The ultimate guide to Beijing’s shopping streets and markets

Find everything from hutong boutiques to high street flagships

Beijing has no shortage of great shopping options, whether you're a local looking for markets to explore, or a visitor looking for souvenirs and a slice of old Beijing. For everything from hutong boutiques selling the best emerging Chinese designers to trendy malls, there's a lot more to shopping in Beijing than Sanlitun. Here are some of the best shopping streets to hit up in the capital.

Guozijian Jie

Best for Stylish homeware.

A leafy strip between Yonghegong and Gulou, Guozijian Jie offers homegoods stores, tea shops and contemporary clothing. Across from home decor shop Lost & Found, stop into newcomer Paint (pictured), the younger and funkier sister store to CBD boutique Dongliang. Make it a point to scout out high-design, albeit high-price, homestore FNJI to take in the beauty that is modern Chinese interior design – on a clear day sit in the shop’s shady courtyard to sip a cardamon latte and dream up your apartment goals. Wander over to the east side of the street to find fabric stores and tailors alongside Buddhist shops that surround nearby Yonghegong Lama Temple.

Yangmeizhu Xiejie

Best for Trendy designer boutiques.

Besides being a hub for Beijing’s design scene, the hutongs of Dashilar are full of traditional craft shops as well as trendy designer boutiques. Yangmeizhu Xiejie is the most packed in the area. Along the alley, scout out Triple Major (pictured) for indie magazines and contemporary lines like French label Lemaire and Croatian Damir Doma’s eponymous co-ed label. The street also has you covered for homewares: Ubi Gallery for ceramics, Book Design Shop for coffee table books and stationery and Beijing Postcards for beautifully reproduced vintage maps. After all that shopping, get your caffeine fix at Soloist.

Wangfujing Dajie

Best for High street flagships.

One of Beijing’s most well-known shopping areas, Wangfujing plays host to major international brand flagship stores. While the area’s popular with tourists (consider yourself warned), it’s history as Beijing’s major destination for international shopping after China’s economic opening warrants it a spot on this list. You may know it for its deep-fried scorpions on sticks, but the largely pedestrianised area is also home to Asia’s biggest Apple store and Nike’s flagship Asia store, housed inside shopping mall Beijing apm, as well as huge fast fashion outlets like Zara and Gap, and high-end designer shops.

Wudaoying Hutong

Best for Jewellery and gifts.

Between Wudaoying’s many accessory shops, home goods stores and cafés, Natooke is a Beijing go-to for fixed-gear bicycles and biking accessories. In the middle of the bustling hutong, bright and whimsical boutique Magic Q offers vintage-inspired dresses and womenswear, and for the actual vintage goodies, don’t miss Delia, where shoppers can snag retro sunnies, shoes and clothing from labels like Prada, Dior and Céline, as well as well-priced home goods and postcards.

Qianmen

Best for Beijing souvenirs.

One of the oldest streets on this list, with a 600-year history as a commercial centre, Qianmen Dajie is a pedestrianised shopping area just south of Tiananmen Square. Renovated in time for the 2008 Olympics, Qianmen is now a commercialised shopping street with a streetcars that run during Chinese holidays. There's Western high street staples galore here, but be sure to stop by the original Liubiju Pickle Shop for something more local, or, if you want a break from shopping, Madame Tussauds.

Dashilar

Best for gifts and accessories

The history of Dashilar dates back centuries. Just south of Tiananmen Square, the Dashilar area is a commercial market with over 600 years of operation, and has become the intersection of the past and the present. Reminiscent of its historical status as a wealthy and grand metropolis, the modern-day Dashilar is made up of a cluster of old Beijing signatures, standing alongside chic modern-day coffee shops and boutique stores.

Panjiayuan Antique Market

Best for market knick-knacks

If you're a sucker for antiques, Panjiayuan Antique Market is definitely worth a visit. Fondly known as the 'Dirt Market', it is the biggest and best known antique market in the city. Admittedly, a lot of the antiques are fake nowadays, but it is still the perfect place to pick up souvenirs and presents for the whole family. You can find all sorts of bits and bobs: from Buddha heads, to revolutionary memorabilia and everything in between.

Liulichang Xijie

Best for Traditional Chinese art and supplies.

In the market for a calligraphy brush at tall as you? Liulichang is your spot. Situated a couple blocks south of Qianmen, this shady hutong consists solely of shops dedicated to Chinese crafts – think calligraphy, paper cutting, water colour paints – a handful of which have been in business in some way or another for a few hundred years. Perhaps the street’s most famous store is Rongbaozhai, a time-honoured brand which dates back to the 17th century and sells stationery and calligraphy supplies, as well as high-quality porcelain, and has a sunny café-bookstore attached. A good one for Beijing visitors.