What to Buy in Shanghai (2026): 10 Must-Buy Items & Where to Buy Them
old-brand snacks, qipao tailoring and art-deco elegance
Shanghai's shopping identity is a mix of 1930s glamour and everyday old-brand practicality. The city produced China's first wave of national consumer brands — candies, cosmetics, silk — and many are still sold in their original packaging, which is half the charm.
Two purchases are genuinely Shanghai-only experiences: getting a qipao tailored to your measurements, and digging through the fabric markets where local tailors source their silk. Food gifts, meanwhile, are easy — the old-brand snacks are sold on every main shopping street.
Prices below are rough starting points. In fabric markets and bazaar stalls, bargaining is normal; in department stores and brand flagships, prices are fixed.
Top 10 Must-Buy in Shanghai
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1
White Rabbit Milk Candy (大白兔奶糖)
The creamy milk candy in the blue-white-red wrapper is Shanghai's most famous edible export, made since the 1940s. Gift tins and variety packs are sold everywhere, and the flavor range has expanded well beyond the original. Light, cheap, and universally loved.
Price hint: from ~¥20 / bag
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2
Custom Qipao Tailoring (旗袍定制)
A made-to-measure qipao from a Shanghai tailor is the definitive wearable souvenir — measured, cut, and fitted to your body, usually within a few days. Bring a reference photo of the style you want and budget for at least one fitting. The South Bund fabric market area has the highest concentration of tailors.
Price hint: from ~¥500
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3
Pechoin Cosmetics (百雀羚)
Founded in Shanghai in 1931, Pechoin is China's heritage skincare brand, famous for its herbal-ingredient creams in retro tins. The classic cold cream and newer gift sets are inexpensive, practical, and look great. Sold in department stores and old-brand shops citywide.
Price hint: from ~¥50
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4
Gu Embroidery (顾绣)
Shanghai's celebrated embroidery style, known for painterly detail that mimics ink-wash landscapes and portraits. Small framed pieces and embroidered accessories make refined gifts. Buy from reputable craft shops — fine hand embroidery is labor-intensive and suspiciously cheap pieces are machine-made.
Price hint: from ~¥200 / small piece
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5
Pear Syrup Candy (梨膏糖)
A traditional throat-soothing candy made from pear syrup and herbs, sold in Shanghai's old town for over a century. The tins are charmingly old-fashioned and the candy itself is a genuinely useful travel item. A classic Yuyuan-area purchase.
Price hint: from ~¥15 / tin
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6
Nanxiang Pastry Gift Box (南翔糕点礼盒)
Nanxiang is the town famous for Shanghai's soup dumplings, and its pastry brands sell elegant gift boxes of traditional sweets — sesame cakes, green-bean cakes, and eight-treasure rice pudding mixes. A step up from generic snacks, with real local roots.
Price hint: from ~¥40 / box
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7
Jade Jewelry (玉饰)
Shanghai has long been a center for jade trading and carving, and the jewelry streets near the old town sell everything from simple bangles to carved pendants. Stick to established shops with certificates for anything expensive; small pendants and beads are safe, affordable picks.
Price hint: from ~¥200
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8
Shanghai Silk Scarf (上海丝绸围巾)
Shanghai's silk industry dates back a century, and silk scarves remain one of the city's most reliable gifts — light, packable, and available in both traditional and modern prints. Department stores carry the heritage brands; fabric markets offer wider choice at negotiable prices.
Price hint: from ~¥100
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9
Shanghai Snack Gift Box (上海小吃礼盒)
Assorted boxes of Shanghai-style snacks — pork-floss pastries, crab-shell pastries, and glutinous rice treats — from old bakeries. They're the edible equivalent of a postcard: inexpensive, shareable, and unmistakably local.
Price hint: from ~¥35 / box
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10
Silk Pajamas (丝绸睡衣)
Shanghai-made mulberry-silk pajamas and robes are a longtime expat favorite — far cheaper here than equivalent silk sleepwear abroad. Sizes run small by Western standards, so try before you buy or size up. A luxurious-feeling gift at a mid-range price.
Price hint: from ~¥300 / set
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Where to Buy in Shanghai
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street (南京路步行街)
Nanjing Rd, Huangpu District, Shanghai
China's most famous shopping street, with flagship stores of century-old brands for candy, cosmetics, silk, and watches. Start here for one-stop old-brand shopping.
Yuyuan Garden Bazaar (豫园商城)
Yuyuan area, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Ming-dynasty-style bazaar around the famous garden — the densest cluster of souvenir shops, snack stalls, jade sellers, and tea houses in the city.
Tianzifang (田子坊)
Taikang Rd, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Shikumen lane turned arts-and-crafts enclave, full of independent design shops, studios, and small galleries. Best for original, non-mass-produced items.
Xintiandi (新天地)
Xintiandi area, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Upscale restored shikumen district with designer boutiques and lifestyle stores — pricier, but good for high-end Chinese design gifts.
Huaihai Road (淮海路)
Huaihai Rd, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Shanghai's elegant mid-range shopping boulevard, with department stores carrying domestic heritage brands in cosmetics, silk, and fashion.
South Bund Fabric Market (南外滩轻纺面料市场)
South Bund area, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Multi-floor fabric and tailoring market where locals get qipao and suits made. Bring a photo reference, expect a fitting, and bargain politely.
Shanghai Old Street (上海老街)
Fangbang Rd, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Historic street near Yuyuan with traditional shops selling tea, calligraphy supplies, folk crafts, and old-brand snacks at calmer prices than the main bazaar.