Shopping A-Z

The stores listed here are just a few of the thousands upon thousands in the SAR. For more detailed listings, see the booklet A Guide to Quality Shops, which lists shops that are members of the HKTB, or check the website www.discoverhongkong.com/qts. You might also want to look at Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai & Beijing.

Antiques & Collectibles

Several of the Chinese-product emporiums also stock antiques, especially porcelain. Additionally, some hotel shopping arcades have shops specializing in antiques. Antiques buffs should also inquire at HKTB whether international auctioneers Christie's or Sotheby's are holding one of their regular sales for antiques in Hong Kong.

The most famous area for antiques and chinoiserie, however, is around Hollywood Road and Cat Street, both above the Central District on Hong Kong Island. This area gained fame in the 1950s following the 1949 revolution in China (which flooded the market with family possessions). Hollywood Road twists along for a little more than .8km ( 1/2 mile), with shops selling original and reproduction Qing and Ming dynasty Chinese furniture, original prints, scrolls, porcelain, clay figurines, silver, and rosewood and black-wood furniture, as well as fakes and curios. Near the western end is Upper Lascar Row, popularly known as Cat Street, where sidewalk vendors sell snuff bottles, curios, and odds and ends, as well as reproductions. At the eastern end of Hollywood Road, near Pottinger Street, is a cluster of chic antiques shops displaying furniture and blue-and-white porcelain, including goods from neighboring Asian countries such as Korean chests and Japanese hibachi. If you're a real antiques collector, I suggest you simply walk through the dozens of shops on and around Hollywood Road. Most are open daily from 10am to 6pm.

Another good stamping ground is Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St., Ap Lei Chau, an island connected to Aberdeen by bridge. This huge warehouse has more than a dozen shops selling antiques (take bus no. M590 from Exchange Square in Central to Ap Lei Chau).

If you cannot tell the difference between originals and reproductions, you're better off shopping at one of the HKTB member stores, which display HKTB's gold circle and calligraphy logo. Be sure to ask whether an antique has been repaired or restored, as this can affect its value. If the piece is quite expensive, ask that it be tested. (The most important rule is to shop with reputable dealers when buying expensive pieces. And make sure that if the test turns out negative, the shop will pay for the test. As you can see, this process takes time, money, and effort.) Wood, for example, can be tested using carbon-14 dating, while ceramics can be tested with the Oxford Test. The authenticity of bronze, jade, glass, and stone can also be determined through testing. If you're purchasing anything more than 100 years old, request a Certificate of Antiquity detailing its age and origin, along with a receipt detailing your purchase. Although it's illegal to smuggle antiques out of mainland China, many smuggled items do in fact end up in Hong Kong, where it is legal to then sell, buy, and own them. Needless to say, this has caused friction between China and Hong Kong, especially when international auction houses have sold well-documented smuggled Chinese antiques.

Art Galleries

Several Hong Kong art galleries specialize in contemporary art from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Carpets

Hong Kong is a good place to shop for Chinese, Indian, Persian, and other types of carpets and rugs. Additionally, the locally made Tai Ping carpets are famous the world over, produced with virgin wool imported from New Zealand.

For imported carpets from India and the Middle East, there are several shops along the Hollywood Road and Wyndham Street areas in Central. For hand-knotted wool or silk Chinese carpets, be sure to check out the Chinese craft emporiums.

The Chinese Carpet Centre, in Shop LO21 on the ground floor of the New World Centre at 18-24 Salisbury Rd., Sim Sha Tsui (tel. 852/2730 7230; www.cccrugs.com.hk; MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui), stocks more than 100,000 Chinese carpets, mostly handmade of silk, wool, or cotton but also machine-made acrylic, from modern to classical designs.

For Tai Ping carpets, there's a conveniently located showroom in Shop 213 of the Prince's Building, 10 Chater Rd., Central (tel. 852/2736 1773; www.taipingcarpets.com; MTR: Central). If you don't see what you like, you can have one custom-designed, specifying the color, thickness, and direction of the weave. It takes about 3 months to make a carpet; the company will ship it to you.

For one-stop shopping, head to Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing St., Ap Lei Chau, warehouse of mostly furniture and accessory shops, including more than a dozen stores selling Persian, hand-knotted Oriental, and other rugs (bus: M590 from Exchange Square in Central to Ap Lei Chau, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, near Aberdeen).

China (Porcelain)

Chinaware, a fine, translucent earthenware, was first brought from China to Europe by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Its name was subsequently shortened to "china," and Hong Kong remains one of the best places in the world to shop for both antique (mainly from the Manchu, or Qing, dynasty, 1644-1912) and contemporary Chinese porcelain. Traditional motifs include bamboo, flowers, dragons, carp, and cranes, which adorn everything from dinner plates to vases, lamps, and jars. Also popular is translucent porcelain with a rice grain design. And, of course, European and Japanese china is also available in Hong Kong, including Meissen, Wedgwood, and Noritake.

Probably the best place to begin looking for Chinese porcelain is at one of the Chinese-product stores. In addition, malls and shopping centers like Pacific Place in Admiralty, Times Square in Causeway Bay, and Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui also have porcelain shops. Nowadays, contemporary china is generally both dishwasher- and microwave-safe.

Chinese Craft Emporiums

In addition to the shops listed here, which specialize in traditional and contemporary arts, crafts, clothing, souvenirs, and gift items from China, there are several souvenir shops at Stanley Market (located in Stanley on the southern end of Hong Kong Island) that carry lacquered boxes, china, embroidered tablecloths, figurines, and other Chinese imports.

