SHOPPING IN SHANGHAI
Xintiandi Shanghai is acknowledged as the busiest and most exciting shopping places in China. It is filled with bustling commercial streets, interesting stores and shopping centers. The shopping malls in Shanghai are regarded as most fashionable in China. Most of the shopping malls are located in busy commercial centers. From antiques to pottery, clothing to cotton goods, rugs, furniture, and jewelry, shoppers will find something for every taste in Shanghai's 24,000 stores, supplemented by shopping streets and free markets.
Patricia Marx wrote in The New Yorker, “There are markets for everything in Shanghai, including crickets...There are markets for birds, fish and flowers, as well as entire street dedicated to light fixtures, buttons, adhesive tape, silk, hair products and toilets. Actually, toilets take up several streets." On the streets you can buy knock off Rolexes and Nike shoes, pirated videos, trussed pink pigs, and severed duck heads. Cabbage stores, so named because the goods “fell off a truck”, are good places to get factory rejects and overruns.
The shopping malls in Shanghai are regarded as most fashionable in China. Most of the shopping malls are located in busy commercial centers such as .XuJiaHui and Nanjing Road. XuJiaHui (Metro Lines 1, 9 and 11, XuJiaHui Station), with XuJiaHui Square as the center, boasts six large shopping malls and eight large office towers within a three-minute walk of each other. Malls and storce include Grand Gateway, Orient Shopping Center, Pacific, Shanghai LiuBai, HuiJin Department store, Metro City, Sunrise Department store and HuiLian Department store. Xujiahui is a good place to shop for electronics, computers, games and software. Bainaohui Pacific Computer Plaza and Pacific Digit Plaza are huge places clustered together in the same area with tons of stuff. West Nanjing Road (Metro Lines 2, 12 and 13, West Nanjing Road Station) is the home of Westgate Mall, Zhong Xin Tai Fu, Plaza 66 and Jiu Guang Sogo Department. It is regarded as a high-end shopping area with mainly with well-known international brands. There are also many restaurants and entertainment places.
Shopping Web Sites: Enter Shanghai ; Travel China Guide
Shopping Areas in Shanghai
Yuyuan Garden The major shopping areas in Shanghai are: 1) Nanjing Road, including a long pedestrian-only zone; 2) Huahai Road; Zhonglu, a shopping area with a number of designer shops; 3) Ruijin Lu, the home of the InterContinental Shanghai Ruijin hotel and other luxury hotels; 4) Sichuan Road; 5) People’ Square, on and around which are Raffles’ City, Shanghai No.1 Department Store and Shanghai New World Department Store. 6) The Friendship Store used to stand out because it was one of the few places in China where you could buy foreign goods. Now it resembles a multi-story Wal-Mart. It is said to be a good place to buy silk pajamas and fake jade jewelry.
French Concession area (Metro Lines 10 or 13, Xintiandi Station) is home to upscale boutiques and antique shops. The meandering lanes off Taikand Road are filled with interesting galleries and trendy shops. Some shops are owned by up and coming designers. Some feature exotic fabrics and embroidery. Others have hip T-shirts. Getting There: Alternative Metro: Metro Line 13, Middle Huaihai Road Station; Metro Lines 1, 9, or 11, Xujiahui Station.
New Shanghai Commercial Center (Zhangyang Rd., (Metro Line 2, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum station) is located in Pudong Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. It is one of the biggest commercial projects in Shanghai and the biggest modern commercial center in Asia, with extensive shopping, dining, entertainment and work places.
Huaihai Road is Shanghai's equivalent of Fifth Avenue. Here there are rows of bridal salons with gaudy display windows. It contains a Starbucks, a stained glass martini bar, a multiplex cinema and dozens of upscale restaurants. There are several other shopping malls including Shanghai Times Square, which houses a Gucci, Ferragamo, and Marina Rinaldi. Huaihai Road lies at the center of Shanghai and is one of the most bustling shopping streets in the city. If you are interested in the latest fashions come here. Next Age is the largest department store in Shanghai. Owned by the Taoshan Company of Japan, it opened in 1995.
North Sichuan Road (next to Nanjing Rd. and Huaihai Rd) is the third largest commercial street in Shanghai. The road was among the first ones built after Shanghai became an open port in history. The 3.7-km long street runs from south to north in Hongkou District by Suzhou Creek.
