Maliandao Tea Street, China's First Tea Street

The Maliandao Tea Street is a must-visit place for you to walk around tea shops, taste diverse tea, get exquisite tea sets and learn more about Chinese tea culture. Regarded as the country’s first tea street. Maliandao offers six categories of Chinese teas, about 10,000 kinds of tea products, with 11 big tea cities and more than 3,000 merchants, making Maliandao North China's largest tea- trading base.

Addres: Maliandao Lu, Xicheng district

Traffic: Bus Nos 6, 38, 46, 57,122, 390 or 414

Beijing Curio City, Asia's Biggest Curio Arts and Crafts Trade Center

Beijing Curio City houses scores of kitsch and curio shops and a few furniture vendors. The market specializes in antique pottery, paintings from China and other countries, bone carvings, antique furniture, antique carpets, antique timepieces, pearls and jade. Many dealers are connoisseurs and curio collectors.

Address: Dong Sanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang district

Traffic: Bus Nos 28, 300 or 368

Silk Street, China's First Store for Foreigners

The old Silk Alley was a treat for bargain-hunting tourists, yet it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter and jam-packed with people. Today, developments in the area have made way for bigger and brighter things: one of which is the new Silk Street, a mall where many traders and wares of the old alley have now occupied a comfortable, safe and new building that faces Beijing's main traffic route, Jianguomenwai Dajie.

Address: No 8 Xiushui Dongjie, Chaoyang district

Traffic: Subway Line 1, Yong'anli Station; bus Nos 1 or 37

Nanluogu Xiang, A Place for Exploring Beijing's History

Nanluogu Xiang [Photo by Xia Yang]

With a history of more than 740 years, Nanluoguxiang is one of the capital's oldest hutongs. The Nanluoguxiang area is characterized by narrow hutongs (lanes), brick houses, wooden steles, stone gate piers; stories abound with nearly every one of them. History is encountered with every step; yet it's also a quaint place, packed with bars, cafes, restaurants and shops selling souvenirs and traditional crafts. Heavily oriented towards tourism, Nanluoguxiang is visited by the young and old, from China or from overseas even locals. TV programs get shot there, and stories about it are later publicized in the media, making it one of Beijing's most popular tourist destinations.

Address: Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng district

Traffic: Bus Nos 107 or 124

Panjiayuan Antique Market, China's Largest Market for Second-Hand Goods

Known locally as the Dirt Market (or Sunday Market), this is the place for antiques, arts and crafts and old-style furniture. A fascinating once-in-a-lifetime shopping opportunity, and don't forget to haggle!

Authentic, dusty, filled with curios, humorous local characters and people from everywhere in the country, bustle and noise! Keep a close watch on your personal belongings, as it can get over-crowded.

Address: No 18 Huaweili, Panjiayuan Lu, Chaoyang district

Traffic: Bus Nos 34, 36, 368 or 800