A British shopping mecca thrives on Chinese spenders

When I learned about an ongoing British tourism promotion to invite Chinese travelers to name their favorite places on social media, I thought about things that might not be on the official list but yet are as appealing as Big Ben or Buckingham Palace.

One of them is the Bicester Village, the shopping mecca near Oxford that is besieged every day from morning until late evening by busloads of Chinese tourists who leave laden with shopping bags. A visit to the market is usually preceded by a perfunctory stroll around the colleges of the world-famous University of Oxford.

But many know their hearts are really in the numerous outlet boutiques of the world's leading fashion brands that are sold at a discounted price. They have probably scrimped on flight tickets, hotel rates and eaten lots of cheap zha yu shu tiao or fish and chips to save for the big day.