Beijing is well-known for its shopping. Local specialties include silk, pearls and enamel. Common cheap handcrafta include terracotta toys, Beijing opera masks, kites and paper-cut art. If you wish to buy calligraphy or a Chinese painting, you can go to Liulichang, a street located in downtown Beijing.

The silk market (Xiushui) is, of course, the best place to buy silk. Other accessories are also available. This market has existed for over 500 years. There are two other clothing markets known as Yaxiu and Yuexiu. Bare in mind that bargaining is essential, so initial prices are high. This is a good opportunity to practice your skills in the difficult art of bargaining!

Panjiayuan market is an antiques market, well-known for the quality of the pieces that you can find there. The Red Bridge market is well-known for pearls, is just as important as the Great Wall for certain people...

Wangfujing, Dashilan and Xidan are the three major commercial areas of Beijing. Dashilan is more than 100 years old. Here you can get in witness traditional Beijing arts and crafts, as well as Chinese acrobats, etc. You can feel Beijing culture, both the old and the new.