HOW TO Beijing

HOW TO Go to the Beijing Friendship Store

The “Friendship Store” concept goes back to the days when China was still very closed off. Friendship stores were some of the only places where one could buy foreign goods. 

It’s an interesting place to go for the historical aspect, but in terms of shopping experience, it’s since been eclipsed by many other malls. The selling point of the Beijing Friendship store is that it only sells genuine items and no knockoffs. 

By bus

Take bus route 120 or 121 and stop at Jian Guo Men.

By subway

Stop at Line 1, Jianguomen station.

By taxi

Taxi drivers will recognize if you say the Chinese name, Yǒu Yì Shāng Chǎng (友谊商场). The street address is 17 Jianguomenwai Dajie (建国门外大街17号).

Here’s the official Beijing Friendship Store site.

HOW TO Find the Beijing Zoo Market

The Beijing Zoo market (Běi Jīng Dòng Wù Yuán Fú Zhuāng Shì Chǎng / 北京动物园服装市场) is similar to its siblings Yashow Market and Silk Market, but here the Chinese people really outnumber the foreigners. Anytime this happens, you can bet that you’re going to get good value for your money.

Getting here is ridiculously easy, just go to <b>Beijing Zoo station</b> on subway Line 4. Take Exit D, the southwest exit.

The Beijing Zoo market is definitely a bit more chaotic than its brothers. It’s a multi-story no-name-store shopping behemoth much like the Silk Market and Yashow. I think less customer gouging goes on here. Make sure you still bargain though. 

If you’re looking for (female) Korean fashions, there’s a “Korea City” (Hán Guó Chéng / 韩国城) inside the market. There are a few shops in there that sell Korean cosmetics and those Korean cartoon socks &mdash; if you’ve lived in Seoul, you know what I’m talking about. 

HOW TO Get to Beijing Silk Market

Beijing Silk Market (Xiù Shuǐ Jiē / 秀水街) is nearly identical to the Yashow Clothing market in Sanlitun (see how to get to Sanlitun Yashow market). The Silk Market is a bit bigger and some of the shopkeepers here have best tourist-targeted English in the city.

By taxi

If you tell the taxi driver to take you to “Xiù Shuǐ Jiē” you should have no problem getting there.

By subway

Yonganli station (Yǒng Ān Lǐ / 永安里) on Line 1, Exit B. The exit leads you directly to the building.

By bus

The Beijing Silk Market is on one of Beijing’s main artery streets, so a handful of buses will take you there. Once you get on board, look at the map and  make sure to get off at Yonganli stop. Make sure you know <a href=”/articles/how-to-take-the-bus-in-beijing” />how to ride the bus in Beijing</a>!

Bus routes: 1, 4, 9, 28, 37, 43, 120, 126, 205, 639, 640, 668, 673, 728, 729, 802, 810

If it’s your first time at a haggle market then you’ll definitely want to see the Yashow article for how to bargain in markets in Beijing.

HOW TO Get a Bargain at Sanlitun Yashow Market

The Sanlitun Yashow Clothing Market (Sān Lǐ Tún Yǎ Xiù Fǔ Zhuāng Shì Chàng / 三里屯雅秀服装市场) is a great place to get stuff on the cheap. It is one of Beijing’s haggling markets, which, depending on your personality, can either be a miserable or entertaining experience.

It is right next to Sanlitun Village, you really can’t miss it. See this post on how to get to Sanlitun Village.

The Art of the Haggle

There’s a few things you can do to get a good deal here, depending on your shopping experience. You can go in there and pay full price if you’d like, but if you want to get a proper price you have to keep a few things in mind.

All the store owners speak good-enough English. You are not at a disadvantage if you don’t speak Chinese as long as you follow this system.

1. Change your attitude

The first mistake I see foreigners make is that they’re afraid to ask for a lower price. It is strange the first few times, but the whole point of going to these places is to get things cheap. If you’re uncomfortable haggling or bargaining, the adjacent Sanlitun outdoor mall is probably more your style.

2. Do your research

If you see something you like, don’t buy it at the first store you see. Chances are at least 3 other vendors have the exact same item or something similar. Pick a store, ask for their best price and (firmly!) tell them that you will be back. They will keep shouting prices at you as you walk away, maybe even pulling your shirt. You don’t need to respond, just walk away and remember the prices.

The rule of thumb is to ask for the price and then counter-offer with 10% of that price. Once the shopkeeper is saying that you are crazy and that she/he will get fired, you know you’re close to the “real” price.

3. It’s your money. Be firm!

I always see foreigners trapped into buying something because they feel guilty. They’re guilty because they’ve taken up the shopkeeper’s time, or they suddenly become sympathetic to the plight of the masses. Honourable, but foolish; you didn’t come to Yashow to fund someone’s education, you’re here to buy a fake Gucci bag.

The method I find most effective, efficient and fairest (for both buyer and seller) is the take-it-or-leave-it method. In my mind, I think about what I would be willing to pay. It doesn’t matter if it’s not the lowest price; as long as it’s low enough for me. I bypass the whole “how much is it” back-and-forth and just take the money out of my wallet and tell the shopkeeper my offer. 

You may need to add a few % of the price to let them save face, but generally everyone is happy afterward.

HOW TO get to Sanlitun Village

Sanlitun Village (Sān Lǐ Tún / 三里屯) is an outdoor mall/square in Beijing where you can find a lot of restaurants, shops and nightlife. It’s a lot of fun during the day and can even be more fun at night. Sanlitun is split into two sections - South and North. In between them is a hotel called “The Opposite House”. The South end is likely where you’ll want to be; you’ll recognize it from the picture on the left. The North end is home to a lot of swanky luxury shops, so head there if that’s what you’re looking for. The main way to get there is by taxi and by bus. The nearest subway station is about a 10 minute walk. By Taxi Since it’s a such a popular area for foreigners, just say “Sanlitun” to the driver and he’ll know exactly where to go. In the small chance that he doesn’t understand you, try saying it with a Beijing accent: “Sanlitwar”. The driver may then give you a follow-up question. In my taxi experiences, this question has been whether you’d like to go to the South end or North end. For the South end, answer with “nán kǒu (南口)” and for the North end, reply with “běi kǒu (北口)”. If you go to the south end, you’ll end up at the place pictured on the left. By Bus Sanlitun is very well served by buses. Here is a small sample of the bus routes you can take: Bus routes 113 / 118 / 406 / 431 / 701 / 758. By Subway Go to Tuanjiehu station (Tuán jiē hú / 团结湖) on Line 10, go out of Exit A. Make a U-turn as you’ll be facing the wrong direction, you want to be on Gongrentiyuchang North Road. Walk about 10 minutes, you’ll see a bunch of cafes and restaurants to your right. You really can’t miss it; the number of foreigners you’ll see increases with each step you take. Check out a directory list of the stores in Sanlitun here.