Shopping in Yangshuo
West Street is the most popular place to start your shopping in Yangshuo
adventure. Yangshuo does not have any big shopping centers
(for those you need to go to Guilin or other cities) but instead there
are plenty of small shops selling all kinds of unique goods which are
sometimes hard to find elsewhere. As said, West Street is probably the best
destination to shop but other streets, East Street is trying hard to equal
West Street, have shops and hawker stalls too. This
page gives you an idea what you find.
Note also the tourist market at the arrival of the boat from Guilin and
at night around the entrance of the Liu Sanjie Show. Before buying
something, shop around first and become familiar with the prices offered.
The post office in Yangshuo is very effective and helpful to make sure
your souvenirs will be send home.
Paintings
There's plenty of souvenir shops but what are the interesting things to
buy in Yangshuo? A good souvenir is always a painting roll.
Paintings are an excellent thing to give away. You will find quite a few
painting shops in West Street. Popular motives are an imaginary Guilinesque
landscapes, 4 seasons, flowers, bamboo, warriors, calligraphy and other
motives. Paintings usually come on the roll but you can buy the painting
usually without a roll too.
Prices depend on size, use of colors and the painter. Although motives
are commonly used and many are made in art galleries in production line,
they are all handmade and thus unique. The price is always negotiable.
Xingping has some good quality painting shops too and the paintings can
be cheaper if you bargain hard.
Many shops also sell painting materials like pencils,
brushes, paint and some shops offer lessons in painting and calligraphy.
Handicrafts
Handicrafts in Yangshuo, yes there are plenty of shops selling
handicrafts from all over China. You will find cheap Tibetan silver, tribal
textiles, Yunnan dresses, Dong minority embroidery and much more. The Dong
Xi Fang shop in West Street is a good starting point to explore the
handicraft for sale in Yangshuo. However, check other shops too. Ask for
prices around until you roughly have an idea about the price and then
bargain.
Handicrafts for sale include masks, puppets, antiques, woodcarving and
much more
Masks and puppets
Like the paintings masks and puppets, expensive or cheap are all handmade
and all unique. Most masks are made of wood and colorful painted. Puppets
are usually dressed up in traditional costumes with embroideries. They might
be heavy but it's easy to mail them back home. The post office in Yangshuo
will help you ship them safely back home.
Antiques
Buying antiques can be a tricky business. Not all antiques are allowed to
export to your own country. Make sure if you buy antiques you are sure you
can bring it back home.
Tea, the 7 Star Teahouse
Yangshuo is a great place to pick up some local tea. The tea production
area of Yangshuo lies north of the town. Check the 7 Star Teahouse
for details to visit the plantation, get a tea ceremony course or just buy
some of their local produced teas.
You will find the 7 Star Teahouse at Die Cui Lu, from the bus station it's
the first shop on your right hand
Chopsticks
Have you learned to eat with chopsticks? West Street has a variety of
shops selling beautiful chopsticks in sets of 8 to 24 pairs.
Fans/palm fans
Most of the fans and palm fans can be found at the hawker stalls near the
Li River and exit of the boats from Guilin. Fans can be made of paper or
bamboo.
There's an easy and popular gift. Like masks and paintings it's a good
idea to send these home by mail.
T-Shirts and other clothes
West Street and New West Street have several T-shirt shops. You can let
your picture be drawn on a t-shirt or buy a t-shirt with your favorite
person or picture on it. Some shops offer shirts with calligraphy or
cartoons of famous people (or yourself, if you insist).
There are several clothes shops with trousers, shirts, ties, skirts,
dresses etc in western sizes. You might even find shoes in your size.
Outdoor materials
In West Street and Guihua Road there are a few outdoor shops. Some of the
shops are related to climbing shops and offer specific climbing materials.
Camping gear, sunglasses, even sleeping bags. You will find (copy) North
Face materials.
Pillow sheets, bags, hats etc.
You want to buy a souvenir for the folks back home but have little space
in your bags? Pillow sheets are a nice and lightweight present.
Books
Many travelers search for books. It might be a hard search in other parts
of China but in Yangshuo it's easy. Many cafe's have books to trade (usually
2 for 1) and there are several small book stores with a surprisingly
interesting 2nd hand collection.
Masks for sale in Yangshuo
Local supermarket
Yangshuo has all over plenty of local supermarkets selling local produced
goods. Here you find local tea, win, cigarettes, biscuits and much more.
I said it earlier on this page, it might be a good thing to send some of
the things you have bought back home. If there is one place in China were
the post office is used to this service, it's in Yangshuo. Don't wait until
a bigger city, Yangshuo has an excellent service and the staff speaks
English. Sending parcels home from Yangshuo is a much better and easier
option then almost anywhere else in China.
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