also find pretty candles, incense holders, and pipe-and-water-spigot candelabras (which are very cool, but a bit large to carry home).

At this wholesale market you can get bargains on upmarket jeans and many other kinds of casual clothing. Sellers are not as aggressive as in Beijing, however, they usually only accept orders of 100 items or more. Even if you don't need quite that many Lacoste polos, it's great fun to poke around.

There's little in the world of IT and electronics that can't be found in Hailong, Dinghao, and the other multistory malls around the Zhongguancun subway station. Before you buy, make sure you compare prices among a few of the stalls (literally hundreds may be offering the same product or services). Never accept the initial quote without driving a hard bargain, and don't hesitate to pit sellers' prices against each other—it's the thing to do when the competition is this intense.

Exquisite Chinese and European prints (from Y50) decorate the shelves of this adorable little store on Fangjia Hutong. Owner Zi'an is an avid collector of graphic art, engravings, and ex libris (aka bookplates—the small prints sometimes pasted into the front of books). Many of the works on display here date from the 19th century onwards, and nearly all have links to China's past, depicting everything from life during the Three Kingdoms period to the Opium Wars.