South China (华南) · 37 places · 3 provinces
37 places in South China, grouped by province. 24 of them expect haggling. The last column also says how much English to expect.
Most common here: Wholesale market (17), Listed entry (14), Mall district (4). See all regions, or the background on shopping.
34 places
Guangdong (广东省)
| Place | City | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Chaozhou Ceramics (潮州陶瓷/牌坊街)Chaozhou makes 2.76 billion pieces of everyday ceramic a year, about fifteen per cent of Chinese output. Its hand-thrown teapots are ranked with Yixing’s. | Chaozhou | Haggling in some stalls Little or no English |
| Dalang Knitwear Trade Centre (Dongguan) (东莞大朗毛织贸易中心)The knitwear cluster: over 10,000 firms in one town producing more than a billion pieces a year, and recorded as the largest such base anywhere. | Dongguan | Haggling expected Some English |
| Humen Fashion Wholesale Market (Fumin/Yellow River) (虎门服装批发市场（富民/黄河）)The clothing market for the southern trade, with as many as ten thousand new styles arriving daily. Womenswear is what it is known for. | Dongguan | Haggling expected Some English |
| Lecong Furniture Market (佛山乐从家具)Some 180 furniture malls over ten li of road, carrying most of what the furniture trade makes anywhere. Wholesale and retail together. | Foshan | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Baima Clothing Market (白马服装市场)Guangzhou’s established mid-to-high wholesale market for clothing, in the Liuhua cluster that the trade treats as its national reference point. | Guangzhou | Haggling in some stalls Some English |
| Beijing Road (广州北京路)Guangzhou’s commercial line for two thousand years, with Tang to Qing road surfaces shown under glass in the street. One of the ministry’s model pedestrian streets. | Guangzhou | Haggling in some stalls Some English |
| Beijing Road Pedestrian Street (北京路步行街)Guangzhou has kept its commercial centre on this line for two thousand years, and road surfaces from the Tang through the Qing are displayed under glass in the street itself. | Guangzhou | Haggling in some stalls Some English |
| Changshou Road Jade Street (Guangzhou) (广州长寿路玉器街)Guangzhou’s jade street, about 500 m with over 500 shops, and described as the largest jadeite clearing point in southern China. A pre-dawn market runs alongside it. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Dashatou Second-hand Electronics Market (大沙头二手电子市场)Described as the largest second-hand electronics and used-goods market in southern China, and a regular sourcing stop for buyers from Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Some English |
| Fangcun Flower, Bird, Fish and Insect Market (Guangzhou) (广州芳村花鸟鱼虫市场)Described as the largest flower, bird, fish and insect market in Asia, over 1,000 traders across flower, aquarium, pet and craft sections. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Guangzhou International Textile City (Zhongda Fabric Market) (广州国际轻纺城（中大面料市场）)Listed as the largest single-building textile wholesale market in Asia. Knit and woven fabric, imported cloth, home and sportswear material, lace, leather and trim. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Some English |
| Qingping Market (Guangzhou) (广州清平市场)Guangzhou’s medicinal herb and tonic wholesale market, over 2,000 traders, and where local households buy what goes into soup. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Shahe Fashion Wholesale District (沙河服装批发市场)The cheapest large clothing wholesale base in the country, and the supply floor behind a great deal of Chinese e-commerce. What sells here sets the direction for the trade. | Guangzhou | Haggling in some stalls Little or no English |
| Shijing Surplus Clothing Market (石井尾货市场)Reported as the largest surplus-stock market in China, where clothes are sold by weight as well as by piece, and a supply base for livestream selling. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Shiling International Leather & Leather Goods City (狮岭（国际）皮革皮具城)The leather and leather-goods cluster for China, and the main source of raw material and fittings. Bags made here account for about half the national output. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Some English |
| Shisanhang Fashion Wholesale District (十三行服装批发市场)On the site of the Qing Thirteen Factories, and now one of the leading wholesale markets for women’s clothing in China, fast fashion in Korean cut. | Guangzhou | Haggling in some stalls Little or no English |
| Tianhe Road Commercial Belt (天河路商圈)Two point eight kilometres carrying nine mall complexes and over ten thousand shops. Taikoo Hui is the luxury end and Grandview is counted among the largest malls anywhere. Trade runs late. | Guangzhou | Fixed prices Some English |
| Yidelu Dried Seafood Market (Guangzhou) (广州一德路海味干货市场)Described as the largest dried seafood wholesale market in southern China, about a kilometre of it, and where Guangzhou households buy New Year stock and tonics. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Zhanxi Fashion Wholesale District (站西服装批发市场)Beside Guangzhou railway station, which is why the buyers here come from Africa, the Middle East and Russia. Menswear, sportswear and export-surplus stock. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Some English |
