317 Best Places to Shop in China

Founded in 1981 by Alice King, Alisan Fine Arts was one of the first galleries in Hong Kong to promote contemporary Chinese art and is now an established authority. Styles range from traditional to modern abstract, and mediums include oil, acrylic, and Chinese ink.

If only your entire home could be outfitted by Altfield. Established in 1980, the elegant gallery carries exquisite antique Chinese furniture, Asia-related maps and topographical prints, Southeast Asian sculpture, and decorative arts from around Asia, including silver and rugs. Altfield Interiors, on nearby Queen's Road, features a selection of larger furniture pieces, framed art, and contemporary home accessories.

Small clusters of galleries and stalls here sell a variety of jade pieces and antique bric-a-brac of varying levels of authenticity. Chinese scrolls with traditional watercolor paintings and kitschy Mao-era memorabilia make good souvenirs. Bargain hard; prices are inflated for tourists.

Run by Hong Kong's foremost arts printer, this space combines an appointment-only exhibition area with a bookshop filled with thousands of rare, collectible art and photography books. It's located under the same roof as the printing presses, in an industrial building.

Specializing in Chinese antiques, this shop stocks a respectable collection of fine ceramics, furniture, ancestor portraits, and more.

This store has been the secret weapon of skin regime enthusiasts for years, with stock from some of the industry's most venerated brands, many of them hard to track down. Find your Bioderma, Obagi, and Skin Ceuticals here, as well as the mandatory spectrum of whitening products.

On the southern side of Hong Kong island, this gallery often features boundary-pushing conceptual artists from Asia, as well as leading ones from Europe and North America. Since opening it in 2004, founder Dominique Perregaux has brought a fresh perspective to the local art scene.

This self-titled "gentleman's shirtmaker" makes it easy to find the perfect shirt, even if you could get a better deal in a less prominent shop. Ascot Chang has upheld exacting Shanghainese tailoring traditions in Hong Kong since 1953, and now has stores in New York, Beverly Hills, Manila, and Shanghai. The focus here is on the fit and details, from 22 stitches per inch to collar linings crafted to maintain their shape. Among the countless fabrics, Italian 330s three-ply Egyptian cotton by David & John Anderson is one of the most coveted and expensive. Like many shirtmakers, Ascot Chang does pajamas, robes, boxer shorts, and women's blouses, too. It also has ready-made lines of shirts, T-shirts, neckties, and other accessories available for online ordering. Other branches are located in the IFC Mall, Elements Mall, and the Peninsula Hotel.

Back in 2000, the Asian Art Archive set out to address the lack of information on the emerging field of Asian art, and to record its growth. Open to the public as a resource center, archive, and library, AAA is a magnet for art experts and the art-curious, providing comprehensive research and reading facilities.

Tours to choice stores—including little-known shops and private dealers—are available from Asian Cajun.

This little-known market, atmospherically set in the grounds of Baoguosi Temple, is a smaller, more manageable version of Panjiayuan. It sees very few foreigners, and no one will speak English, but armed with a calculator, stallholders will get their point across. As well as memorabilia from the Cultural Revolution, look out for stalls that sell original photos, ranging from early-20th-century snaps to people posing with their first TVs in the 1970s.

This complex has four stories of kitsch and curio shops and a few furniture stores, some of which may actually be selling authentic antiques. Prices are high (they are driven up by free-spending tour groups), so don't be afraid to lowball your offer. Ignore the overpriced duty-free shop at the entrance.

Beijing Pedestrian Road offers an interesting contrast to Shangxiajiu. While Shangxiajiu is lined with new stores in old buildings, Beijing Road makes no pretense at being anything other than a fully modern, neon-draped pedestrian mall, similar to Beijing's Wangfujing Street or Shanghai's East Nanjing Road. Pedestrianized and open from around 10 am until 10 pm, this is where city teenagers buy mid-range Hong Kong-style clothes and increasingly garish local brands. Noisy and fun, the street is lined with cheap food stalls, cafés, and fast-food chains.

