China Shopping | Synotrip

Tie Xi Furniture City

Technically, Furniture City is three or four very large buildings filled with every type of home furnishing under the sun. However, the neighborhood, which is constantly bustling with people, is actually surrounded by dozens of smaller shops specializing in home furnishings as well. Here you can find just about anything you need to decorate your abode…sofas, chairs, doors, woodwork, lighting, flooring, artwork, fake flowers... you name it - they got it.

Furniture City sells items in every price range, but be sure to bargain for a good deal if you’re in the cheap furniture section. There are also plenty of people and trucks lingering around to carry you and your new furniture home. Don’t worry about finding them…they’ll find you. Fees are typically 50 yuan for a truck and driver to Heping or Huanggu Districts (possibly a bit more if you’re farther away), and another 50-60 yuan for someone to help carry large items up the stairs to your apartment.

How to get there: Furniture City is in the Tiexi District (铁西新区) in the western part of Shenyang. From the inner ring road (建设路, jianshe lu) go south on jing xing jie (景星街). You will see a large archway that is the entryway to a shopping street lined with steet lamps.

Sunny Gold Street Market

Sunny Gold two-story street market is one of Beijing’s smaller, low-key shopping venues. Nonetheless, the vendors can be quite pushy, sometimes even tugging on your sleeve to try and get you to visit their store. Apart from it’s smaller size, there is nothing that sets this market apart from other markets as the merchandise on offer is much the same as elsewhere. Sunny Golden Street is a certainly a good option if you live in the Lido area. If not, combine a visit to this market with other shopping options in the area, which include the Lido Place Mall, a few bakeries, Tom’s DVD shop, Jenny Lou’s and a few interior design shops.

Metro

The big box Metro supermarket has the largest selection of imported Western foods of any store in Nanjing. It’s surely the place to go if you are looking for variety or looking to buy in bulk quantities. However, the prices on most goods are not as cheap as some other stores in Nanjing. Many similar imported goods can be bought at Carrefour or Aochan for slightly cheaper and some of the more common foods can even be bought at convenience stores for cheaper.

Metro is supposed to be for business customers only. A Metro membership card is required to purchase anything. However, this doesn’t deter non-members from shopping here. A member swiping their card for a non-member is a common site at the cash register line ups.

Link:

Metro China’s Official Website (In English but has some bugs)

Metro is located in the southern portion of Nanjing in Yuhua District (雨花区) next to several other big box retailers and a KFC. Shuanglong Jie Xi Bus Stop (双龙街西站) is on the road in front of Metro. There are several buses that stop there.

Laitai Flower Market

It’s a good bet that most foreigners in Beijing are at least looking to improve the air quality in their own homes by purchasing a few fresh plants. Laitai flower market is your one-stop shop for all things green. There is a huge selection of plants, from small succulents and potted herbs to plants almost as big as a tree. Naturally all of the related botanical paraphernalia is available at the market, such as gardening tools, watering cans, insecticide and fertilizers.

While oxygenating your apartment you may also be tempted to adopt a fish or two. Laitai boasts an impressive array of tropical and fresh water fish as well as other marine life (you may even see the odd shark). A large glass fish bowl complete with fish, plants and fish food can be acquired for just over 100 Yuan. Fish tanks are a more natural alternative to the humidifiers that are a standard feature in many Beijing homes during the dry winter months.

Liangma flower market, which is close to Laitai, is a smaller option offering a wonderful selection of freshly cut flowers.

Official website (Note: Only in Chinese)

Ritan Office Building Market

This place is not what the name suggests. Instead, it is four floors of an eclectic mix of Chinese-style clothing shops with some genuine designer labels thrown in here and there. This market differs from it’s larger counterparts (Xiushui and Ya Xiu) in a number of ways. Firstly, it is a lot smaller and quieter – shop attendants do not harass you and leave you to browse at your leisure. Secondly, each store is in a separate room and has a make-shift change room where you can try on garments. Bargaining is expected, but not necessarily as fiercely as you would at the bigger markets (the starting prices are not quite as high). Whilst you may not enjoy the wide selection available at larger markets, the garments sold here do appear to be of higher quality.

