China is notorious to the western world for being cheap. However, away from the markets and towards the highstreet and designer brands, you will be digging deep into your pockets to spend every last yuan with the exciting colours and fabrics that are avaliable! A Beijing tour is not complete without a day at the beautiful malls and experiencing Chinese fashion at its best. Beijing is no doubt one of the up and coming fashion capitals of the world and you are constantly surrounded by beautiful girls in unique clothes complete with weird and wonderful accessories and men in stylish get-ups that will make any fashionista jealous. So hop on a Chinese flight at get your wallets and purses at the ready!

Xidan is the ultimate shopping district and home to the infamous “Joy City” where there are a variety of shops from popular Chinese brands like Fengguo.com.cn and Sanrio Vivitix (the makers of Hello Kitty) to familiar UK brands such as Oasis and an even the Arsenal football team shop! Joy City is without doubt a…joyful… place to shop. It is the place where the local fashionable Beijingers shop who want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the markets and have a bit more of a disposable income. Situated on 13 floors, this mall boasts having the largest digital cinema in China and the world’s longest escalator. To add to the fun of your shopping experience, there are mirrors bent into waves along some sides of the mall, reminiscent to that of a fun-house where your body’s image is twisted and contorted into all sorts of shapes and will leave you and your friends amused. After a couple of hours of hard shopping, it is time to visit one of the numerous food courts. A personal favourite of mine is a restaurant  “Babela’s Kitchen” where the menu is as thick as a book! They serve everything you could possibly imagine, suiting every palette  from pasta bakes to Chinese curried rice, all of it being reasonably priced and with excellent customer service. Their smoothie and Chinese tea selection are delicious.

So travel to Beijing and experience China’s elaborate shopping malls and great sense of style.