Change money    Hong Kong | T90R | Jul 3, 2010 01:32 GMT-6

If you walk to HK from Shenzhen just on your foot, exchange money at China side in some of small exchange points. At June 2010 they exchange 100 RMB for 114 HKD without any fees. At same time HK exchange take 50 HKD fee in most place and give only 104 HKD for 100 RMB in better case.

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silk carpets    Shanghai | EASTCARPET | Jul 24, 2009 01:49 GMT-6

Handmade Carpet: Invaluable Treasure

Compared with machine-made carpet, handmade carpet plays a special role in the carpet industry. For taking long weaving time and hand-knotting completely, handmade carpet is not so mass-produced as the machine-made. Each of handmade carpet takes up many months or years laborious works. It costs higher but lasts much longer.

With the sincere feeling and smart heart, the artisans create the original crafts by traditional skills, using the simple or complex designs to express the belief and significance of life, and weaving the everlasting beauty and eternal memory with those continuously knotting. The gorgeous design, rich color, vivid picture and fine workmanship endue those rugs a sense of affections and permanence of art.

Practice makes perfect. Only those artisans disciplined and experienced can create the long-lasting charm of arts. Each rug has its own word, concentrating the dream of designer, the toil of weaver and the wish of possessor. As no two leaves are exactly the same in the world, no two handmade carpets in the world are identical. They are all unique and exclusive. In the long life, those handicrafts, with their special language and strong body, will present their lovers contemplation of life, appreciation of arts, interaction of spirit, and certification of quality.

It is the thing of values. Fine handmade carpet can mentally interchange minds with people. He needs not any more word but lies there quietly, listening and recording what his master says and thinks. As time goes on, he becomes a loyal old servant. It reminds us that people in limited life could create and hold unlimited values.

The essence of art is to serve the life. Each kind of art expresses material and spiritual wants of human. As one type of art, Oriental carpet presents a kind of elaboration which is not easy to duplicate. This kind of elaboration becomes more and more treasurable for its rareness.

Nobility comes from rareness. As unusual handicrafts, handmade carpets represent the wealth, taste and status of possessor. In the mechanization society of 21 century, this symbolism is more important than its usage. The rich culture and unfading beauty lying in the handmade carpets make them the treasures of many collectors, palaces, architects, galleries and museums in the world.


by Angela Zhan

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Silk Road    Beijing | ALLANH | Sep 13, 2008 08:20 GMT-6

I'm not a shopper, but I loved the silk road, virtually all a tourist would want. The shopkeepers are very pushy to sell you anything. Don't fall for this. I bought some brand name gear.
If I went back to Beijing, my time would now be spent shopping, with some time visiting places our tour didn't show us. Wangfujing St is very good as with some of the side streets for a tourist to do some shopping.

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Don't pass up a god buy    Beijing | YINDUFFY | Aug 17, 2008 17:42 GMT-6

Last Summer My family spent five weeks in China with the first 2 1/2 days in Beijing.
On the first day we visited the Forbidden City with another couple. It was our second visit, the first in 2000, but our friends first.
At a gift shop near the back entrance to the Forbidden city I saw a wonderful souvenir at a good price. I passed it up since we had so many more days ahead and there would be many more opportunities for souvenir buying. Besides who could ask for a better tourist trap than the Forbidden City?
I never saw that item again and I regret not buying it for the small sum of about $12.00.
Sometimes the opportunity appears and you must be ready. I wasn't and I still think back on that.

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The freshest shopping experience in Shanghai    Shanghai | LITTLEXU | Dec 19, 2007 21:49 GMT-6

Despite what others say shopping can soon get tired in shanghai, western malls and local fake makets are nothing new after a while. For the freshest experience in the city Vervia in the Tai kang Lu art district is a much needed breadth of fresh air. The unique design products, inspired by ancient cultures from around the world but tailored for modern China reminded me why i came to the city in the first place. To find a secret little wonder, different to anything else and hidden down its own historic alleyway.

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Buying carpets and textiles as souvenirs in Lhasa    Lhasa | CHRISBUCKLEY | Nov 28, 2007 03:14 GMT-6

Tibetan carpets and textiles are famous worldwide, but in recent years most "Tibetan" textiles have tended to come from Nepal or India rather than Tibet. This situation is now starting to change, and good traditional textiles are once more becoming available in Lhasa, but finding them takes a little effort. In particular you will need to look beyond the tourist trap shops in the Barkhor and by the Potala, where most of what is on sale has not been made in Tibet (or anywhere near!).

Two places where you can find authentic textiles are the Dropenling Handicrafts Center and the Tanva Carpet Workshop. Dropenling is a project started by the Tibet Poverty Alleviation Fund a few years back: its store is near to the Mosque (follow the sign by the Makye Ame cafe, or look for leaflets and posters in cafes around town). It sells good Wangden carpets made in the villages around Lhasa and distinctive apron fabrics.

The Tanva workshop is a recently started venture in Nam village, on the road between Lhasa and the airport, using local handspun Tibetan wool and both traditional and contemporary designs. You can watch the carpet making process from start to finish and carpets can be bought in the showroom on site. Call the factory manager Norbu on his cellphone 1398 990 8681 to arrange a visit.

Be wary of carpet factories in town showing "weaving demonstrations": these may not be all they seem - in many cases the carpets that are actually on sale in their showrooms are not the ones made by the demonstration weavers!

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Kangfulu Market    Xian | KAILASH | Apr 27, 2007 12:48 GMT-6

Kangfulu Market, located in the Eastern side of the town, is one of the biggest market in Xian.Prices are dead cheap here and you will get good/medium quality of the commodities here.This market is famous for garment shoping.

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Wuhan    -General- | WINDENERGY | Mar 17, 2007 16:44 GMT-6

Wuhan is a sprawling metropolis on the Yangtze River with a population around 8 million or so. There are 2 Wal-Mart's that I know of, plus 2 Metros (from Germany) and 3 Carrefore's (from France). I like shopping at Wal-Mart because it has many western items not easily found in regular Chinese shops/ grocery stores.

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