Location: Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

Wangfujing Street, reputed as the 'Golden Street' of Beijing, runs from north to south from the National Art Museum of China to the East Chang'an Street. The 810-meter (886-yard) long street is the only commercial pedestrian street in Beijing. This most famous mecca of Beijing is lined with stores catering to all fashion tastes. Some of the more renowned shops are the Oriental Plaza, Sun Dong An Plaza, Beijing Department Store, Wangfujing Bookstore and Wangfujing Gongmei Emporium. Sculptures stand in front of many of the stores portraying the former trades that used to exist in ancient Beijing. The underground street at B1/F of the Sun Dong An Plaza is a marvelous place to experience traditional folk customs.

Qianmen-Dashilan Area

Location: Qianmen Avenue (in Chongwen District), Dashilan Street (in Xuanwu District)

If you want to buy local Beijing products, Qianmen-Dashilan area is a good choice. This unique busy area lies to the south of the Tiananmen Square and features many China's time-honored shops. With a history of over 500 years, it is a tourist hotspot. Noteworthy shops, like the Ruifuxiang Silk-Since 1862, Neiliansheng Shoe Shop and the Tongrentang Chinese Medicine-Since 1669, give an elegant reflection of ancient Beijing.

Xidan

Location: Xidan Avenue, Xicheng District

Known as the 'Second Wangfujing', Xidan shopping area is one of the three business hubs of Beijing (the other two are the Wangfujing Street and the Qianmen-Dashilan Area). Its center is the Xidan Commercial Street which is about two kilometers (1.2 miles) west of the Tiananmen Square. It is an integration of shopping malls and department stores, like the Grand Pacific Mall, Xidan Department Store, Xidan Shopping Center, Zhongyou Department Store and Scitech Plaza. Locals are very keen on this area and shop there in great throngs, whereas most of the overseas have a stronger affection to Xiu Shui Jie.

Silk Street, Beijing

Location: Yong'an Li, Jianwai Avenue, Chaoyang District

Xiu Shui Jie isn't a street any more, but has changed into a decent eight-storey emporium. For the oversea tourists, it is as well-known as the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. You can find practically everything you could want: clothes, silk, souvenirs, handicrafts and even some antiques. Communication is not a big problem, for shop assistants are trained in English. The initial quoted price will be ridiculously high, so keep on haggling. To get there, take the Subway Line 1 or any buses with a stop at Yong'an Li.

Silver Street 

Location: From Dongdan to Dongsi, near the Oriental Plaza

As its name shows, Silver Street is a hub of the franchise stores of brand dress, thus, it is regarded as 'Nobles Street'. In this street, you can find almost all the foreign name-brand stores and famous sporting goods shops. There are many distinctive small shops of fashion dress and some enjoy oversea fame, and they greatly satisfy the young people. With the diversifying stores and shops of extraordinary design, the street is becoming more and more a fashion's hottest property.

Bus Route: No.106, 108, 111, 116, 204, 684, 685 to Northern Dongdan Crossing.