Zhejiang is a coastal province in eastern China, on the southern shore of the Yangtze River Delta and the East China Sea. It is one of China's smallest provinces by land area yet one of its wealthiest and most densely populated, anchored by the historic capital Hangzhou and its famous West Lake. Zhejiang is celebrated for its canal-laced water towns, sacred Buddhist mountain of Putuo Shan, tea plantations, and a coastline scattered with thousands of islands.
Best souvenirs
Authentic items worth bringing home.
West Lake Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea
China's most famous green tea, hand-pan-fried and grown on the hillsides west of West Lake; pre-Qingming spring-harvest leaves command the highest prices
Price: CNY 100-2,000 per 100g (approx USD 14.90-298.06)
Where: Longjing Village tea houses, Hefang Street tea shops, China National Silk Museum area vendors
Hangzhou Silk
Silk scarves, qipao fabric, and embroidered goods from a city that has produced silk for over a thousand years and once anchored the eastern end of the Maritime Silk Road
Price: CNY 80-1,500 per item (approx USD 11.92-223.55)
Where: China National Silk Museum shop, Hangzhou Silk City wholesale market, Hefang Street boutiques
West Lake Folding Fans
Hand-painted silk and sandalwood folding fans made using a centuries-old Hangzhou craft technique, often decorated with West Lake landscapes or calligraphy
Price: CNY 30-400 (approx USD 4.47-59.61)
Where: Hefang Street craft shops, Zhongshan Road Historic Block
Shaoxing Rice Wine
A fermented amber rice wine from the nearby city of Shaoxing, aged in clay jars and used both for drinking and cooking across Zhejiang cuisine
Price: CNY 30-300 per bottle (approx USD 4.47-44.71)
Where: Hefang Street specialty shops, Wuzhen and Xitang water-town vendors, supermarkets
Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors
Hand-forged scissors and knives from Hangzhou's centuries-old Zhang Xiaoquan workshop, a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage craft
Price: CNY 25-200 (approx USD 3.73-29.81)
Where: Hefang Street flagship store, department stores across Hangzhou
Small Commodities and Novelty Goods
Everything from holiday decorations to jewelry, stationery, and toys, bought in bulk at Yiwu's famous wholesale halls where entire buildings specialize in a single product category
Price: CNY 1-50 per unit depending on volume (approx USD 0.15-7.45)
Where: Yiwu International Trade City districts 1-5
Longquan Celadon
Pale jade-green celadon porcelain from Longquan in southern Zhejiang, produced continuously since the Song dynasty and prized for its glaze color
Price: CNY 60-1,000 per piece (approx USD 8.94-149.03)
Where: Hefang Street ceramics shops, specialty stores in Longquan
Traditional markets
Where locals shop and travellers find treasures.
Hefang Street
Tea, silk, traditional snacks, and Hangzhou handicrafts
Where: Hangzhou - Shangcheng District, near Wushan and West Lake
Hours: Street open 24 hours; most shops daily 10AM-10PM
Wushan Night Market
Street food, inexpensive crafts, clothing, and souvenirs
Where: Hangzhou - Wushan Square, adjacent to Hefang Street
Hours: Daily approx. 5PM-11PM
China National Silk Museum Shop
Certified Hangzhou silk scarves, qipao fabric, and silk gifts
Where: Hangzhou - Yuhuangshan Road, south of West Lake
Hours: Tue-Sun 9AM-5PM, closed Monday
Longjing Village Tea Market
Farm-direct West Lake Longjing green tea
Where: Hangzhou - Longjing Village, in the hills west of West Lake
Hours: Daily approx. 8AM-6PM, extended during spring harvest
Yiwu International Trade City
World's largest wholesale market for small commodities and novelty goods
Where: Yiwu - Futian District
Hours: Daily 8:30AM-5PM; closed around 2 weeks for Chinese New Year
Hangzhou Tower (Wulin Square)
Department store fashion, cosmetics, and luxury goods
Where: Hangzhou - Wulin Square, city center
Hours: Daily 10AM-10PM
Yintai in77
International fashion brands, dining, and lifestyle stores
Where: Hangzhou - Yan'an Road / Wulin business district
Hours: Daily 10AM-10PM
Zhongshan Road Historic Block
Restored Qing and Republican-era shops selling tea, antiques, and crafts
Where: Hangzhou - Shangcheng District, near Hefang Street
Hours: Street open 24 hours; shops daily 10AM-9PM
Tianyi Square
Ningbo's largest downtown shopping and pedestrian district
Where: Ningbo - Haishu District, downtown core
Hours: Daily 10AM-10PM
Laiwaitan (Old Bund) Shops
Boutique fashion, design shops, and riverside cafes in restored 19th-century buildings
Where: Ningbo - Jiangbei District, riverside Old Bund
Hours: Daily approx. 10AM-11PM (later for bars and cafes)
Wuzhen Ancient Town Craft Shops
Blue calico (lan yin hua bu) textiles, rice wine, and canal-town handicrafts
Where: Wuzhen - East and West Scenic Zones, Tongxiang
Hours: Daily 9AM-9PM (varies by season)
Shopping districts
Neighbourhoods known for retail.
Malls & modern shopping
Air-conditioned, international brands, and food courts.
Bargaining tips
Negotiate like a local.
Bargaining is expected at open-air markets, souvenir stalls, and wholesale venues like Yiwu, but not at malls, department stores, or fixed-price silk and tea shops
Start an offer at roughly 40-50% of the asking price at tourist markets and work up gradually; wholesale vendors at Yiwu expect much larger volume discounts rather than single-item haggling
Walking away slowly is often the most effective bargaining tool; vendors frequently call out a lower price before a buyer reaches the next stall
Comparing prices at two or three neighboring stalls before committing gives a realistic sense of the going rate for tea, silk, or souvenirs
Mobile payment (Alipay or WeChat Pay) is standard even for small transactions; carrying some cash is still useful at the smallest rural stalls
Customs & restrictions
What you can and can't take home.
Vendors will often offer a small taste of Longjing tea before a purchase; accepting is normal and does not obligate a sale, Receipts (fapiao) are worth requesting for higher-value silk or jewelry purchases, both for quality assurance and in case of customs questions when leaving China, Shops in historic streets like Hefang Street often display fixed prices for standard goods but remain flexible on souvenirs and multiples, Silk quality is graded and priced by weight (momme) and thread count; asking a shop to show the certification tag is a normal and expected question