XuJiaHui (Metro Lines 1, 9 and 11, XuJiaHui Station), with XuJiaHui Square as the center, boasts six large shopping malls and eight large office towers within a three-minute walk of each other. Malls and storce include Grand Gateway, Orient Shopping Center, Pacific, Shanghai LiuBai, HuiJin Department store, Pacific Digital Plaza, Metro City, Sunrise Department store and HuiLian Department store. Xujiahui is a good place to shop for electronics, computers, games and software. Bainaohui Pacific Computer Plaza and Pacific Digit Plaza are huge places clustered together in the same area with tons of stuff.
Bund Area
Situated on the Huangpu River and running from Suzhou Creek to Shanghai Harbour Passenger Terminal, the Bund is one of Asia's most famous streets. Described by one travel writer as Trafalgar Square without Nelson and the pigeons, its known for its monumental European-style buildings built mostly in the 1920s and carefully renovated and preserved. Showcasing architectural styles ranging from neo-classical to imitation Renaissance, the buildings have massive pillars, domes, heavy facades, and clock towers. Among the most well-known ones are the sumptuous Headquarters of the Municipal People's Government, the former Bank of Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Clock Tower and the Friendship Store.
Bund 18 (Metro Lines 2 and 10, East Nanjing Road Station, 10 minute walk) was the headquarters of the Standards Bank in China. Today after several years’ renovation, it becomes one of the famous places for dining, entertainment and meeting. On the first and second floors there are brand fashion shops, as well as accessories and jewelry shops. The headquarters of Zegna is on the third floor. The Creative Center on the 4th floor provides a platform for creativity and art to interact and integrate. Restaurants and Bar on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors offer Chinese and western food. Website: bund18.com
Bund 3 (Metro Lines 2 and 10, East Nanjing Road Station, 15 minute walk) is a historic space on the Bund that has been transformed into Shanghai’s premier showcase for contemporary Chinese lifestyle. The ornate building was designed in Free Renaissance style by world-renowned architect Michael Graves. Featuring the best in dining, cultural events, spa treatments, and boutique shopping, it is home to 4 award-winning restaurants, including Jean Georges and Nougatine on 4th Floor, Whampoa Club on 5th Floor, New Heights on 7th Floor, while also housing HOW Boutique Wine Bar and Copula on its top floor, Space by Three private events venue and the Evian Spa by Three on 2nd Floor, the Shanghai Gallery of Art and its store on 3rd Floor, Giorgio Armani’s China flagship store, Armani/Casa, and the European luxury leather goods brand MCM on the 1st Floor. Website: threeonthebund.com
Nanjing Road
Nanjing Road (Metro Lines 2 and 10, East Nanjing Road Station) is Shanghai's busiest street and the main shopping district of China. Beginning at the Bund and heading west for eight kilometers into in the western suburbs, it runs through People’s Square, the former French Concession to Jiang'an Temple, and passes toy stores, music stores, bookstores, paper-cut stores, and artificial flower stores. Department stores selling Burberry, Bennetton and Nike items share the road with hawkers and stall owners selling bootleg CD's, boiled eggs, flowers and cheap Chinese-made merchandise. There used to be a place called the Shanghai Opera Sword and Rifle Store you could pop Colt .45s used in Cultural Revolution dramas for less than five dollars.
Nanjing Road, city's main shopping street runs east-west in city center. Traffic is often congested. Traffic jams are common. The street has two sections: 1) Nanjing Road East, in Huangpu District, linking The Bund and People's Square, including a pedestrianized section; and 2) Nanjing Road West, links People's Square and Jing'an District.
Nanjing Road is far busier than any shopping street in Beijing, and the wide selection of goods draws bureaucrats, yuppies and party members from all over China. More than a million pedestrians set foot on Nanjing Road everyday, and Sunday, the one day of the week that Shanghainese don't work, is far away the biggest shopping day. At night Nanjing Road becomes is lit up by neon-lit signs and glowing street lanterns and fills with drunks and scene-makers, yet the street remains remarkable clean thanks to a $3.50 fine for littering that has be paid on the spot. New World Department Store is a landmark on Nanjing Road. In the 10th floor os an outlet of Madame Tussad's wax museum.