| Zhongda Textile Market (Guangzhou) (广州中大轻纺城)The fabric heart of the Guangzhou clothing trade: about 2.5 million square metres and over 23,000 specialist shops. | Guangzhou | Haggling expected Some English |
| Shiling Leather Goods City (狮岭皮具城)The leather goods cluster: over 700 million bags a year, about half of Chinese output, with more than sixty per cent of it exported. | Guangzhouhuadou | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Coastal City (Houhai Commercial District) (海岸城（后海商圈）)The Houhai mall for Nanshan, seven floors of it, used by the technology park population rather than by visitors. Shenzhen Bay is close. | Shenzhen | Fixed prices Some English |
| Cyber Digital Plaza (Saibo) (华强北-赛博数码广场)An older general electronics hall in Huaqiangbei: phones, branded computers, parts, consumables and repair counters. | Shenzhen | Haggling in some stalls Little or no English |
| Feiyang Times Communication Market (华强南-飞扬时代大厦)The physical centre of the refurbished-Apple trade in Asia, and the main clearing point in China for used iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Some English |
| Futian CBD Commercial District (福田CBD商圈)Shenzhen’s administrative and financial centre, with COCO Park and Huangting as the retail. Mid to high end; the civic centre and Lianhua hill are next to it. | Shenzhen | Fixed prices English is usually available |
| Huaqiang Electronics World (华强北-华强电子世界)Described as one of the largest single buildings in Huaqiangbei, with close to ten thousand traders: components, smart hardware, camera gear and phone parts. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Some English |
| Huaqiangbei Electronics Market (华强北)One and a half square kilometres holding 35 specialist markets and 115,000 registered businesses. Components, phones, hardware; the working assumption is that anything can be found and then sourced in quantity. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Some English |
| Longsheng Accessories Market (华强北-龙胜配件城)The accessory wholesale floor for Huaqiangbei: cases, screen protectors, cables, earphones, chargers and power banks, sold in quantity. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Nanyou Fashion Wholesale District (Lixiu Block) (南油服装批发市场（荔秀街区）)Shenzhen’s women’s-wear district, which moved from export manufacturing into original design. Mid to high end, silk and knitwear, and new-Chinese styling. | Shenzhen | Haggling in some stalls Some English |
| SEG Electronics Market (SEG Plaza) (华强北-赛格电子市场)China’s first market for electronic components, opened in 1988, in the 71-storey tower that serves as the Huaqiangbei landmark. Components, phones, computer parts, repair. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Some English |
| Shuibei Jewellery Wholesale Market (Shenzhen) (深圳水贝珠宝批发市场)Listed as the largest jewellery wholesale market in China, over 3,000 firms, and on trade figures handling more than seventy per cent of the national business in gold, diamonds and jade. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Some English |
| Tongtiandi Communication Market (华强南-通天地通讯市场)Trading used consumer electronics since 1999, and named in the first national group of second-hand circulation pilots in 2025. Phones of every brand, refurbished and used. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Some English |
| Yuanwang Digital Mall (华强北-远望数码商城)The wholesale floor for new phones in Huaqiangbei, handling most of the country’s trade in them, with mainland, Hong Kong and overseas versions side by side. | Shenzhen | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Guzhen Lighting Market (中山古镇灯饰)The lighting cluster: over 30,000 businesses, about seventy per cent of Chinese sales and half the world’s. Trade fairs in March and October. | Zhongshan | Haggling expected Little or no English |
2 places
Hainan (海南省)
| Place | City | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Riyue Square (Duty-Free Commercial District) (日月广场（免税商圈）)The duty-free quarter of Haikou, working under the Hainan free-port allowance. The CDF mall nearby is listed as the largest single duty-free store in the world. | Haikou | Fixed prices Some English |
| Sanya Duty-Free (三亚免税店)The island duty-free trade under the Hainan allowance, counted among the largest single duty-free stores in the world. Prices run ten to thirty per cent under the taxed mainland market. | Sanya | Fixed prices Some English |
1 place
Guangxi (广西壮族自治区)
| Place | City | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Yulin Medicinal Herb Market (Guangxi) (玉林中药材市场)Ranked the third largest medicinal herb market in China and the largest in the south, over 1,000 traders dealing in southern material: sanqi, star anise, cassia. | Yulin | Haggling expected Little or no English |
Buying Without Overpaying
At a wholesale market the first price is an opening position, and in a mall it is the price. Telling the two apart before you go is most of the skill. Tell our local team what you are after and they will say where it is actually bought and what it should cost.