Run by historians, this small gallery near bustling Nanluoguxiang showcases a small collection of hundred-year-old Beijing maps and photos of the Drum and Bell Tower. As well as selling postcards, reprints, and calendars, the company also runs town walks and historical talks—some of the best you'll find in the city. Check the website for upcoming events as well as a list of other stores selling its products. To visit the gallery, email or phone for an appointment.

Since 1830, the Beijing Silk Shop has been supplying the city with bolts of quality silks and other fabrics. There are tailors on-site to whip up something special, as well as ready-to-wear clothing on sale.

Easily the most reliable DVD store in the city, this store has plenty of oldies as well as the usual "just released in cinemas" Hollywood blockbusters. Look for the "CD DVD Shop" sign out front—the stall is otherwise unlabeled. Because of the many pirated titles among its merchandise, the shop is occasionally raided by police (this isn't be too arduous for them, as it's only a 10-second walk from the nearest station). If that's happened recently, you'll find largely bare shelves with nothing but the odd black-and-white classic on display. Usually normal service is resumed pretty fast. DVDs start at Y10 each; box sets range from Y60 to Y500.

For all kinds of trinkets and oddities, head to the Bird and Flower Market. Consisting of a bunch of street stalls along Jingxing Jie, this market is the ultimate place to sharpen your haggling skills—and perhaps find that one special gift for the folks back home.

Relying on word of mouth, Blanc de Chine has catered to high society and celebrities, such as actor Jackie Chan, for years. The small, refined tailoring shop neatly displays exquisite fabrics from Switzerland, France, and Italy used for tailor-made as well as ready-made women's wear, menswear, and home accessories. Items here are extravagances, but they're worth every penny.

The eponymous colored ceramics here are designed and hand-painted by the owner and are made in Jingdezhen, once home to China's imperial kilns. Some larger pieces are made with wood salvaged from demolition sites around Shanghai.

Thousands of English-language books fill the shelves at this pleasant café in the heart of Sanlitun. Read for free over a coffee or a simple bistro meal, or join the lending library for a fee. The Bookworm is also a good spot to buy new international magazines and best sellers. This is a popular venue for guest speakers, poetry readings, film screenings, and live-music performances. The kitchen offers a three-course set lunch and dinner. For a quick bite, sandwiches, salads, and a cheese platter are also available.

As indicated by its brand philosophy—"Be Happy"—this Giordano competitor takes a very similar, light approach to casual clothing for women, men, and children. Expect colorful collections at the flagship store and dozens of other Bossini locations.

This Japanese chain, like Milan Station, carries secondhand goods from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Chanel, and Prada. The shop is also a member of the Association Against Counterfeit Product Distribution, a Japanese organization that uses scientific evidence to determine whether items are genuine or knockoffs.

Like its more famous competitor, Fortress, Broadway is a large electronic-goods chain. There isn't a lot to differentiate between the two, although Broadway's staff are better known for being knowledgeable about their products. Look for familiar name-brand cameras, computers, sound systems, home appliances, and mobile phones.

The English-speaking owner, Liu Xiao Lan, has a Miao mother and a broad knowledge of her pieces. The Miao sew their history into the cloth, and she knows the meaning behind each piece, some of which are collector's items. Antique embroidery can cost an arm and a leg, but smaller embroidery pieces are affordable and easy to slip into a suitcase. Ms. Liu has also started designing more wearable items.

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.

Buy Now (or Bainaohui) is home to hundreds of stalls selling laptops, PCs, iPods, speakers, phones, and just about any electonic malarkey you can imagine. Both real and knockoff goods tend to be mixed in with each other, so choose wisely. Some stall owners will bargain, others won't, but it's always worth a try.

If you’re searching for local handicrafts and worldly finds, then make a beeline for Callixto. Originally launched by Sasha Dennig as an online boutique in 2011, the store recently opened up a bright pink brick-and-mortar shop with a serious case of wanderlust. Look for jewelry from Greece, bags from India, carpets from Uzbekistan, and knickknacks from around the world.

Chinese-American fashion designer Candy Lin owns and operates this gem. From her peaceful and professional store, she designs for both men and women—her label has attracted a celebrity following, including Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas and Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou. Expect lots of sharp tailoring, stark colors, and relatively high prices.