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Wangfujing Street (王府井大街)

Location: Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
Wangfujing Street, reputed as the 'Golden Street' of Beijing, runs from north to south from the National Art Museum of China (中国美术馆) to the Dong Chang'an Jie (东长安街). The 810-meter (886-yard) long street is the only commercial pedestrian street in Beijing. This most famous mecca of Beijing is lined with stores catering to all fashion tastes. Some of the more renowned shops are the Oriental Plaza (东方广场), Sun Dong An Plaza (新东安广场), Beijing Department Store (北京市百货大楼), Wangfujing Bookstore (王府井书店) and Wangfujing Gongmei Emporium (王府井工美大厦). Sculptures stand in front of many of the stores portraying the former trades that used to exist in ancient Beijing. The underground street at B1/F of the Sun Dong An Plaza is a marvelous place to experience traditional folk customs.

Qianmen-Dashilan Area (前门-大栅栏)

Location: Qianmen Dajie (前门大街, in Chongwen District), Dashilan Jie (大栅栏街, in Xuanwu District)
If you want to buy local Beijing products, Qianmen-Dashilan area is a good choice. This unique busy area lies to the south of the Tiananmen Square and features many China's time-honored shops. With a history of over 500 years, it is a tourist hotspot. Noteworthy shops, like the Ruifuxiang Silk-Since 1862 (瑞蚨祥绸布店), Neiliansheng Shoe Shop (内联升鞋店) and the Tongrentang Chinese Medicine-Since 1669 (同仁堂药店), give an elegant reflection of ancient Beijing.

Xidan (西单)

Location: Xidan Dajie (西单大街), Xicheng District
Known as the 'Second Wangfujing', Xidan shopping area is one of the three business hubs of Beijing (the other two are the Wangfujing Street and the Qianmen-Dashilan Area). Its center is the Xidan Commercial Street (西单商业街) which is about two kilometers (1.2 miles) west of the Tiananmen Square. It is an integration of shopping malls and department stores, like the Grand Pacific Mall (君太百货), Xidan Department Store (西单商场), Xidan Shopping Center (西单购物中心), Zhongyou Department Store (中友百货) and Scitech Plaza (赛特购物中心). Locals are very keen on this area and shop there in great throngs, whereas most of the overseas have a stronger affection to Xiu Shui Jie.

Xiu Shui Jie (Silk Street, 秀水街 )

Location: Yong'an Li (永安里), Jianguomenwai Dajie (建国门外大街, or 建外大街), Chaoyang District
Xiu Shui Jie isn't a street any more, but has changed into a decent eight-storey emporium. For the oversea tourists, it is as well-known as the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. You can find practically everything you could want: clothes, silk, souvenirs, handicrafts and even some antiques. Communication is not a big problem, for shop assistants are trained in English. The initial quoted price will be ridiculously high, so keep on haggling. To get there, take the Subway Line 1 or any buses with a stop at Yong'an Li (永安里).

Silver Street (银街)

Location: From Dongdan (东单) to Dongsi (东四), near the Oriental Plaza (东方广场)
As its name shows, Silver Street is a hub of the franchise stores of brand dress, thus, it is regarded as 'Nobles Street'. In this street, you can find almost all the foreign name-brand stores and famous sporting goods shops. There are many distinctive small shops of fashion dress and some enjoy oversea fame, and they greatly satisfy the young people. With the diversifying stores and shops of extraordinary design, the street is becoming more and more a fashion's hottest property.
Bus Route: No.106, 108, 111, 116, 204 Nei Huan (204内环), 204 Wai Huan (204外环), 684, 685 to Dongdan Lukou Bei (东单路口北).

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