Shopping in Shanghai

Read our Shanghai shopping guide below for tips on the best places to pick up a bargain. You could also check out our China shopping guide for more shopping ideas across China. After a day of shopping, grab a bite to eat in one of Shanghai's colourful restaurants.

Shanghai Shopping Guide

In the second half of the 20th century, Shanghai has evolved as the biggest commercial hub of China. Its free market system has been attracting plenty of international business investments. This has resulted in a largely consumerist society. Local stores compete with designer labels like Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton and affluent entrepreneurs zoom past in their Lexus or Mercedes.

China’s classiest shopping spot is on Nanjing Road – you can go on a wild shopping spree while here. For Chinese jewellery and crafts, there is the Yuyuan Bazaar, very close to the Bund. If you don’t plan to splurge on shopping then visit the Dongtai Lu Antique Market near Xintiandi. For the patient tourist willing to rummage around, the right place would be Taikang Lu for unusual knick-knacks. The antique shops are also less crowded here. If you plan to take home something as a memento of your trip, you can visit the Shanghai Museum that has a great collection of souvenirs, apart from being a good place to look around.

The Shanghai shopping centres are demarcated as "Four Streets and Four Cities":

The Four Streets

Nanjing Road, one among the famed Four Streets, is the main commercial locality in China. From the old traditional shops to novel establishments stocking speciality and common goods, this street has a whopping 600 shops in all. It also has the reputation of being China’s first shopping street and the most active shopping location in Shanghai, probably in the entire Asian continent. The most popular section of this market is near the Bund on the east, known as Nanjing Road East. It has a 1 km stretch solely for pedestrian use and is full of shops buzzing with activity.

The elegant Huaihai Road is as famous as Nanjing Road. The 400 stores and shops in this area carry prominent international designer labels. Once here, you must stop at the Parkson Shopping Centre. This centre usually has discount sales and special offers running almost all through the year. The collection of branded clothing is also very affordable.

For foodstuff, arts/crafts and anything else you might need as a tourist, you can try the Middle Tibet Road, which is part of the Four Streets. You can find products of good quality and range at the North Sichuan Road at very moderate prices.

Then there is the Fuzhou Road, which was popularly known as "Culture Street" almost 100 years ago. The music, art, books etc., sold here are all connected to Chinese culture. Of late, it has become fashionable for the locals to walk on this road after a day’s work and leisurely browse through the books and magazines stocked in the shops.

The Four Cities

Yuyuan Shopping City is the best place for all kinds of Chinese items like local crafts, antiques, items made out of jade, gold and silver jewellery and other small articles. For an excellent shopping ambience, you can visit the Shanghai Shopping City, which has a lot of good facilities. There are also many new retail shops around this place. Jiali Sleepless City, located opposite the Shanghai Railway Station, is a busy commercial place. Xujiahui Shopping City is a new shopping centre with big shops that sell a wide range of expensive as well as moderately priced items.

Markets

The Xiangyang Market, which was a place of ill repute, closed down permanently in June 2006. If you are looking for fake or imitation goods, there are some new some shopping arcades that sell them. Though known by a few other names, the A. P. New XinYang Fashion Market, as it is popularly called, is the largest ‘replacement’ market. It is located in the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum metro station – Line 2. The metro is the simplest way to reach this place.

The Qipu Lu Clothing Market is a huge collection of stalls packed into a building as big as a warehouse. It would take you an entire day to walk through the huge crowds and casually browse through this market. Then there is the Pearl Plaza that is on Yan'an Xi Lu and Hongmei Lu, and also the simple mall at the corner of Chongqing Lu and Nanjing Xi Lu. Shopping at these markets can be quite an entertaining experience if you are familiar with the art of bargaining and enjoy it. However, if you don’t like the pressure, it is best to stay away. Just step into this place and you will be surrounded by peddlers of watches, bags, DVDs and other knick-knacks trying to sell you their wares.

The Dongtai Road Street Market is a good spot for picking up memorabilia of communist China, handicrafts, antiques and jade. You will have to bargain to get the best price. This market is a favourite with both local and overseas visitors. The Public bus numbers to get here: 17, 18, 23 and 864.

Yuyuan Gardens is also recommended for antique shopping. It has two markets in the basement. You may need to do a lot of searching before you finalize your purchase. And just like in any Chinese market, don’t forget to bargain.

If you are looking for DVDs of TV shows or movies, there are a lot of places where you can find them. Almost all areas have their own DVD shops, with an ample collection of films. You will also come across street vendors selling DVDs from their makeshift shops.

Traditional Arts and Crafts

Jade and Ivory Carvings

The Ivory and Jade carvings of Shanghai are quite popular in China. Though ivory purchase may not be preferred due to ecological considerations, jade is very popular. Jade is a striking looking stone, available in a wide palette of hues. It lends itself to be shaped into artistic bottles, beautiful figurines of birds and animals and almost any shape the artist can conceive.

Local River Crabs

For an authentic Shanghai experience look for the local river crabs or Dazhaxie. Any native Shangainese will be pleased to guide you because every autumn, they become incredibly passionate about this delicacy. According to a Chinese belief, it is best to eat the male crabs in October and the female crabs in September.

Silk

Shanghai is China’s principal producer and exporter of silk. It would be ideal to make your silk purchases at Shanghai during a visit to China. There is a mind-boggling range of textures and categories to choose from. Satin, velvet, silk gauze, brocade, damask silk, crape, sheer silk and spun silk – take your pick.

Weaving and Embroidery

You can come across numerous types of embroidery and weaving of superior quality. Shanghai rugs are mostly woollen and hand woven. They are reputed for their intricate designs and traditional patterns. In Shanghai you can also find silk rugs and carpets.