Wangfujing Street is a shopaholic’s paradise with an assortment of little wayside shops selling souvenirs of the city, a flea market full of trinkets and high end department stores and boutiques displaying world renowned brands to choose from. Situated in the Dongcheng district of Beijing, Wangfujing Street is easily accessible and is a popular haunt among tourists as well as Chinese shoppers. This 800 meter long stretch of street in the heart of Beijing has retained its popularity as a major commercial hub from the time of the Ming Dynasty and has transformed itself into a modern-style commercial street with a touch of its rich past to jazz it up.

 

The road purely dedicated to the pleasures of the shoppers is closed down for traffic and adorned with lawns, squares, fountains, flower beds, sculptures, ornamental columns and benches from the southern end from Wangfujing Xinhua northward up to Sun Dong An Plaza to offer a luxury shopping experience. The whole street is a beehive of activity from morning till night and is the perfect place to shop, eat and even for a leisurely stroll admiring the brightly lit shops and decorations.

 

The Oriental Plaza and the Wangfujing Department Store are mainly for the big spenders with international brands such as Calvin Klein, Gucci, Ricce, Prada, Lanvin, Mondi, Yves Saint Laurent, Charles Jourdan, Nina Ricci and D’urban. The Department Store has everything from ladies wear to cosmetics including Christian Dior, Guerlain and Elizabeth Arden and accessories, men’s wear and household items as well as a coffee shop to sit and relax after a tiring day of spending. The foreign language bookstore with a history of more than 50 years is very popular among tourists for its superb collection of books covering literature, politics, history, travel, cooking and art.

 

The street offers many delicacies for food lovers. From conventional food of McDonalds and KFC, Chaunr, Tang hu lu and candied fruits to exotic snacks of scorpions on a stick, deep fried insects, snake kebobs and seahorse on a stick; the snack street of Wangfujing has it all. Though the shops close at 9 PM the hustle and bustle continues on to the night market where one can buy many types of souvenirs. Though knowledge of Chinese language will make things easier, bargaining skills are a must if you don’t want to be royally ripped off.

 

There are a number of Beijing luxury hotels to choose from to suite your needs. The Peninsula Beijing with its plush and comfortable surroundings, exquisite services and welcoming staff is a renowned 5 Star Hotel Beijing and ensures a pleasurable stay.