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Walkway runs for 1,033 meters between the Bund and People’s Square. Famed as “No. 1 Street in China”, it has long been a fixture of Shanghai ‘s history and culture. There are more than 600 shops on both sides of the walkway, including ones that are more than 100-year old ones, and ones that have opened in past couple months. Many famous brand have stores here. There are also numerous specialty shops of different trades. At night, the whole walkway is lit up.
West Nanjing Road (Metro Lines 2, 12 and 13, West Nanjing Road Station) is the home of Westgate Mall, Zhong Xin Tai Fu, Plaza 66 and Jiu Guang Sogo Department. It is regarded as a high-end shopping area with mainly with well-known international brands. There are also many restaurants and entertainment places.
Interesting Shopping Areas and Shops in Shanghai
Fuyou Market (Metro Line 10, Yuyuan Station, corner of Henan Lu and Fangbang Lu) is a sprawling four-story arcade filled with antique shops. Items for sale include ceramic pots, wicker suitcases, hand-woven rugs, concubine's shoes, old revolutionary posters, little red books, and old comic books. The area around Fangbang Lu and Henan Lu is full of places offering kitschy items like Mao watches, old advertising posters, souvenirs and antiques.
M50 (50 Moganshan Road, Metro Line 13, Jiangning Road Station or Line 3 and 4, by Zhongtan Road Station) is an area with contemporary art galleries housed in warehouses. They include the M97 gallery specializing in photography, the ShangART Gallery. More than a hundred artists have studios that are open to the public. "M50" is short for 50 Moganshan Road). It is often compared with New York's SoHo and Beijing's 798 Art Zone. It was named among the top ten things to do in Shanghai by Time Magazine.
Tianshan Tea City (Metro Line 3, West Yan'An Road Station, ten minute walk) is a huge multi-story, temple-like complex devoted to tea. According to SmartShanghai.com: “The market hosts around 150 stalls selling thousands of varieties of leaves. Walk into almost any of these shops and soon enough you'll be sitting with a small cup, infusion after infusion being poured out for you to try. Location: 520 Zhongshan Xi Lu, near Wuyi Lu, Hongqiao area. 20 rmb taxi ride from People's Square Tel: 6233 8699 Hours Open: Everyday, 9.30am-8.30pm. Web site www.dabutong.com
Avocado Lady (Metro Line 1 and 7, Changshu Road Station, 10 minute walk) is famous among expats in Shanghai. It has a good selection of tropical fruits, cheese, olive oil, herbs, lamb, cheese, wine and of course avocados. Location: 274 Wulumuqi Lu, near Wuyuan Lu, Xuhui area Tel: 6432 7381; Hours Open: Everyday,7:00am-9:00pm. [Source: SmartShanghai.com]
Xing Guang Photography Equipment Center (Metro Line 4, Luban Road Station, five minute walk) is a six-story market with all kinds of photography stuff. The first two floors are filled with shops selling new name brand items. On the other floors you can find second hand cameras, special equipment, accessories, repair services and foreign books on photography. Location: 288 Luban Lu, near Xietu Lu, Xujiahui area, Tel: 6301 8248 Hours Open: Everyday, 10:00am-5:00pm
Neon Kids Plaza (Metro Line 1, South Huangpi Road Station, 10 minute walk) is an underground shopping area with a lot shops and stalls selling kids clothing, toys, and the like. There is a small playground. Location: 10 Pu'an Lu, near Jinling Zhong Lu, Huangpu area, Tel: 5383 6218; Hours Open: Everyday, 9:30am-8:00pm
Markets in Shanghai
Hongqiao Bird and Flower Market (Metro Line 10, Longbai Xincun 10 minute walk) offers furniture, housewares and art as wells as of flowers and birds. Hongqiao Road is famous for antiques. Wanbo Furniture & Antiques warehouses is regarded as one of the best of its kind in Asia. There are literally acres of walnut desks, cherry-wood stools and carved boxes.Dong Jia Du on Dong Jia Du Rd near Zhong Shan Road is a wholesale silk market that has lively, authentic atmosphere, A good place to get tailored clothes and brand name clothes is the South Bund Soft-Spinning Material Market on 399 Lu Jia Ban Road. Look for cheap knock-offs of designers clothes. Marx says check out Stall 237 and Stall 319. Location: 718 Hongjing Lu, near Hongsong Lu, Minhang, Tel: 5117 3882 Hours Open: Everyday,8:00am-6:00pm, credit cards not accepted.
