340 Best Shopping in China

Taiwanese designer Nicole Teng's showroom is welcoming, with comfy oversize chairs (for sale), reclaimed wood, and quirky ceramic pieces on every surface. In addition to dinnerware and ceramic lampshades, Brut Cake sells beautiful handwoven and dyed fabrics.

Visit this long-established mainland company to blitz through that tiresome list of presents in one fell swoop. It stocks a huge variety of well-priced clothing, porcelain, and giftware. In direct contrast to the thrill of digging through dusty piles at the open-air Jade Market, Chinese Arts & Crafts provides a clean, air-conditioned environment in which to shop for classic jade jewelry—and the prices aren't too outrageous. Other affordable, easily packable items include appliqué tablecloths and cushion covers or silk dressing gowns. There are four branches in Hong Kong, including this spacious shop in Pacific Place.

Wherever you're from and whatever you're looking for—whether it's fresh oysters from France or quirky products like bottled water for pets—this gourmet supermarket and variety-store chain is the place to begin your search. In addition to edibles, it carries gadgets, inexpensive jewelry, accessories, and cosmetics. The Times Square location often has international-theme food festivals. Be sure to check out the Japanese imported sweets like Royce's unusual chocolate-covered potato chips.

Located in residential Kowloon Tong, about 20 minutes from Central on the MTR, Festival Walk stretches across six floors, with Marks & Spencer, an Apple store, MUJI, and H&M serving as anchors. Vivienne Tam and PS by Paul Smith draw the elite crowds; I.T. and agnès b. keep the trend spotters happy. If you want a respite from the sometimes scorching-hot weather, Festival Walk also has one of the city's largest ice rinks, a multiplex cinema, and more than 30 restaurants and cafés.

There's free Wi-Fi throughout the mall, as well as excellent brews at Coffee Academics.

Part of billionaire Li Ka-shing's empire, this extensive chain of shops sells electronics with warranties—a safety precaution that draws the crowds. It also has good deals on printers and accessories, although selection varies by shop. You can spot a Fortress by looking for the big orange sign. For the full list of outlets, visit the website.

The four interconnected complexes that make up Harbour City contain almost 500 shops between them—if you can't find it here, it probably doesn't exist. Pick up a map on your way in, as it's easy to get lost. Ocean Terminal, the largest section, runs along the harbor and is divided thematically, with kids' wear and toys on the ground floor, and sports and cosmetics on the first. The top floor is home to white-hot department store LCX. Near the Star Ferry pier, the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel Arcade has branches of the department store Lane Crawford. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Burberry are some of the posher boutiques that fill the Ocean Centre and Gateway Arcade, parallel to Canton Road. Most of the complex's restaurants are here, too. A cinema and three hotels round out Harbour City's offerings.

Free Wi-Fi is available.

Also known as Qinghefang Historic Block, Hefang Street is a lively, crowded pedestrian street that's not to be missed on a visit to Hangzhou. Restored old buildings are beautifully illuminated at night and house tea shops, traditional apothecaries, and boutiques selling qipaos (traditional silk Chinese dresses), scrolls, calligraphy, and wooden fans. Artists draw caricatures, candy makers sculpt sugar into art, blind masseurs alleviate tension, and storytellers re-create ancient Chinese legends. Start at Wushan Square and walk west. At night the glowing Chenghuang Pavilion, perched on a mountaintop next to the square, is enchanting.

A quick glance at the directory—Tiffany & Co., Kate Spade, Bvlgari, Chaumet—lets you know that the International Finance Centre isn't for the faint of pocket. Designer department store Lane Crawford chose to open its flagship store here, and J.Crew followed suit in 2014. Even the mall's cinema multiplex is special: the deluxe theaters have super-comfy seats with extra legroom and a wine bar for classy refreshments. If you finish your spending spree at sunset, go for a cocktail at Dear Lilly or LA RAMBLA by Catalunya, two posh spots with fabulous harbor views. The Hong Kong Airport Express station (with in-town check-in service) is under the mall, and the Four Seasons Hotel connects to it.

Avoid the mall between 12:30 and 2, when it's flooded with lunching office workers from the two IFC towers.

This prestigious western-style department store has been the favorite of local label lovers for years—not bad for a brand that started out as a makeshift provisions shop back in 1850. The massive flagship store in the IFC Mall (one of Hong Kong's four Lane Crawford locations) feels like a monument to fashion's biggest names, with exquisitely designed acres divided up into small gallery-like spaces for each designer. In addition to contemporary clothing, the phenomenal brand list covers everything from beauty to home ware.

