Travel China: Shopping Tips

Haggle, haggle, haggle! You can haggle just about everywhere when you travel China except the modern department stores and hotel shops. It’s hard to give a general rule about what percentage of the asking price you should aim to pay, as some vendors are cheekier than others.

The more items you buy, the better the price, so get together and go for it! But remember – these people are trying hard to make a living, so if you’re happy with a price, just pay it!

Travel China: A Rough Guide

Below is a rough guide to help you prepare for your travel China experience:

T-shirt – 50 Yuan for a decent quality one (if you hold it up to the light and see through it, pay less)

CD’s and DVD’s – approx 10 Yuan per item (so 30 Yuan for a trilogy). You can get them down a little, but they prefer to give away one free per 10 purchased.

Xmas tree balls – 15 Yuan each (small colourful enameled jobbies)

Man’s long sleeved shirt – 80 to 100 Yuan

Propaganda Posters – Very cool original Revolution posters, around 80 Yuan

Kites – Our travel China team paid 100 Yuan for a HUGE colourful kite with reel

Bottled water – from 1.50 Yuan in the supermarket for a big bottle
- 3 to 5 Yuan in the street for a small bottle
- 10 Yuan for a small bottle on the Great Wall!

Beer – 2 Yuan for a draft pint sitting at a table in a local bar
- 1.50 Yuan for a can from the supermarket
- 20 Yuan a bottle in your hotel mini-bar

Travel China: General tips

• If you want to bring home some wine or any other bottled drink, pack it in your checked-in luggage, as it will be confiscated from hand-luggage.
• Don’t expect blue sky sunny days – there will be smog!
• The street blocks are huge! Don’t look at a map and think 2 blocks won’t be far…
• Be prepared for crowds at attractions. You will always be outnumbered by thousands of Chinese tourists checking out their own country, which is quite cool, but can be overwhelming for the Kiwi used to wide open spaces. Pack an open mind, relax, and enjoy the feeling of being famous when they want you to be in their photos!
• If you have free time to explore, get off the main streets and into the hutongs behind to see how people used to (and few still do) live.
• If sightseeing with a guide, stick close to them. With so many people around it’s really easy to lose your group by stopping to take a photo or two.
• Taxis are cheap and work on meters, so don’t be afraid to use them. Tips are not demanded, but appreciated.
• If you are going wandering, or using taxis, always get your destination (and your hotel location) written on a piece of paper for you in Chinese, as very few taxi drivers or people in the street can speak English or understand your attempts at speaking Chinese. The hotel business card will usually suffice.
• Do use the subway in Beijing – its only 3 Yuan, quick, clean, safe, and easy to figure out.

Travel China
Travel China: A Country Like No Other