Guangzhou Grab-bag
Forget Shenzhen, Guangzhou is the new budget shopper’s haven.
Hualin Jade Plaza
➔ Between Shangxiajiu Lu and Hualin Temple, Liwan District
Walking through the winding colonial streets of the Jade Market, one can’t help but wonder how the shops, which all sell pretty much sell the same things, stay in business. The Jade Market is the oldest market in Guangzhou, chockablock with jade pendants, Buddhas, wall hangings and ornamental boxes.
A lot of it is wholesale, so the more you buy, the better deal you get.
But there are great bargains to be found; a single piece of jewelry will cost you about half of what you would pay in Hong Kong. But even if you have no interest in tracking down that unique jade cufflink box, the market is still well worth a visit for its laidback atmosphere and friendly people.
Top Tip: Jade is rated by an internationally graded system. If a jade vendor is claiming to sell type-A jade (the most valuable jade, which has not been chemically treated or had it’s natural color altered), they should be able to prove it with a certificate from an international body. But, being in China, that “certificate” may be of dubious origins.
Nanshan Tea Market
➔ Shiwei Zhong Lu Central, Central District
If you know your Ceylon from your Jasmine, the tea market is a relaxed and interesting way to while away an afternoon. And an afternoon it will be: the market is in Fancun, a fair drive from the town center. Located off the backstreets of Shiwei Zhong Lu Central, shops are lined with sacks and bicycles pull cart-loads of tea leaves. The tea is still sold from huge rope-bound chests and comes in leaf, flower and patty form. But do sniff before you buy: Some of the teas have an amazing fragrance, but others have the potent reek of cow manure, which may not appeal to non-connoisseurs. The flower, bird, and fish market are all just a short walk away too, where you can buy anything from live crickets to garden gnomes.
Top Tip: Tea harvesting usual takes place between April and October, and during this period you can find “first flush teas,” the freshly plucked leaves that are renowned for their flowery flavor.
Qingping Chinese Medicine Market
➔ Area between Qingping Lu and Tiyun Lu, Liwan District
Guangzhou is one of the leading exporters of traditional Chinese medicine, so it's no surprise that the Qingping market is gigantic, stretching on over 1km, and is full of unusual sights and smells. There are more than 2,000 stalls between Qingping Lu and Tiyun Lu, and they sell every imaginable remedy and concoction, from dog boiled in the bag to bear and tiger paws. Prior to the Sars outbreak, the place was thriving with live animals, which have since been reduced by the government. It was once bustling with live anteaters, cats, chickens and rabbits. Now you’ll find some cats, fish and the odd turtle floating sedately in a paddling pool.