Beloved by connoisseurs, LockCha Tea House is a peaceful little enclave in the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware. LockCha has a reputation for brewing high-quality fair-trade teas sourced directly from farmers; happily, it also has a charming retail shop in Sheung Wan, where you can purchase these plus beautiful teapots.

This shop claims its covetable collection of mostly propaganda items from the '50s, '60s, and '70s is sourced from the countryside and areas in Sichuan Province and around Beijing and Tianjin. Whether they're authentic is up for debate. Shelves and racks are filled with women's clothing from local and international designers. Look for beautiful wrapping paper from Paper Tiger and dish towels, notecards, and T-shirts from Pinyin Press; both are indie, Shanghai-based design companies. Although this could be your one-stop shopping experience, remember this is communism at capitalist prices.

Warehouse prices in chic shopping arcades? It's true. This old Hong Kong favorite is elegantly housed on both sides of the harbor. In addition to quality men's and women's cashmere sweaters in classic designs and in every color under the sun, they also sell reasonably priced pashminas, gloves, and socks, which make great gifts for men and women. In recent years the brand has developed the more fashion-focused line, BYPAC.

Designers Judy Kim and Bingbing Deng, who hails from Tianjin, founded their line of cheerful ceramics in Paris in 2010. Their Jing'An boutique is packed with bowls, vases, plates, trays, and beautiful cloisonné tiffin carriers in a rainbow of bright colors.

This is a must-visit shop for the rarest of Beijing souvenirs: something that you'll actually use when home. T-shirt designs capture the nostalgic days of Old Peking; posters, notebooks, thermoses, and other retro items take you back to the 1980s. It's fun and kitschy, and everything costs around Y100.

Unlike many famous Hong Kong tailors, you won't find the legendary Sam's in a chic hotel or sleek mall. But don't be fooled. These digs in humble Burlington House, a tailoring hub, have hosted everyone from U.S. presidents (back as far as Richard Nixon) to performers such as the Black Eyed Peas, Kylie Minogue, and Blondie. This former uniform tailor to the British troops once even made a suit for Prince Charles in a record hour and 52 minutes. The men's and women's tailor does accept 24-hour suit or shirt orders, but will take about two days if you're not in a hurry. Founded by Naraindas Melwani in 1957, "Sam" is now his son, Manu Melwani, who runs the show with the help of his own son, Roshan, and about 57 tailors behind the scenes. In 2004 Sam's introduced a computerized bodysuit that takes measurements without a tape measure (it uses both methods, however). These tailors also make biannual trips to Europe and North America: schedule updates are listed on the website.

Across from the sprawling Oolaa restaurant, two of Hong Kong's best vintage hangouts are in one convenient store. Select 18 has everything from typewriters to 1970s Hermès blouses. If you can tear yourself from the heaps of jewelry and handbags, a treasure trove awaits. Tucked in back, you'll find literally thousands of retro-styled specs from Mido Eyeglasses, priced from a couple of hundred to several thousand Hong Kong dollars. The big question: tortoise-shell cat eyes or classic wayfarers?

Make your way past the perfumes, scarves, and silk-embroidered Chinese souvenirs to the second floor, where you'll find a rainbow of fabrics at your fingertips. In addition to the brilliantly hued—and expensive—silk and cashmere clothing, you'll see custom-made suits starting at around HK$30,000, including fabric. You can also have a cheongsam (a sexy slit-skirt silk dress with a Mandarin collar) made for around HK$10,000, including fabric. Ready-to-wear Mandarin suits are in the HK$15,000–HK$20,000 range. There are stores scattered across Hong Kong, including the airport's Terminal One.

Once a delightfully chaotic sprawl of hundreds of outdoor stalls, the Silk Alley Market is now corralled inside a huge shopping center. The government has been cracking down on an increasing number of certain copycat items, so if you're after a knockoff Louis Vuitton purse or Chanel jacket, just ask; it might magically appear from a stack of plastic storage bins. You'll face no dearth, however, of fake Pumas and Nikes or Paul Smith polos. Chinese handicrafts and children's clothes are on the top floors. Bargain relentlessly, carefully check the quality of each intended purchase, and guard your wallet against pickpockets.