Yanqing Lu Market (Metro Lines 1, 10 and 12, Shaanxi Nan Lu Station) is a large wet market in Old Xuhui Wet markets offer live chickens and ducks, fresh fish, meat and vegetables. They are so named because the market floors are hosed at the end of each business day. Tongchuan Aquatic Market, Shanghai's largest marine wholesale market, had about 2,000 outlets, including a “jellyfish street” lined with dozens of jellyfish shops. It closed in 2016.
Wan Shang Flower Market (Metro Line 8 and 10, Laoximen Station, 5 minute walk) is the place to go for live insects, turtles and other animals. There’s much more than flowers and plants. Location: 417 Xizang Nan Lu, near Fuxing Dong Lu, Huangpu area, Tel: 6336 3530 Hours Open: Everyday, 8.30am-6:00pm
Pudong Muslim Market (Metro Lines Lines 2, 4, 6 and 9, Century Avenue, , 20 minute walk) is less touristy than the Huxi Mosque Muslim market. It s fairy large and has traditionally been used by Uighur residents in Shanghai. Among the things you can get here are lamb dumplings, steamed pumpkin, chuanr, zhua fan, rice pilaf with fatty lamb, dried dates, raisins of various kinds, walnuts and handicrafts. Location: 375 Yuanshen Lu, near Shangcheng Lu, Pudong Hours Open: Fri, 9:00am-8:00pm. [Source: SmartShanghai.com]
Yuyuan Garden (Metro Line 10, Yuyuan Garden Station, 2 minute walk) is a fun atmospheric place to souvenir shop. Stalls sell silk ties, antique opium pipes, tea, antiques, Chinese seals, souvenirs, toys, household items, clothing, snacks, Christmas decorations and odds and ends. Location: 137 Anren Jie, near Fuyou Lu, Old Town area (Yu Garden) Tel: 6326 0830, WECHAT: yu-garden Hours Open: Everyday, 8.45am-4.15:00pm. Credit cards generally not accepted. Web site www.yugarden.com.cn/page/articleView/index.html
Speciality Streets in Shanghai
Painters' Street (Metro Line 1 and 4, Shanghai Indoor Stadium station, 10 minute walk) is a small lane in Xujiahui with ten or so stores offering a wide array of art fakes, according to Time Out Shanghai, “including homages to Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaogang and Roy Lichtenstein. Paintings start from just 80RMB for 60x40cm Vincent van Gogh paintings that look good, even if one shop owner says anyone could knock one off. Some of the most ambitious works cost tens of thousands of RMB, but you can also get paintings custom made from your own photos for 800-1,500RMB. Location: 2/F, 228 Wending Lu, near Yude Lu, Xujiahui Area, Hours Open: Everyday,9:00am-5:00pm. Near the Shanghai Museum on Jiang Yin Road there are shops that offer bulb-head goldfish and fighting crickets.
Shanghai Kaitai Glasses Wholesale Market (Metro Lines 3 and 4, Shanghai Railway Station) is the largest eyewear-themed shopping mall and one of the largest professional glasses wholesale market in China. Location: 706 Baochang Lu, near Qingyun Lu, Zhabei area, Tel: 5632 9803 Hours Open: Everyday, 8:30am-6:30pm Credit cards: Local cards accepted Web site www.kaitaiglasses.com/
International Pearl City (Metro Line 10, Longxi Road Station, 15 minute walk) Location: 3721 Hongmei Lu, near Yan'an Lu, Hongqiao area, Tel: 6262 3851 Web site www.hqpearl.com
Music Instruments Jinling Lu (Metro Line 8, Dashijie station, 5 minute walk) offers all kinds of musical instruments, but mostly pianos and drums Location: Jinling Dong Lu near Guangxi Lu, Bund Area
Cheap Goods and Fake Markets
The most famous fake market in Shanghai was the Nanjing Xi Lu market also known as Han City. It closed in 2016. Xiangyang Market was famous for its high-quality counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags, Prada backpacks, Rolex watches, Mount Blanc pens, Callaway golf clubs. More than 800 vendors crowded the five-acre market. Some payed as much as $10,000 a month for a kitchen-size space, described by some as the most expensive rents in Shanghai. After six years of operation the market was officially closed down in June 2006. The official excuse was to crackdown on piracy but the real reason many say was to allow the site to be developed. Some vendors moved to the Longhua neighborhood in southwest Shanghai. Many moved to Xintiandi.
