Shopping in Guilin
 Although
Guilin has no notable department stores, this is a good area to pick
some nice souvenirs. The area around Mopanshan Dock has a few nice
small shops selling gems and other traditional Guilin souvenirs such
as Bamboo and wooden carvings.
Guilin is an especially good place to
pick up some tasty snack food. The oranges and small kumquats around
here are very juicy and Guilin people also have a very sweet tooth so
it's worth checking out some of their delicious candy.
Yangshuo
(about 70 km from Guilin) also has some sweet little boutiques and a
great weekend market where you can pick up some nice souvenirs and
also some good quality clothing. Yangshuo painted fans are
delightfully delicate and colorful. The fans are available in various
sizes but all are made with either silk or paper with bamboo as the
fan support.
The painted
fan undergoes a series of processes including dyeing, mounting and
painting with lacquer before it is ready for retail. Local painters in
Yangshuo
particularly enjoy depicting birds, flowers, insects and traditional
Chinese girls. These fans are widely available in Yangshuo
in many of the boutiques in the village and also at the weekend
market.
It makes a
nice gift and the selection in the town is good. Make sure you bargain
hard here however, as the store and stall owners are used to ripping
foreigners off! |
