China is one of the world’s great shopping destinations — not primarily for luxury goods or international brands (those are cheaper at home or in duty-free), but for things that are genuinely better here: tea, silk, ceramics, carved jade, regional crafts, traditional medicine products, and certain electronics. Knowing what to buy and where is the difference between excellent value and tourist overpricing.
This guide covers the categories worth considering, the best cities for each, realistic prices, and how to avoid the most common traps.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Tea — China’s Best Export
Tea is the single most recommended purchase in China. The quality-to-price ratio is dramatically different from what reaches overseas markets, even at specialty tea shops in London, New York, or Sydney.
What to Buy
Longjing (Dragon Well, 龙井) Green Tea — From Hangzhou’s Longjing village. The premium variety from West Lake area costs ¥200–600 per 100g for genuine first-flush spring tea (明前龙井, Mingqian Longjing). Supermarket grade: ¥30–80 per 100g. Longjing village itself is the best place to buy directly from family farms.
Pu’er (普洱) Tea — Aged fermented tea from Yunnan. Comes in compressed cakes. Flavour develops over years — some vintage cakes are collector items (and priced as such). Yunnan markets and specialist shops in Dali and Xishuangbanna carry good everyday grades. Budget: ¥50–200 per 357g cake for everyday quality; much higher for aged/premium.
Tieguanyin (铁观音) Oolong — From Anxi County in Fujian. Widely available throughout China. Good quality at ¥60–200 per 100g.
Wuyi Rock Oolong (武夷岩茶) — From the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian. Highly complex, mineral-forward teas. Da Hong Pao (大红袍) is the most famous variety. Price range enormous — ¥100 to tens of thousands per jin (500g). For everyday quality, ¥200–500 per 100g in Wuyi or Fujian tea markets.
White Tea (白茶) — From Fujian’s Fuding County. Light, delicate, highly regarded. Aged white tea is gaining collector-level prices. Good everyday grades: ¥80–200 per 100g.
Where to Buy Tea
- Maliandao Tea Market, Beijing (马连道茶叶市场) — China’s largest wholesale tea market. Hundreds of vendors. Lower prices than tourist shops but requires more negotiation and knowledge.
- Tea villages directly — Longjing village (Hangzhou), Wuyi Mountain tea farms (Fujian), Pu’er region markets (Yunnan). Buying directly from farmers or small producers gives the best quality/price.
- Tianhejiyuan Tea Market, Guangzhou — Southern China’s wholesale hub.
- Avoid: Tea “friends” who invite you off the street for a “tea ceremony experience” — a known scam across Beijing and Shanghai tourist areas, where the experience ends with a ¥500–2000 bill.
Silk — Quality at Source
China produces 75–80% of the world’s silk, which means prices are a fraction of what European or American retailers charge.
What to Buy
Silk fabric by the metre — Suzhou is the centre of Chinese silk production. The Suzhou Silk Museum shop and the surrounding Shiquan Street silk shops sell genuine Suzhou silk fabric by the metre. Prices: ¥80–400 per metre depending on weave density and thread count.
Silk scarves and ties — Good quality silk scarves at Suzhou’s markets or Shanghai’s Old City start at ¥80–200 for genuine silk. Soft touch, slight lustre, and the burn test (genuine silk ashes cleanly and smells of burnt hair; polyester melts).
Qipao (旗袍) — A tailored qipao made from genuine silk in Suzhou or Shanghai takes 1–7 days and costs ¥800–3,000. Off-the-shelf versions are cheaper but less impressive. If time allows, tailor-made is the correct approach.
Silk duvets (桑蚕丝被) — A genuine mulberry silk duvet from Suzhou weighs 1.5–2kg and costs ¥600–2,500 depending on gram weight. Significantly lighter and warmer than synthetic alternatives. Compressible for transport.
Where to Buy
- Suzhou Silk Museum shop — quality guaranteed, prices fair
- Suzhou’s Guanqian Street market area — good range, some negotiation required
- Shanghai’s Qipu Road fabric market — extensive options for fabric by the metre
Ceramics and Porcelain
Jingdezhen (景德镇) in Jiangxi province is the ceramics capital of China — porcelain has been made here for 1,700 years. The range runs from mass-produced tourist pottery to extraordinary pieces by named contemporary artisans.
What to buy:
- Blue and white porcelain (青花瓷) — the classic; widely available
- Famille rose (粉彩) decorated pieces — intricate, ornate
- Celadon (青瓷) — the elegant jade-like green glaze associated with Song dynasty aesthetics
- Contemporary studio ceramics — Jingdezhen has a large community of young independent ceramicists producing genuinely excellent work
Prices: ¥30–200 for mass-production; ¥200–5,000+ for studio pieces.