For counterfeit goods you can also stroll along Nanjing Avenue and touts will come up to you offering goods by Gucci, Coach, Jimmy Choo and others and show small laminated cards with the items they have for sale. If you agree to go with them they will take you through a maze of alleyway to shops you would never find on your own. An area on South Shanxi is said to be the best place to get quality counterfeit goods in Shanghai. There are good buys on fake Birkin Bags and Gucci hobo bags. Among the celebrities that are said to have shopped there are Celine Dion and Yao Ming. Most hotel concierges know where it is.
According to Trip Savvy: “For the widest selection of cheap goods in the city, you should now head to the Yatai Xinyang Fashion and Gift Market, an underground mall at the Science & Technology Museum subway stop (Shanghai Metro Line 2) The maze of a market, also called APAC Plaza, is easy enough to explore, but be forewarned, all the merchandise on sale is likely fake, despite sellers' claims otherwise. For more information, read our complete guide to Yatai Xinyang market. Visit Qipu Lu, which translates to "Cheap Street," for the widest knockoff selection of sportswear and women's fashion brands. The street is crowded and sellers tend to be aggressive. For a slightly calmer shopping experience, time your visit for a weekday morning.
AP Plaza (underground in Metro Line 2, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum station) is Pudong's biggest "fake market". According to ShanghaiSmarts.com: The northern half of AP Plaza, called Xinyang, is a collection of stalls, touts, and greedy salespeople out to rip-off unsuspecting tourists with fake, Fake, FAKE goods of all stripes. As a general rule of thumb, offer 10% of the original asking price, and settle for somewhere between 10% and 30%. Bargain hard, carry cash, and be prepared to walk away from a bunch of stalls before settling on a price. Location: Inside Metro Line 2, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum station, 2000 Shiji Da Dao, near Yingchun Lu, Pudong
Qipu Lu Clothing Market (Metro Line 10 and 12, Tiantong Road Station, , 5 minute walk) is a series of malls packed with cheap clothes and some fakes. Qipu Lu means "Cheap Street.” There are many young local shoppers and aggressive touts that are particularly keen on foreigners. The clothes are very poor quality. Early weekday mornings is when the market is most manageable. Location: 168 Qipu Lu, near Henan Bei Lu, Hongkou area; Hours Open: Everyday, 9:00am-5.30pm
Clothes Markets
South Bund Fabric Market (Metro Line 4, Nanpu Bridge Station, 5 minute walk) is where you can find hundreds of tailors and seamstresses. If it is made from fabric and it can be stitched and sewn, you can either find it or have it made here. Credit cards are not accepted. Payment is mostly in cash, WeChat or Alipay/ There are ATMs there. Location: 399 Lujiabang Lu, near Nancang Jie, Expo Area. Hours Open: Everyday, 9:00am-6:00pm
Shi Liu Pu Cloth Market (Metro Line 10, Yuyuan Garden Station, 20 minute walk) is not as well known as South Bund but it also has many tailors and seamstresses that can produce most any item you want within a week. It is also a good place to buy buttons and zippers and the like. Location: 168 Dongmen Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, Old Town area (Yu Garden) Hours Open: Everyday, 10:00am-6:00pm
Qipu Lu Clothing Market (Metro Line 10 and 12, Tiantong Road Station, , 5 minute walk) is a series of malls packed with cheap clothes and some fakes. Qipu Lu means "Cheap Street.” There are many young local shoppers and aggressive touts that are particularly keen on foreigners. The clothes are very poor quality. Early weekday mornings is when the market is most manageable. Location: 168 Qipu Lu, near Henan Bei Lu, Hongkou area; Hours Open: Everyday, 9:00am-5.30pm
Leather Market (Metro Line 9, Xiaonanmen station, , 15 minute walk) Location: Penglai Lu, near Xueqian Jie, Old Town area (Yu Garden)
Xintiandi
Xintiandi (Metro Lines 10 and 13, Xintiandi station, near Xingye Road in the French Concession south of the People's Square) is a $200 million two-block, 560,000-square-foot shopping district and “entertainment environment”. Regarded as the prime party area of modern Shanghai, it opened in 2000 and it embraces restaurant, nightclubs and bars placed in renovated 1920s-era buildings with ornately carved wooden balconies and courtyards. On the weekends it draws 50,000 visitors a day.
