Beijing has a history of over thousands of years. It was known as a metropolis with developed businesses and a prosperous economy since ancient times.

Cloisonné, Ivory Carving, Jade and Lacquer are known as the four best traditional handiworks of Beijing. In addition, Curios, Silk, Pearls, Snuff Bottles with Pictures Inside, and Artificial Flowers are also worth buying and well liked by tourists. Candied Fruits and confectionaries of all kinds will make your mouth water, and are wonderful presents for friends. These local products can be easily found in supermarkets.

Beijing has more than a hundred large and middle-sized shopping complexes. Wangfujing Street, Qianmen Dashilan and Xidan Commercial Street are the traditional shopping centres; whereas Guomao Shopping Centre, Oriental Plaza and Zhongguancun Square are new commercial hubs developed recently. These shopping centers will give you the greatest joy of shopping.

If you have an interest in antiques, you might want to visit Liulichang or Panjiayuan Antique City. If you are looking for export clothing, then you must not miss Xiushui Street and Yaxiu Clothing Wholesale Market. Buying some special local product and souvenir will enhance the joy of traveling too. Jingtailan cloisonne, jade, silk embroidery etc are very ancient; and native handicrafts such as clay figurine, Peking opera mask, kites, paper-cuttings etc are inexpensive and make excellent gifts for family and friends.

Tips:

The summer hours for most Beijing shopping malls are 08:30 - 21:30; in winter they are closed either a half or one hour earlier than in summer. All the emporia, hotels and large restaurants in city center and Tourism Appointed Stores have foreign exchange counters and ATM. Credit cards (including Visa, MasterCard, AE, Dinersclub and JCB) are also acceptable there. Bringing some cash is always necessary in the event that you'd like to buy something from the street vendors.

http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/shopping/