Livin’ in The Chonx

Chaotianmen Pi fa Shi Chang 朝天门批发市场
• Hours ~5 am-3 pm. Try to get there earlier, by 10 am most of the goods have already been picked over.

This is where clothing stores from all over the region come to stock up. The advantage of shopping here is that you can buy things at wholesale prices, during seasonal clearances the prices are even lower! The disadvantages are it is not a very shopper friendly environment (much less organized), there are no places to try anything on, and having a good eye for quality is a must or you run the risk of buying something that falls apart very quickly. Typically the lower floors sell clothing for middle-aged people and the higher floors cater to twenty-somethings and younger.

In all there are more than 20 wholesalers in this area. Check out this website (Chinese only) to see all of the outlets and their locations. Below is a version of their map with a few of the places labeled in English. Continue reading »

Jie Yue Jie 节约街

This open air market is located in the small streets and alleys connecting Xinhua Road and Shanxi Road. It is very much like a dollar store except spread out over several streets. This is the best place to buy cheap holiday decorations, hair accessories, cleaning supplies, Mahjong sets, and other miscellaneous junk.

Bus Tip: 交易市场(道门口) or 朝天门

Jin Hai Yang Shi Chang 金海洋市场

This wholesale market carries everything under the sun.  On the first two floors it sells clothing like many of the other markets, but as you go further up there is much more available than just clothes.  Here you can find things for around your house from cleaning supplies to ‘antique’ decorations to toothbrush holders to scented candles.  It even has a large section devoted to school supplies.

Bus Tip: 交易市场(道门口) or 朝天门 Directly in front of the Jiaoyi Shichang bus stop.

Sheng Fang Chuang Shang Yong Pin Shi Chang 省纺床上用品市场

This wholesaler sells everything you need for your bed, at much lower prices than they sell at the department stores. Sheets, pillowcases, duvets, those bamboo mats people put on their beds in the summer to stay cool, you name it they’ve got it.

Bus Tip: 交易市场(道门口) or 朝天门 Located just south of Women’s Name Brand City, along Shanxi Road.

Wai Mao Shi Chang 外贸市场

This is one of the places where you can find clothing that is made for exporting out of the country. Here you can find cheap Adidas and Nike workout gear, or shirts with Abercrombie and Calvin Klein emblazoned across them sold at local prices instead of at the huge markup overseas. The best thing about this market though is that there is actually clothes sold here made for people who weigh more than 100 pounds soaking wet.

Bus Tip: 交易市场(道门口) or 小什字 Located along Shanxi Road, south of the Da Sheng Wholesale Outlet.

Bu Liao Pi Fa Chang 布料批发场
• Hours around 4am-11am (many sellers start closing shop around 10)

Located off Shanxi Road, underneath the Silver Star Market (银星商场), is a large wholesale market that sells miles upon miles of cloth. Here you can purchase all the material you need for the tailor to make you a new set of curtains, bedsheets, or pillow cushion covers, or a new wardrobe. Cloth typically costs between 10-20 RMB/meter, but certain kinds of material or blends cost considerably more.

Bus Tip: 交易市场(道门口) or 朝天门 To find the cloth market look for the entrance to the Yin Xing Shang Chang (银星商场) Continue reading »