Heaven of shopping
Wangfujing
Nicknamed "Golden Street"， the world-famous pedestrian street is imbued with a deep cultural background. The biggest commercial center in Beijing enchants visitors with many century-old local shops such as China Photo Studio， Quanjude Restaurant， Shengxifu and others.
Qianmen-Dashilan
Newly furbished and reopened to the public， the area used to be the commercial center of old Beijing. Today， visitors can find the highest concentration of old brand names with a guarantee of quality service at the street that begins in the east from Qianmen Street and ends at Meishi Street in the west.
Xidan
Sitting at the geometric center of Beijing， the 6-km-long street is one of the capital"s most developed areas of business and services. Xidan North Street is more developed than the southern part， with Xidan Shopping Mall， Zhong You Mall and other famous shopping centers standing side by side. Xidan Cultural Square is the largest recreational and shopping center in downtown Beijing.
Dongdan
The street from Dongdan to Dongsi is nicknamed "Silver Street" by white collars. The brightly decorated fa？ades cater to different needs and reflect latest trends in the bustling cosmopolis.
Silk Street
Ly i n g t o t h e n o r t h o f Jianguomenwai Street， the Silk Street has been moved into a building where one can find many souvenirs with strong Chinese characteristics. While its closeness to the embassy area brought the first visitors， the quality of commodities and the business acumen of the dealers have maintained growing attention of int e rna t iona l vi s i tor s including tourists and dealers. Some foreigners have called the place "OK Street"， "Small Hong Kong" or "Petit Paris".
Liulichang
Located outside Heping Gate， the street originated from the Qing Dynasty， when scholars from across the country lodged here to attend the imperial examination to choose civil officials. There are many shops for books， antiques and four treasures of the study — writing brush， ink stick， ink slab and xuan paper.
Lufthansa Women"s Street
At Dongsanhuan North Street， the market caters to women customers who can find scarves， jewelry， underwear， bags， shoes and anything that might attract a woman.
Panjiayuan Antiques Market
The market at Panjiayuan of Chaoyang District accommodates 3，000 stall owners from across the country， dealing in antiques like jadeware， arts and crafts， books， paintings and furniture. It is a "holy land" for antiques lovers hailing from across the world.
Beijing specialties
Babao Ink Paste
The red ink paste is used for seal. Made with some 30 procedures， the Babao (Eight Treasures) Ink Paste has a bright and pure color that guarantees clear and long-lasting prints.
Wang Mazi Scissors
Originated during the rule (1644-1661) of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty， the scissors were made at a store at Caishikou outside the Xuanwu Gate. It is said that the store"s founder was a native of Shanxi Province and surnamed Wang. As Wang had pockmarks (mazi in Chinese) on his face， people called his store Wang Mazi Knife and Scissors Store. During Emperor Jiaqing"s rule (1796-1820)， Wang"s grandson hang up a banner saying "Third Generation Wang Mazi". All the scissors made there have since carried the mark of Wang Mazi. As the Wang Mazi Scissors are sharp and black in color， people also call them "black tigers".
Chrysanthemum Liquor
This liquor is made on an esoteric recipe from the imperial distillery of the Qing Dynasty. Ginseng， agalloch eaglewood and some 20 kinds of precious medicinal herbs are used in making the transparent liquor that has a special fragrance and tastes sweet and mellow.
Osmanthus-Flower Wine
With a history of more than 3，000 years， the special product of Beijing is fermented with osmanthus flowers on the base of white wine. It is a high-quality nourishment.
Jinhu fiddle
With a high pitch and rich tones， the jinhu fiddle is the primary accompaniment of Peking Opera. There are strict requirements on its materials and production.
Peking Dough Figurine
Dough figurine is a folk art of high aesthetic value. With flour and glutinous rice powder as the chief materials， the colorful dough is made with pigment， paraffin wax， honey and other ingredients. The folk artist displays a dazzling skill in molding the shapeless dough into figurines. With a small knife made of bamboo， the artist carves out the figurines" facial features and applies dresses and ornaments swiftly. Elegant ladies， naughty children and legendary immortals are born within a minute.
Cloisonné
The art work originated in the years with the reign title of Jingtai (1450-1456) of Emperor Daizong of Ming Dynasty. As blue glaze is used extensively above the copper base， it gained the Chinese name Jingtailan. The making of a cloisonné work involves complicated procedures from tempering the copper base to sketching patterns with metal wire， applying blue glaze， firing it， polishing and gilding.
Candied fruits of Beijing
Candied fruits of Beijing are made with special procedures once used only in the imperial court. Made from fresh fruits such as apricot， pear and begonia， they taste sweet sour， with a mellowness of fruits.
Kite
The making and flying of kites in Beijing can be dated back to more than 300 years ago. In the past， people would carry enormous kites to join competitions outside the city. Traditional kites often feature intricate designs like butterfly， swift， dragonfly and masks of Peking Opera.
Old brand names in Beijing
Majuyuan，Neiliansheng，Eight Xiang"s and Four Heng"s