Department Stores

It will probably come as no surprise to learn that the SAR has a great many department stores. Wing On and Lane Crawford, two upmarket local chain department stores, offer a nice selection of clothing, accessories, and local and imported designer fashions, gift items, and cosmetics. Japanese department stores are also quite popular with the locals, with a couple located in Causeway Bay.

Electronics

Because there is no import duty or sales tax and because Hong Kong may offer the latest models months before they're available in other countries, shopping for electronic goods has long been a popular tourist pastime. However, prices have increased for electronic products in recent years, so if you're interested in buying a digital camera, camcorder, DVD or MP3 player, computer, mobile phone, or other electronic product, be sure to check prices at home before coming to Hong Kong to make sure that what you want to buy here is really a bargain. Then, head to Tsim Sha Tsui for the many shops along Nathan Road and surrounding streets specializing in electronics galore. Compare prices first, and to be on the safe side, shop only in stores that are members of HKTB and skip those that do not have price tags. Otherwise, you may end up buying a discontinued model at inflated prices. Fortress (www.fortress.com.hk) is a big-name chain with locations throughout Hong Kong, including major shopping malls and tourist areas. Convenient outlets are shop no. 333A, Harbour City (tel. 852/3101 9205; MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui), and Melbourne Plaza, 33 Queen's Rd. Central (tel. 852/2121 1077; MTR: Central).

For computers and software, try dedicated malls such as Star Computer City, located on the second floor of the Star House across from the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry terminal at 3 Salisbury Rd., or the In Square Computer Plaza, located on the 10th and 11th floors of the Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Rd. in Causeway Bay. In any case, whatever you buy, be sure to inspect every piece of equipment before leaving the store (do not assume what's inside a box matches the picture on the outside and check to make sure instructions are in English), make sure equipment works and that its voltage is compatible with yours at home, and obtain warranties and receipts. For computers, look for complete packages that offer computer, printer, scanner, and software at competitive prices, and be sure that the loaded software is in English.

A fun place for adventuresome shoppers is Apliu Street (beside Cheung Sha Wan Station), which functions as a street market for secondhand electronic goods and a hodgepodge of junk, including fishing poles, pots and pans, and more. The market is open weekdays from about 11am to 8pm and weekends from 11am to 11pm. You need to know your goods here, and be sure to bargain fiercely. Don't neglect the many stores behind the vendors, either, selling new and used mobile phones, watches, batteries, and more.

Megamalls & Shopping Centers

Hong Kong boasts shopping complexes that are so huge I call them "megamalls." Aside from the more convenient ones listed here, other Hong Kong megamalls include Festival Walk (located above Kowloon Tong MTR Station), the New Town Plaza in Sha Tin in the New Territories, and the Taikoo Shing City Plaza, located at the Taikoo MTR station on Hong Kong Island.

Tailors

The 24-hour suit is a thing of the past, but you can still have clothes custom-made here in a few days. Tailoring in Hong Kong really began in the 1950s, when tailor families from Shanghai fled China and set up shop in Hong Kong. Today, prices are no longer as low as they once were, but they're often about what you'd pay for a ready-made, top-quality garment back home; the difference, of course, is that a tailor-made garment should fit you perfectly. The standards of the better, established shops rival even those of London's Savile Row -- at less than half the price.

Tailors in Hong Kong will make anything you want, from business suits and evening gowns to wedding dresses, leather jackets, and monogrammed shirts. Some stores will allow you to provide your own fabric, while others require that you buy theirs. Many tailors offer a wide range of cloth from which to choose, from cotton and linen to very fine wools, cashmere, and silk. Hong Kong tailors are excellent at copying fashions, even if all you have is a picture or drawing of what you want.

On average, you should allow 3 to 5 days to have a garment custom-made, with at least two or three fittings. Be specific about what you want, such as lining, tightness of fit, buttons, and length. If you aren't satisfied during the fittings, speak up. Alterations should be included in the original price (ask about this during your first negotiations). If, in the end, you still don't like the finished product, you don't have to accept it. However, you will forfeit the deposit you are required to pay before the tailor begins working, about 50% of the total cost.

With more than 2,500 tailoring establishments in Hong Kong, it shouldn't be any problem finding one. Some of the most famous are located in hotel shopping arcades and shopping complexes, but the more upscale the location, the higher the prices. Tsim Sha Tsui abounds in tailor shops; one of the most well known is Sam's Tailor, 94 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui (tel. 852/2367 9432; www.samstailor.com; MTR: Tsim Sha Tsui), whose clients have included former U.S. president Bill Clinton and designer Armani. In any case, your best bet is to deal only with shops that are members of the HKTB, listed in the booklet A Guide to Quality Shops, mentioned earlier.

Once you've had something custom-made and your tailor has your measurements, you will more than likely be able to order additional clothing later, even after you've returned home.

Toys

Even though Hong Kong is one of the world's leading exporters of toys, they seem to be in short supply in Hong Kong itself. There is, however, an abundance of cheap plastic toys from mainland China; I've done some of my best (cheapest) shopping at Hong Kong's many outdoor markets. In addition to the shop below, the ninth floor of Times Square in Causeway Bay and Ocean Terminal of Harbour City have clothing and toy stores geared toward children.