Xintiandi means “New Heaven on Earth.” It has been one of the most fashionable shopping and entertainment areas in Shanghai for two decades and has become a model for similar development throughout China. Admired for the way it creates new spaces from old neighborhoods and incorporates traditional Chinese architecture with Western touches such as lawns and lampposts, it is owned by the Hong Kong developer Vincent Lo and was designed by American architect Ben Woods who was given the commission because he promised to save of old houses in the district rather than tear them down.
Critics of Xintiandi say it is too Disneyesque and resembles an American harbor-style development. Most of the houses were demolished and rebuilt, rather than renovated.. But locals don’t seem to care too much. They enjoy the large spaces to stroll around, and gather for ballroom dancing and listening to Canto-pop. Tourist like the clubs and outdoor cafes. The 4,500 former residences who were relocated to modern apartment buildings seem to have been fairly compensated and are happy about that.
Xintiandi is part of larger project called Taipingqiao that will cover 128 acres and contain offices, apartment blocks and a 12,000-square-meter artificial lake surrounded by parkland, Development is supposed to take place gradually over the next decade. Woods is currently designing a theater district with an artificial lake to accompany Xintiandi. Web Sites: Xintiandi site ; Trip Advisor ; Travel China Guide
Xintiandi Scene
At Xintaindi there are cafes selling French patisseries, boutiques selling hippie jewelry and candles, up market bars, cafes and restaurants and the obligatory Starbucks. Xintiandi biggest draws are its restaurants. It nightclubs and karaokes are also popular. Some karaokes have private rooms with their own private bathrooms. A museum in the complex on 75 Xingye Road covers 20th century Shanghai history. Particular attention is paid to the founding of the Communist Party 1921.
The setting is within traditional Shikumen Houses (Stone Gate houses) threaded through narrow alley ways. Although you are in the heart of the new China, the flavour is very international. David Devoss wrote in Smithsonian magazine: Formerly a two-block-long lilong, Xintiandi (New Heaven and Earth) was torn down only to be rebuilt in its 19th-century form. Now the strip’s chic restaurants such as TMSK serve Mongolian cheese with white truffle oil to well-heeled patrons amid the cyberpunk stylings of Chinese musicians. [Source: David Devoss, Smithsonian magazine, November 2011]
“Nobody arrives at Xintiandi on a Flying Pigeon, and Mao jackets have about as much appeal as whalebone corsets. “Shanghai is a melting pot of different cultures, so what sells here is different from other Chinese cities,” says fashion designer Lu Kun, a Shanghai native who numbers Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham among his clients. “No traditional cheongsams or mandarin collars here. Sexy, trendy clothes for confident, sophisticated women; that’s Shanghai chic.”
“Xia Yuqian, a 33-year-old migrant from Tianjin, says she knows “lots of Shanghainese women who save all their money to buy a [hand] bag. I think it’s strange. They want to show off to other people.” But Xia, who moved to the city in 2006 to sell French wine, also relies on Shanghai’s reputation for sophistication in her work. “When you go to other cities, they automatically think it’s a top product,” she says. “If you said you were based in Tianjin, it wouldn’t have the same impact.”
Shopping Malls in Shanghai
The shopping malls in Shanghai are regarded as most fashionable in China. Most of the shopping malls are located in busy commercial centers such as .XuJiaHui and Nanjing Road. XuJiaHui (Metro Lines 1, 9 and 11, XuJiaHui Station), with XuJiaHui Square as the center, boasts six large shopping malls and eight large office towers within a three-minute walk of each other. Malls and storce include Grand Gateway, Orient Shopping Center, Pacific, Shanghai LiuBai, HuiJin Department store, Metro City, Sunrise Department store and HuiLian Department store. Xujiahui is a good place to shop for electronics, computers, games and software. Bainaohui Pacific Computer Plaza and Pacific Digit Plaza are huge places clustered together in the same area with tons of stuff. West Nanjing Road (Metro Lines 2, 12 and 13, West Nanjing Road Station) is the home of Westgate Mall, Zhong Xin Tai Fu, Plaza 66 and Jiu Guang Sogo Department. It is regarded as a high-end shopping area with mainly with well-known international brands. There are also many restaurants and entertainment places.
