Where to Buy Traditional Chinese items and gifts? Here’s a few places in Shenzhen

Being such a new city, in Chinese terms at least, Shenzhen doesn’t have the ancient historic sites that other cities do. Shenzhen is very modern, everything is new including the skill sets of the workers along with the sectors that industry and retailing are involved in. You could easily find a locally made fully featured smart phone here, but good luck trying to find a pair of Baoding Balls or a Chinese fan!

If you are only visiting Shenzhen on your trip to China you’re probably going to want to find some traditional Chinese items to take home as gifts and momentos.

Here is a few places where you can find some:

Shenzhen Hongkai Crafts Market (Shenzhen Hongji Craft Market) which is located within the Dongmen market area. It has an entry on 1 Lixin Road. It has 4 floors of jade crafts, crystal products, antiques and paintings, old posters, old Chinese coins and collectibles, calligraphy brush sets, tea and the classic Chinese tea sets in all shapes and forms. Hunt around in here and you are sure to bag a collecting of gifts and traditional wares. I think there is another couple of craft markets nearby, but I have not been inside for a look at them. Map

Dafen Oil Painting Village which is now accessable via the Longgang Metro line offers a huge area packed with artisans. Here you can find plenty of the Chinese scrolls and landscape paintings.   Map

Luohu Commercial City – You’ll probably end up visiting this place anyway! Check out the lower floors near the way out to the buses and there is a few other shops located on the upper floors selling all sorts of traditional Chinese craft. There was a couple of stalls selling chop sticks with table cloths in a set, Chinese fans and the like. I even found one stall selling Chinese dolls. One of the higher floors also has craftsmen working on the spot, they are located near the center railing so you shouldn’t miss them. Watch the prices, one time a lady in a stall quoted 600RMB for a set of average looking chopsticks, I went to supermarket and bought some for 20RMB. You’ll also find stalls selling traditional Chinese dresses and suits and there’s plenty of tailors nearby to fit them up. Bargain hard if you find something you like! More about Luohu Commercial City – at the Luohu Border which doesn’t show clearly on Google maps.

Mingxiang Chaye Market – located in Nanshan near to Book City. This building is all about tea, it has a couple of floors of people selling all types of tea, tea drinking tables and tea cups, tea pots etc.. The stuff looks really nice, but I never checked out the prices. Map . Also, in the Book City building beside the McDonalds there is a cluster of shops selling paintings and old traditional Chinese fare. Also further down the pedestrian path towards Coastal City there is a shop selling very beautiful chopstick sets that make great gifts – Its near the elevator which goes up to the elevated tube style bridge, there is also an antique furniture store above it – rough map location

Sungang Arts and Crafts city – didn’t see much in the way of trinkity items like chopsticks, fans etc. but there where plenty of larger pieces of craft work. Map

Shenzhen Curio World or Curio City or Antique City – I havent been there yet, so cant say much, but it’s got the right name/s that might make it worth a look. Not sure about this map either- Map

Will add more as discovered. If you know of any places, feel free to post them in the comments section below