Shopping in China
China is filled with various amazing and interesting products which are good souvenirs for travelers to take back home. Chinese Qipao, Silk, Chinese tea, tea set, antiques, handicrafts, jades, paintings, and calligraphies are the first choices during the journey in China.
What to Buy
Every city is famous for its own specialties. For example, Beijing is the right place to buy real Cloisonné and freshwater pearls. Hangzhou and Suzhou silk is the best silk in China and Shanghai is famous for its silk carpets.
Travelers can also buy fine paintings and China Southern sea pearls in Guilin, Guangxi Province. Replicas of the Terracotta Warriors, Tangsancai (Handpainted China in the Tang Dynasty), and antique furniture attract travelers’ eyes in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. Dali Batik also called tie-dyed fabric and mounted butterflies are the specialties in Yunnan Province. Travelers can still buy high-quality carpets and jade products in Xinjiang and first-class Tibetan Tangka in Tibet Autonomous Region.
Fine china will be another great choice in the numerous souvenirs. Jingdezhen porcelain is the finest and the most famous Chinese porcelain all over the world. Small products such as the Chinese Knots, paper fans, Beijing Opera Masks, Su Embroidery, and Chinese Papercutting will be good souvenirs as well.
In addition, Chinese tea has a very long history to be exported to other countries. The tea has been divided into several categories including green tea, blank tea, oolong tea, brick tea, and scented tea. Hangzhou Longing tea, Dongting Biluochun tea, Anxi Tieguanyin Tea in Fujiang province, and Yunnan Pure tea are well-known Chinese tea in China.
Some travelers may be interested in traditional Chinese medicine. Based on the different medical theories from western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine is an irreplaceable element of Chinese culture. Beijing Tongrentang is the biggest pharmacy among the traditional Chinese medicine shops.
How to Buy
To Tell the Fake Souvenirs
Travelers can avoid buying all the souvenirs at the beginning of the journey. Buyers still should be more careful about fake products, especially buying antiques. As the fake antiques are so close to the real antiques that they even make some experts fail to tell.
Besides, the valuable antiques should be well preserved for over 120 years. And antique buyers need to keep all the receipts, certificates, and official documents to export from China.
Bargain in Shopping
Bargain in shopping is a very common commercial activity in China. When visitors travel to China, it is a good chance to enjoy the bargain and buy things at a cheap price. If the products are not on the purchase list, please avoid bargaining with the sellers. Otherwise, the shop owners will be very angry with the impolite behaviors, or maybe buyers will get involved in an unhappy quarrel.
Remember to bargain on clothing but never on food. And do not bargain in the supermarkets, large shopping malls, or corporate chains, for their prices are fixed. However, travelers have to make sure the souvenirs can be successfully imported to their own countries. Some souvenirs may need to pay for the tax or additional money on the transport.
Useful bargaining tactics include cutting the starting price by about 50%, comparing prices in different stores, pretending to walk away, trying to find flaws in goods, and never expressing your preference for products.
Here are some phrases you might use when you bargain:
- 多少钱？ duō shǎo qián – How much is it?
- 太贵了 tài guì lē – Too expensive.
- 便宜点? pián yì diǎn – Could you reduce the price?
- 可以打折吗? kě yǐ dǎ zhé mā – Can you give me a discount?
- 不要 bù yào – I don't want it.
- 再看看 zài kàn kàn – I will have another look (elsewhere).
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