Piles of office paperwork may wear them out, but that doesn't stop
trendy young women's pursuit of fashion. Fashion mavens make good use of their
time after work scurrying between the shopping malls. In Shanghai, there are
three major shopping districts for night-shoppers. Let's check them
out.
*Nanjinglu bustling shopping street
The first business street in Shanghai, the well-known Shiliyangchang
developed in the early 20th century selling imported goods, Nanjinglu has long
been China's best and busiest shopping street running from the Bund in the east
to Jingan Temple in the west. The pedestrian section connecting the Bund to the
People's Square is where Shanghai locals like to go shopping.
Don't miss the four 19th century department stores - Shanghai No.1 Department
Store, formerly Daxin; Huanlian Shopping Mall, formerly Yongan; Shanghai Fashion
Company, formerly Xianshi, and the No.1 Food Store, formerly Xinxin.
As well as these large department stores, there are small specialist shops
like Laofengxiang Gold shop, Laojiefu Silk shop, Wuliangcai Glasses shop, and
Guociqi national porcelain shop as well as plenty of restaurants.
Prices of many products are negotiable despite their price tags and tired
shoppers can ride the mini-sightseeing car circling the pedestrian street for
RMB 2.
*Sophisticated Huaihai Street
Huaihailu is as famous as Nanjinglu for its shopping. Nanjinglu may be the
symbol of Shanghai shopping but Huaihailu is more tasteful, stylish and
fashionable.
Even window shopping and strolling along Huaihailu is a pleasure. All the
stores are stylishly decorated and shoppers are greeted by well-mannered,
fashionably dressed young staff.
Huaihailu has 400 stores, and the most prosperous part is the 2.2 km street
between Shaanxilu and Xizanglu where the Pacific Department Store, Huaihai shop
and Shanghai Times Plaza are located. Famous stores include Parkson, Printemps,
Yongxin Mansion and Huating Isetan, selling top-class brands at sky-high prices.
There are also some specialty shops, such as Women's Stuff Shop, Gujin Bra Shop,
and Quanguo Tutechan selling products from all over China.
*Rising Xujiahui
Xujiahui's charm lies in its mix of stores. Dongfang Shangsha (Oriental
Mansion), Pacific Department Store, and Huijin Department Store offer top-class
brands, Liumai mainly sells averagely priced brands, and Huilian Mansion sells
cheaper products with weekend specials.
There are also plenty of trendy restaurants for hungry
shoppers at Xujiahui. On the ground floor of Ganghui Square, there is a European
style outdoor cafe strip selling fashionable food. Opposite is the Hongji
Leisure Plaza selling everything from mutton shashlik (a kind of kebab) to
Brazilian barbecues, homemade dishes and delicacies of every kind. The cafe street on
Tianyaoqiaolu specializes in household dishes.
Xujiahui also features a Catholic church, an
astronomical observatory and Shanghai's earliest library.
