Saturday, January 7, 2012 | By: Liz Tung (董怡)

Shopping mega-site Taobao may be shifting the center of China’s consumer culture to the internet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a place for real live markets. After all, there’s nothing like wending your way through narrow aisles of tiny stalls, fending off sellers as you fondle their merchandise. In Beijing there are still plenty of markets for your perusing pleasure—but tourist traps like Xiushui (秀水, Silk Market) or Yashow (雅秀) will rip you off faster than you can say, Duoshao qian? Here, instead, are our top five picks for clothing.

5. Tianyi, Di’anmen (天意，地安门)

158 Dianmen Wai Dajie, Dongcheng District (100 meters north of the intersection of Ping’an Dajie and Dianmenwai Dajie), 东城区地安门外大街158号(平安大街与地安门外大街十字路口向北100米)

Though smaller than its Fuchengmen counterpart, the Di’anmen Tianyi wins points for its central location near Houhai, Gulou and Nanluoguxiang. This classic wholesale market is more traditional than trendy, featuring everything from household items to toiletries and (its specialty) stationery. After buying overpriced boutique clothes on Gulou Dong Dajie, this is the perfect place to outfit yourself with some cheap accessories.

Merchandise: Jewelry, phone accessories, shoes, bags, stationery, household items

Best for: Bags, jewelry, stationary

Getting there: Take buses 5, 13, 42, 612, 701, 810, 823 or trolleys 107, 108, 11, 118, and 124 to Di’anmen

4. Wudaokou Clothing Market (五道口服装市场)

Jinma Plaza, Bldg. B, 38 Xueqing Lu, Haidian District (at the entrance of Qinghua Dong Lu), 海淀区学清路38号金码大厦B座1-4楼(清华东路口)

Since its older, drabber and slightly cheaper twin closed, the Wudaokou Clothing Market on Xueqing Lu has become the only game in town—and what a game it is! Geared at Wudaokou’s booming student population, the market’s four floors are packed with trendier, flashier, more expensive versions of what you’ll find at other markets, along with lots of (mostly fake) Western and Korean brands. Make sure to bargain hard.

Merchandise: Clothing, underwear, shoes, bags, accessories, cosmetics, household trinkets

Best for: Trendy shirts, leisure wear, scarves, hats

Getting there: Take a cab from the Wudaokou subway station on line 13 (fare should be around 10 kuai) or buses 16, 26, 85, 307, 333外, 355, 392, 398, 419, 425, 438, 466, 478, 484, 490, 609, 617, 628, 630, 632, 635, 691, 693, 753, 913, 运通103, 运通109, 运通110 to Xueyuan Lu Beikou (学院路北口)

3. Zoo Market (动物园服装批发市场)

Beijing Zoo, Xizhimen Outer Street, Xicheng District (near Baishi Bridge), 西城区西直门外大街北京动物园(近白石桥)

This monster of a wholesale market is a feeder for Taobao stores and other markets around Beijing. Once you start price-checking you’ll find out why: it doesn’t get any cheaper—or more chaotic—than this. The first thing to know before you hop on the subway is that what most people call “the zoo market” is actually a series of markets, most of which are on Xizhimenwai Dajie, clustered around the zoo subway stop. The most famous of these are Jin Kailede (金凯利德), Dongding (东鼎), Shiji Tianle (世纪天乐) and Julong (聚龙). Located on the east side of 北展桥 (Beizhan Bridge) near the zoo bus station, Jin Kailede is celebrated for its cheap, relatively good-quality clothes, though it’s considered less fashionable than its more expensive counterparts. Among them are Dong Ding, renowned for its shoes, handbags and smaller commodities, and Tianle, which boasts a classier reputation but has been recently hailed by netizens as “more expensive, with only so-so quality.” Perhaps best-loved is Julong, the underground market bursting at the seams with foreign-styled, Chinese-made goods (expect to find the real deal with defects, along with tons of knock-offs). The only drawback is that most places don’t let you try on clothes, and some don’t let you bargain (though there’s a rumor that if you’re desperate, you can pay some shop owners money to let you try clothes on in the bathroom).

- Jin Kailede (金凯利德): Jin Kailede Plaza, 136 Xizhimen Wai Dajie, 北京市西城区西直门外大街136号金开利德大厦

- Dongding (东鼎): 132 Xizhimen Wai Dajie, 西直门外大街132号. On the south side of the street, west of Yushuguan Bridge (榆树馆桥)

- Tianle (世纪天乐): 28 Xizhimen Wai Dajie South Street, 西直门外大街南路28号

- Julong (聚龙): Bejing Exhibition Center Plaza, 135 Xizhimen Wai Dajie, 西直门外大街135号展览馆广场. Across from the exhibition center, you can enter at the west side of the Ito Yokado or on the east and south sides of the Guolin Family Style Restaurant (郭林家常菜).

Merchandise: Anything and everything

Best for: Jeans, foreign brands

Getting there: Take line 5 to the Zoo stop (动物园站), or buses 102, 103, 107, 334, or 运通104 to the Zoo public transportation stop (动物园公交总)

2. Xidan Mingzhu Market (西单明珠商场)

59 Heng’er Tiao, Xidan, 西单区横二条59号

Like the Zoo Market, Xidan, known as Beijing’s shopping capital, offers an overwhelming jam of malls and markets—only these are dense and busy enough to make your head spin. Avoid a shopping-induced aneurysm by starting off at Mingzhu Shopping Center, a five-story market packed with accessories, shoes, bags… and competitive college girls. Netizens advise that with a little patience, you can find great deals here.

Merchandise: Jewelry, accessories, trinkets, shoes, bags, underwear, socks, clothes

Best for: Underwear, socks, jewelry

Getting there: Lines buses 1 or 4 to the Xidan station, or buses 10, 22, 37, 47, 52, 70, 83, 102, 105, 109, 603, 604, 626, 690, 802, 808, 826, or the Airport Lines to Xidan Shopping Center (西单商场)

1. Dongsishitiao Foreign Clothing Street (东四十条外贸一条街)

North and south sides of Dongsishitiao Street, Dongcheng District, 东城区东四十条街南北两侧

If you need a break from the hustle and bustle of indoor markets, take a breath of fresh air with this outdoor strip of shops plunked right between the Zhangzizhonglu and Dongsishitiao subway stations. Stretching along the north and south sides of Dongsishitiao, this strip of more than 100 shops boasts priced-down versions of factory-direct foreign style clothes. Though most of the clothes either have defects or are a season out of style, they offer better deals than you’ll find most places. Don’t forget to bargain!

Merchandise: Clothes, cell phone accessories, handicrafts

Best for: Women’s clothing, foreign brands

Getting there: Walk east on Dongshishitiao from Zhangzizhonglu on Line 5, or take buses 113, 115, 117, 406, 416, 701 to Sanlitun station (三里屯站), or buses 110, 118, 120, or 403 to Beijing Workers Stadium (工人体育场站).

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