Shopping

Markets and neighbourhoods worth wandering

The half of Shenzhen that does not photograph well, and by far the most interesting to walk. Weekday mornings wherever you can, and expect to negotiate.

• 华
  Huaqiangbei华强北

  Futian · Its own metro station · Electronics, floor after floor · Wholesale-shaped, not retail-shaped
  Details & planning

  Administratively this is Futian; it feels like a different city. Towers of components, tools, repair benches and finished goods, priced by negotiation and arranged for people who already know what they want. Go with a list and a budget; the detail is in the Huaqiangbei guide.

• 东
  Dongmen东门

  Luohu · Laojie (Lines 1, 3) · Weekday morning, never a weekend afternoon
  Details & planning

  The old market quarter — pedestrianised streets, department stores, clothing stalls, phone accessories, tailors and snack lanes. The opening quote to an obvious foreigner sits well above what the seller will accept: counter low, be pleasant, be ready to walk. Counterfeits are common near the port.

• 湖
  Hubei old village湖贝

  Luohu · Ancestral hall and a grid of lanes · Changes every few months
  Details & planning

  The Zhang clan village Luohu grew around, older than everything else in the city by centuries. Redevelopment has been publicly contested for years; the approved scheme keeps part of the old core while towers rise around the rest. Go while it is there.

• 水
  Shuibei水贝

  Luohu · Line 3 · Gold and jewellery wholesale · An interesting hour even if you buy nothing
  Details & planning

  One of China’s largest gold and jewellery clusters: floors of wholesale counters pricing off the day’s gold rate plus a workmanship charge rather than a retail markup. Ask for the certificate and the per-gram breakdown before you pay.

• 深
  UpperHills深业上城

  Futian · No station directly underneath — check the walking route · LOFT level for eating
  Details & planning

  On the eastern edge of the CBD against Bijiashan Park, and where I send people who find Futian sterile. The lower LOFT level is a lane of small restaurants and bars; the towers above hold a hotel and several serious kitchens.

• 万
  MixC World万象天地

  Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan · Open-air street format · Best on a warm evening
  Details & planning

  Nanshan eating is mall eating and the malls are good; this is the pleasant one to walk, laid out as an open-air street rather than a sealed box. Search the Chinese name in Dianping or Amap — English names send you to the wrong branch.