Northwest China (西北) · 8 places · 3 provinces
8 places in Northwest China, grouped by province. 2 of them expect haggling. The last column also says how much English to expect.
Most common here: Listed entry (3), Craft and souvenir street (2), Old shopping street (1). See all regions, or the background on shopping.
5 places
Shaanxi (陕西省)
| Place | City | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Tower Commercial District (钟楼商圈)Xi’an’s central crossing, between the Bell and Drum towers, with the Muslim Quarter and Shuyuanmen a short walk away. Department stores rather than malls. | Xi’an | Haggling in some stalls Some English |
| Datang Everbright City (Grand Tang Mall) (大唐不夜城)One of the streets the ministry of commerce named as a national model, running from the south square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Tang-dynasty staging throughout, and busiest after dark. | Xi’an | Haggling in some stalls Some English |
| Dayan Pagoda / Tang Paradise Hanfu Experience District (大雁塔/大唐不夜城汉服体验区)Xi’an has more hanfu businesses than any other city, and this is where they concentrate: Tang-style hire, make-up, and photographers who follow the customer around the district. | Xi’an | Fixed prices Little or no English |
| Kangfu Road Fashion Market (康复路服装市场)Counted among the largest clothing wholesale centres in the northwest, open since 1984, and the first market in Xi’an to start trading each day. | Xi’an | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Xiaozhai Commercial District (小寨商圈)The student district, close to several universities. SAIG International has an indoor waterfall and a long escalator run, and Intime has rebuilt itself around anime and collectible figures. | Xi’an | Fixed prices Some English |
2 places
Gansu (甘肃省)
| Place | City | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Shazhou Night Market (敦煌沙洲夜市)Dunhuang’s night market, selling the local design line, luminous jade cups and camel-wool goods, on the Silk Road theme the town runs on. | Dunhuang | Haggling expected Little or no English |
| Zhengning Road Night Market (兰州正宁路夜市)Lanzhou’s night food street, reported on by the documentary A Bite of China, where the thing to order is milk and egg with fermented rice (牛奶鸡蛋醪糟). It runs from early evening until about eleven. | Lanzhou | Haggling in some stalls Little or no English |
1 place
Qinghai (青海省)
| Place | City | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Regong Thangka Art Market (Tongren, Qinghai) (玉树/热贡唐卡艺术市场)Tongren is the centre of thangka painting, and Regong art is on the UNESCO list. Several hundred studios and shops work in the county town. | Tongren | Haggling in some stalls 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.