Buying in Jingdezhen directly: The Ceramic Culture Street (陶溪川) area in Jingdezhen combines a large factory renovation market with independent designer shops. The best place in China to buy ceramics at source.
Elsewhere: Good ceramics are available at tourist sites throughout China, but quality and price vary significantly. Learn to distinguish machine-made from hand-thrown (irregularity in thickness, natural variation in glaze are positive signs).
Traditional Chinese Medicine Products
What foreign visitors commonly buy:
- Bian Lian (facial-quality balms) — tiger balm equivalents
- Ginseng products — dried root, extract, tablets (check import restrictions in your home country)
- Eight-treasure porridge and tonic herb packs
- Yunnan Baiyao (云南白药) — topical wound and bruise powder, widely trusted in China, commonly taken home as a practical souvenir
- Specific herbal teas — chrysanthemum, wolfberry (goji), red date combinations
Where to buy:
- Any Chinese pharmacy chain (Beijing Tong Ren Tang [同仁堂] is the most famous — its flagship on Dashilar in Beijing dates to 1669)
- TCM markets in Guangzhou (the Qingping Market has an herb trading section)
Customs note: Many countries have restrictions on importing plant and animal products. Check your home country’s customs regulations before purchasing ginseng roots, dried mushrooms, or animal-derived products.
Electronics — Where China Has an Edge
What is genuinely cheaper in China:
- DJI drones and accessories (Chinese brand, significantly lower price before import duty)
- Xiaomi products (phones, earbuds, smart home devices) — 20–40% cheaper than international retail
- Huawei phones (if you want one)
- Chinese-brand cameras, audio equipment, and smart gadgets
- Phone accessories, cables, and tech accessories at Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen
Huaqiangbei (华强北) Electronics Market, Shenzhen — The world’s most extraordinary electronics market. Thousands of shops selling components, assembled goods, phone parts, LED arrays, and every electronic product imaginable. The place where grey-market iPhones are assembled and where component traders come from all over the world.
What to watch out for:
- iPhones and Apple products — no better and often worse than buying at home (counterfeits and grey-market warranty issues)
- Luxury goods — if it seems too cheap, it’s fake
- USB cables and chargers from market stalls — cheap but occasionally dangerous quality
Crafts and Art by Region
Beijing: Cloisonné (enamel metalwork), lacquerware, traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy on scroll, Peking opera mask crafts.
Xi’an: Tang dynasty replica figurines (terracotta replicas, painted ceramic horses), shadow puppets (皮影), embroidered folk art.
Lijiang/Yunnan: Naxi minority hand-woven textiles, Dongba script art, beeswax jewellery, hand-carved wooden batik.
Guizhou: Miao embroidery (extraordinary quality if buying from village artisans), silver jewellery (Miao silver work is genuinely distinct).
Tibet: Thangka (religious scroll painting), prayer wheels, turquoise and coral jewellery, yak wool products. Note: Be careful about importing religious art with specific religious significance — customs of home countries vary.
Shanghai/Hangzhou: Silk embroidery (苏绣, Suzhou embroidery), carved fans, bamboo carving.
How to Avoid Fakes and Overpricing
The tourist market test: Anything sold near a major tourist site at more than 3x the price quoted in the second shop is overpriced. Walk 5 minutes from the main gate and compare.
Museum shop quality: Museum gift shops (Forbidden City Palace Museum, Suzhou Silk Museum, Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum) sell quality-controlled goods at fair prices. Often the best souvenir option without negotiation.
Negotiate at markets: In market contexts (not fixed-price shops or supermarkets), a 30–50% counter-offer on the first stated price is normal. Walking away often brings the price down further.
The genuine article: Genuine silk, genuine tea, genuine ceramics don’t need to be faked — they’re affordable at genuine prices. Fakes tend to cluster around brand items (luxury goods, international electronics).
What You Can Bring Home: Customs Basics
Generally problem-free: Tea, factory-made porcelain, mass-produced crafts, silk fabric, electronics for personal use, traditional art
May require declaration or have limits: Ginseng and dried herbs (plant material restrictions in US, UK, EU, Australia), antiques over 100 years old require an export certificate from the Chinese State Administration, currency over ¥20,000 yuan cash
Check before buying: Animal products, ivory (effectively prohibited to import to most countries even with documentation), tiger/bear products (illegal)
Payment at Shops
Alipay and WeChat Pay work at virtually all Chinese shops. Cash is accepted everywhere. International cards work at department stores and shopping malls in major cities but often not at market stalls. Full payment guide here.
Also see: China Budget Travel Guide | China Online Shopping Guide | Jingdezhen Ceramics Guide