Halfway between a gallery and a shop, Spin sells reasonably priced contemporary Chinese pottery handmade in Jingdezhen, China's pottery capital. Treasures include chopstick rests shaped like bone fragments and too-cute dim sum paperweights in a little bamboo steamer. The ceramics sell for a fraction of the price of what they go for in New York City, where they're available at venues like Bergdorf Goodman. Note that this shop was once closer to the city center but moved to the northern Zhabei district in 2018.

You might stumble upon this local gem while wandering around Sheung Wan's evolving Po Hing Fong neighborhood. Founded and designed by Stockholm native Alexis Holm and watch collector William Cheung, the low-key boutique features slick Scandinavian watches, eyewear, and accessories.

This was once Hong Kong's most famed bargain trove for visitors, but its ever-growing popularity means that the market in Stanley Village no longer has the best prices around. Still, you can pick up some good buys in sportswear, casual clothing, textiles, and paintings if you comb through the stalls. Good-value linens—especially appliqué tablecloths—also abound. Dozens and dozens of shops line a main street so narrow that awnings from each side meet in the middle, and on busy days your elbows will come in handy. Weekdays are a little more relaxed. One of the best things about Stanley Market is getting here: the winding bus ride from Central (Routes 6 or 66) or Tsim Sha Tsui (Route 973) takes you over the top of Hong Kong Island, with fabulous views along on the way.

On the grounds of the 19th-century Central Police Station complex, Hong Kong's largest revitalization project to date, Tai Kwun debuted in 2018. It stretches across 38,750 square feet and hosts several restaurants, bars, art exhibitions, and local boutiques. Shopping here runs the gamut from traditional tailors like Yuen's Tailor to avant garde apparel by Harrison Wong.

While you're here, check out the Heritage Storytelling Spaces. From the Central Magistry to the old prison, eight distinct areas transport you back in time.

Each evening, as darkness falls, the lamps strung between the stalls of this Yau Ma Tei street market slowly light up, and the air fills with aromas wafting from myriad food carts. Hawkers try to catch your eye by flinging up clothes; Cantonese opera competes with swelling pop music and the sounds of spirited haggling; fortune-tellers and street performers add another element to the sensory overload. Granted, neither the garments nor the cheap gadgets sold here are much to get excited about, but it's the atmosphere people come for—any purchases are a bonus. The market stretches for almost a mile and is one of Hong Kong's liveliest nighttime shopping experiences.

This gleaming mall packs most of Hong Kong's best-known stores into 16 frenzied floors, organized thematically. Lane Crawford and Marks & Spencer both have big branches here, as does favored local gourmet grocer City'super. Many beauty brands are located in the basement, giving way to names like Gucci and De Beers on the second floor, and midrange options like Zara higher up. The electronics, sports, and outdoors selection is particularly good. An indoor atrium hosts everything from rock bands to fashion shows to local movie stars.

Among the dozen or so eateries, classic Lei Garden is a good pick, thanks to its excellent dim sum menu and Zen interior.

This popular purveyor of Chinese goods has 14 stores across Hong Kong, and the flagship one features seven floors laden with everything from clothing and housewares to traditional medicine. The logic behind its layout is hard to fathom, so go with time to rifle around. As well as the predictable tablecloths, silk pajamas, and chopsticks, there are cheap and colorful porcelain sets and offbeat local favorites like mini-massage chairs. The fifth floor has a selection of tea—you can pick up a HK$50 packet of leaves or an antique Yixing teapot stretching into the thousands.

A visit here takes you behind the historic Central Police Station, where walls facing the gallery's distinctive space are still topped by broken glass (a common security measure). Since it opened in 2001, the white-walled gallery has spotlighted emerging artists from all over the world, with a primary focus on ones from the Asia Pacific area. Owner-curator Katie de Tilly has a particularly keen eye for photography, and the gallery often features the works of established names such as Vietnamese-American fine arts photographer Dinh Q. Lê and pioneering Chinese artist Wang Keping.

A hidden gem in Causeway Bay, 10/10 Space is a day spa and beauty boutique that offers excellent manis, pedis, head massages, hair styling, and facials. It also sells a slew of hard-to-find products. Look for Malin + Goetz lotions, Apothia aromatic candles, Minx nail varnishes, Eve Lom’s line of “stem cell” makeup, and hair-repair goodies from the likes of Christophe Robin.