crazy shopping in guangzhou

ida and i had different objectives in going to guangzhou. i had wanted to see for myself the developments in the third largest city in china, the life and culture of the people and may be to visit some scenic spots. ida was more focussed; she was there solely to shop.

before we left for the trip, we visited betty nah to get from her a list of the 'must visit' places for shopping and eating in guangzhou. we managed to track down all the places on the list. the only place we skipped was yangji where we were told to go for massage.

of the several places recommended, liuhua garment market and the shangxia jiu lu pedestrian street stood out.

liuhua garment market is the largest indoor garment wholesale market in guangzhou. liuhua garment market, with baima market as the centre, with thousands of shops, has become the fashion wholesale centre of guangzhou.

the wholesale centre is a crazy place. some shops are so small but stacked with goods and packed with browsers that there is hardly any space to move. we got out of the baima centre after less than an hour in it.

shangxia jiu lu ("up down nine street") pedestrian street is the first commercial pedestrian street in guangzhou. there are more than 200 stores, including restaurants and teahouses, along this street. every day, from 1.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m., shangxia jiu lu is restricted to pedestrians only.

the pedestrian street is a nice place to visit in the evening. we ate wonton noodles at one of the eateries and ida bought a few items at the night market.