Ya Show Clothing Market
Ya Show Clothing Market is like shopping at 100 miles per hour with your hair on fire. They have almost anything you can think of there. The building is 5 stories tall. Do not pay the first price they tell you. You can probably get the item you are looking at for 50% (or less) off of their first price (except for the custom tailored stuff – you might get 10% off the first price, if you buy more than one item).
The basement has shoes, handbags, wallets and luggage. You can find almost any high quality knockoff of Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, etc. The first and second floors have pre-made clothing (shirts, pants, jackets, etc.). The third floor has silk, cashmere and custom tailored clothing. Here you will find tailors that will measure you, take the cloth you choose (wool, cashmere, etc.) and make a suit for you in approximately 24 hours (you will have to come back for a fitting, but the suit will be done in 24 hours or so). The fourth floor has jewelry and ceramics. The top floor (fifth) is the food court, so you can recharge your batteries after shopping ’till you drop.
We ended up with a garment bag from the basement to carry home four custom tailored suits (three for me, one for Cindy), one custom tailored sport coat (for my Dad), eight two pocket, short-sleeved, straight bottomed, custom tailored dress shirts (for my Dad), one custom tailored Chinese silk dress (for Shari) and one custom tailored Chinese silk jacket (for Cindy). So, if you plan on shopping, pack lightly heading to China.
Hongqiao Pearl Market
The Hongqiao Pearl Market is like two stores in one. The first three floors are like Ya Show. The first floor has electronics and silk. The second floor has shoes, handbags, wallets and luggage. The third floor has jewelry. The fourth and fifth floors are were all the high quality pearl and jewelry stores are located. So, if you are in the market for serious pearls, skip the first three floors.
Wangfujing
Our hotel is one block from Wangfujing. Wangfujing Dajie (street) has been converted into an open air mall, so you can walk down the street without fear of being run over (I can’t say that about any other street in Beijing). The street is anchored by two huge shopping malls and you can find almost anything you might need here. It’s also a good place just to hang out and people watch.
