Beijing is a modern city where you can spend a good shopping. There are traditional shopping districts that are still popular, for example, Wangfujing Pitong, Qianmen, Dongdan and Sidan streets. One of the liveliest shopping spots in Beijing is the Silk Market. Once it was an alley with shopping malls in the open air, and now the market is called the next shopping center on Silk Street.
Market building
The silk market is one of the world-famous outlets for clothing and accessories. This is a very popular attraction after the Great Wall for foreign tourists and businessmen who come to China. It is known that more than 20 thousand buyers visit it daily, and on weekends their number is three times as many.
Xiushui (translated as "silk market") is located in southern Beijing near the sun temple. Nearby is a friendship store and embassy buildings. Until 2004, Silk Street (Silk Street) was famous for its hundreds of shops selling silk. Since then, everything has changed, only the address of the Silk Market in Beijing has remained the same: 8 Xiushui E St Chaoyang Beijing.
Now a huge building rises here several floors of a large shopping center. Shops with traditional architecture have been replaced with new buildings, but this does not stop tourists from coming to the renovated shopping center during a trip to Beijing.
Foreign buyers
The first shopping stop for tourists visiting Beijing is the Silk Market (photo above). It used to be a street full of sellers and stands, now it is a large supermarket. Products remained unchanged: from traditional Chinese dresses to local products: bags, accessories and clothing. Like no other shopping center in the world, employees of the Silk Market speak several foreign languages. And, whichever of them you speak, the "annoying" staff will try to sell you at least something, since sale-purchase does not depend on the language used. There is a speech that everyone understands: numbers. Do not be surprised if the seller pulls out the calculator and sets the price that he is asking. Remember that you should never accept a starting value. You must bargain and enter on the calculator the price you want to pay.
Who else are the customers of the Silk Market
The customer profile is as diverse as the product itself. Students look at the Silk Market in Beijing, whose opening hours are from 9 am to 9 pm, students. They learned to bargain, and, one might say, at a reasonable price they put on counterfeit goods: jeans, t-shirts, sneakers ...
Local Chinese rarely buy in fake markets. This is because the majority of low-paid employees of these brands do not know. High-income Chinese prefer originals. They buy them abroad, because luxury goods due to tax laws in China cost about 1/3 more than in Germany. In addition, sales through online stores are growing. The latest model from the collection of Michael Kors, one of the most recognizable designers on the Upper East Side, can be easily bought on sites such as TaoBao for little money, and delivery the next day.
High-rise center goods
With the advent of this seven-story building (including three underground), Beijing's Silk Street has become a fake market in the capital. Traders have changed their activities, and natural silk, if still occupied, then a small part of the goods presented on the silk market. Now in a large modern building you can find everything you need at any convenient time. The working hours of the Silk Market in Beijing are very convenient for buyers. Twelve hours, from morning to night, the entrance to this supermarket is open.
Silk, electronics, fashionable clothes for adults and children, elegant Hugo Boss socks, fashionable Northface jackets, sparkling Rolex watches are just some of the products on offer at this department store. In addition, electronic products and Chinese handicrafts adorn the shelves of the markets.
According to shoppers, this is the market that very quickly empties wallets and fills shopping carts! The center itself consists of more than 400 stores. This is one of the few places in Beijing where foreigners can buy clothes and shoes of large sizes.
The market is located on Yong An Li (subway line 1). You can get into his building without leaving the subway, because the Beijing Silk Market and the metro station are connected by a corridor. From the Yungali metro station, exit to the basement of the metropolis.
What and on which floor
You should start shopping from the basement. Traditionally, the basement is dedicated to leather goods. Here you can find hats and handbags, travel bags and suitcases, wallets, purses and shoes. With sellers you need to negotiate the best prices. Do not worry, if your language skills are limited, traders are used to tourists! The advantage of this market is that most sellers speak English or even French, someone understands Russian.
On the ground floor there is an information desk, as well as cafes and bakeries. You can still take advantage of the talents of Chinese tailors, whose reputation is unparalleled, and make the necessary corrections in the clothes purchased.
As for the 2nd floor, this is just a large assortment of goods that are traded at the entrances to stores. These are cheap jewelry, Chinese paintings and calligraphy, electronic and digital equipment. Here you will find everything you need to buy a souvenir at a good price. And don't forget to bargain! China has this feature: things are really cheap when you want it.
On the third floor is the famous silk department, to which the building owes its name. The choice of silk is limited and presented in a small assortment. To buy real Chinese silk, you should go to the ancient city of Suzhou, where its production is located. It becomes clear that the Silk Market in Beijing now has a different purpose.
The fourth floor offers jewelry, freshwater pearls, watches, as well as traditional items such as mahjong. If you feel hungry while shopping, you can go upstairs and dine at the restaurant.
Why is the market fake?
It should be noted that major cities in China, such as Beijing and Shanghai, still hold fake markets mainly for travelers. The silk market in Beijing is just that. Xiushui Street (Silk Market) sells some of the best silk products, as well as impressive collections of clothes and bags from well-known brands such as Reebok, Adidas, Gucci. All have well-known labels confirming the reality of these brands. However, this is just a unique fake, and that is why serious buyers usually avoid this place.
Chinese-made fabrics and silk can be found on the Silk Market in Beijing, but the market is littered with counterfeit products, among which there are many fake products disguised as eminent European brands: watches, bags, electronics, designer clothes, game consoles.
Bargaining ability
Foreign tourists who go to Beijing for shopping are well aware of these unique fakes, but also note that they will cost several times less than branded. And buyers do not get pleasure from finding the perfect bag or the most beautiful designer shirt. They know that starting prices for goods on the market are simply exorbitant, often 10 times higher than real. Therefore, negotiating a price gives a feeling of satisfaction when a purchase is made 30 to 70 percent below the original cost. Knowing the rule that there are no fixed prices on the market, the more you trade, the better price you get.
Customer reviews
In reviews of the Beijing Silk Market, one can find both dissatisfaction with deception and satisfaction with uniquely counterfeited products, which are difficult to distinguish from the original. Negative reviews about the market are found on social networks from people who accidentally fell into this place, but did not have skills or bargaining skills. And if a timid buyer came across, they could have left him in such a market without a single yuan.
And those who are happy with the purchases say that you need to be able to make purchases and bargain. The seller should never show that the goods somehow interested you. Try and feel the goods you need, keeping calm. Show your weakness, without buying you can’t leave. And if the product interests you, you need to name your price, even if it is 10 times lower than the one indicated. If she doesn’t like the seller, you can just leave. But you will not leave without a purchase, the seller would rather agree to sell on your terms than simply lose the customer.
What to buy in Beijing?
Usually, clothes and bags are taken from trips to China . Famous branded products are sold, for example, in Beijing at the Silk Market. How to get to it can tell any local resident, or guide your tour. When purchasing goods, pay attention to prices. What seems very cheap is fake or has minor flaws. Leather bags can be purchased for 200-500 yuan. Sellers even demonstrate that the leather on the bag is genuine and does not melt if set on fire from a lighter. The main thing is to make sure that you get this bag in your hands, and not a fake packaged in advance.
It is worth noting that counterfeiting of products at the international level is punishable, whoever comes with counterfeit goods through customs may have problems. Particularly frugal buyers, at times, acquire a fake product that visually resembles a coveted product, but for a considerable amount of money you can get fake low-grade gold with low-quality stones.
Before buying antiques, you must make sure that the goods can be exported. It must be certified so that it can be legally taken out of the country. Keep checks, certificates and receipts for all products and goods. Antiques are usually over 120 years old.