Plaza 66 (Metro Lines 2, 12 and 13, West Nanjing Road Station) is five-story high end mall on Nanjing Road with Dior, Cartier, Prada," Anna Sui, Fendi, Luis Vuittan. Brooks Brothers and a LVMH “world store." In the mid 2000s, after it opened it was often empty and a rather cheerless place. Some called it a ghost mall. Prices are lower and the selection is better in Hong Kong. Today, Plaza 66 is a commercial and office complex consisting of a shopping mall and two skyscrapers. With 66 floors, Plaza 66 is the tallest building in the Puxi area of Shanghai. Several fashion brands have flagship stores here. Occasionally there are fashion shows here with famous designers and supermodels. Location: 1266 Nanjing West Road, Jing’an District, Tel: 021-62790910, Website: plaza66.com, Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Shanghai IFC Mall (Metro Line 2, Lujiazu station, Pudong) is a high-end shopping mall with numerous international brands and a wide range of luxury goods. On B2 there are lots of Japanese-style snack stands Location: 8 Century Avenue, Pudong, Shanghai,Tel: 020-20207070 Website: goshopshanghai.com Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Grand Gateway (Metro Lines 1, 9 and 11, XuJiaHui Station, Exit 19) is an office complex consisting of two skyscrapers and a mall. It is one of the most visited malls in Shanghai, particularly at night when it’s all lit up. The Grand Gateway Plaza Mall has six shopping areas, with hundreds of shops, and one basement level shopping area. This mall caters to locals and Chinese as evidenced by the mostly Chinese stores and low prices. Location: No.1 Hong Qiao Road, Xujiahui, Tel: 021-64070111, Website: grandgateway66.com , Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Super Brand Mall (Metro Line 2, Lujiazu station) is located in Pudong’s Lujiazui Area,. It is a huge shopping complex with 13 floors and hundreds of shops, 70 restaurants and cafes. It is sometimes visited by hundreds of thousands of people a day. Location: 168, Lujiazui Xi Road, Pudong, Tel: 021-68877888 Website: superbrandmall.com, Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Mei Long Zhen Iestan Shanghai (Metro Line 2, West Nanjing Road Station, 3 minutes) is a Japanese owned department store based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Location: : No.1038 West Najing Road, Tel: 021-62721111, Website: isetan.mistore.jp Hours Open: 10:00am -9:30 everyday
Shanghai Times Square (Metro Line 13, Huaihai Middle Road Station; Line 8 Dashijie station; and 1 South Huangpi Station) is comprised on a possesses of seven-storey retail mall, 30-storey office Tower and 26-storey apartment building, with more than 100 shops and restaurants. Gucci, Ferragamo, Marina Rinaldi. Versace, Verri, Coach are among the brands found here. Shanghai Times Square is famous for its New Year’s Eve celebrations. Location: 99 Middle Huaihai Road, Tel: 021-6391069 Website: shtimessquare.com Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Citic Square (Metro Line 2, West Nanjing Road Station, 5 minute walk) hosts names like Max Mara, Alfred Dunhill, Esprit, Shoe and Key Repair, and Maya Audio Video. It joins Westgate Mall and people consider them to be one gigantic shopping mall. Location: No. 1168, Nanjing West Road, Tel: 021-62180180, Website: citicsquare.com Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Hong Kong Plaza (Metro Line 1, South Huang Pi Road Station, Exit) mainly caters to medium and high-end shoppers. Location: 282 Mid-Huaihai Road ( close to Huangpo South Road), Tel: 021-63908866 Website: hk-plaza.com. ; Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Jiu Guang Department Store (Metro Lines 2, 12 and 13, West Nanjing Road Station) is a huge department store run by Kong Jiu Guang and Shanghai Jiu Bai Holding Group. Among the major brands found here are Burberry, Tiffany Agnes’B, Bally, CeLine, Calvin Klein, Dunhill, Thomas Pink, Omega, Vertu, Coach and Hugo BOSS. In the basement is a supermarket and wide selection of delicious take-away food. Location: 1618 West Nanjing Road, Tel: 021-32174838 Website: jiu-guang.com , Hours Open: 10:00am - 10:00pm everyday
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: CNTO (China National Tourist Organization), UNESCO, Wikipedia, Lonely Planet guides, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Compton's Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.
Updated in May 2020