Madame Mao's Dowry

Madame Mao’s Dowry is a fantastic gift boutique carrying a variety of tastefully chosen Chinese items. Porcelain, clothing, and authentic vintage Communist propaganda posters fill an organized space which makes shopping here that much more pleasurable. The items found here are of great quality, nothing that you will need to worry about falling apart on the plane ride home! I always bring visitors to Madame Mao’s when they are seeking something different from the mass produced goods at Xiang Yang Market. I also head for The Dowry when I’m looking for a house warming or birthday gift, as they have items priced from about 30RMB for little trinkets to 5000RMB for awesome furniture and art. A bit of a walk down Fuxing Lu, Madame Mao’s Dowry can either be part of a stroll around the French Concession or a one stop destination shop.

Take Metro Line 1 to Changshu Rd. Station. Exit onto Huai Hai Rd and head southwest. Take a right on Fuxing Rd. Madame Mao’s Dowry will be on the right side about a block and a half down.

Sabrina's Country Store - Western Groceries

Located across the street from Sichuan University's west gate, Sabrina's Country Store is likely essential to any expat living in Chengdu, especially families with children. To those foreigners who are well immersed in China, Sabrina's may strike you as a bit of reverse culture shock. The impressive selection of cheeses, candy, canned goods, and cereals (just to name a few items) almost causes a bit of confusion as to one's whereabouts. Foreigners who love to cook should definitely stop by Sabrina's for its selection of cooking ingredients and spices, items which are extremely difficult to find in China. For budget travelers, the store won't be of much use as prices are rather high, unless you are really craving a Reese's or are in need of some canned goods for a camping excursion.

Directions: Sabrina's is located on Kehua Beilu across the street from Sichuan University's west gate and Peter's Tex-Mex Grill. Headed south, it is just before the intersection with the American consulate road. Bus nos. 6, 49, 55, and 110 pass by the restaurant on Kehua Beilu

Women's Market

Literally translated as 'Women's Street', a women's market is a more suitable description. Located in the heart of the central business district, across the street from Ran Fang Jie and close to ChunXi Lu, the winding halls of the market are perfect for the ravenous female shopper. Any kind of clothing accessory, jewelry, or style of young women's fashion can be found here. The market is a two-floor maze of tiny wall stalls and little shops. Although I can't speak from experience, I'd imagine females could kill a large part of the day here, not to mention all of the surrounding shopping areas. Another market just like it is just across DaYe Jie, next to Ran Fang Jie. Remember to bargain hard in both places.

How to get there: The market is just a few minutes walk from Tianfu Square. Walk east on RenMin DongLu or DongYu Jie and then turn right on ShunCheng Jie. The moment that ShunCheng Jie becomes DaYe Jie, the market will be on the left hand side on the corner with multiple entrances from DaYe Jie and ShangDong DaJie. Look underneath a long, wide yellow sign.

Quan Cheng Square Shopping Center & Supermarket

Stepsin the middle of the square lead customers down into an underground wonderworld also known as Quan Cheng Square Shopping Center. Besides a deluxe supermarket that sells both local and foreign goods, many stores sell everything from pantyhose and makeup to basketballs and shuttlecocks. Overall, and probably unsurprising to the experienced foreigner (Lao Wai), clothing is the most common item available here. Quan Cheng Square is really an interesting experience. Since it is such a popular shopping locale for Jinan's residents, there is quite a bit of local flavor. When you get a little weary from the shopping, just surface for a breathe of fresh air in Quan Cheng Square, a huge park in the center of everything!

Local bus routes: No. 70, 102, 89, 80, 44, 3, 5, 1, K50, 101, 102, 104.

Auchan

Aochan, comparable to Carrefour in terms of selection, has a much better variety of imported products than the standard Chinese grocery store. There is a small aisle full of Western products on the 2nd floor. There is also a decent selection of imported liquors. Prices are not too unreasonable, and Aochan does claim to beat any price in the city if you can provide proof of a lower price.

How to Get There

It is located west of Xinjiekou (新街口). There is no subway nearby. Take a taxi if you are going to be loading up on supplies at Aochan.