Special report:   2008 Olympic Games    

    BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Brand name clothes are readily available in Beijing's department stores, and they can be as expensive as anywhere in the world. But here is a guide to finding cheap clothes in less visible places on the city tourist map.

    BEIJING ZOO AREA

    If you are looking for bargains, the top choice is the clothing wholesale market near the Beijing Zoo, or Dong Wu Yuan in Chinese.

    The market, said to be the largest in north China, has a huge variety of clothes. You should be able to get most tee-shits, skirts, shirts, and pants at around 100 yuan (14 U.S. dollars) or less with skilful bargaining.

    Those interested should beware that it is not going to be like shopping in a mall. It might be crowded in a way that is beyond your imagination. There are throngs of people almost every day, and more on weekends and during public holidays.

    The market is easy to find. It is on the southwest corner of Xizhimen, a bit outside the western Second Ring Road. Also remember that credit cards are not accepted, so you need to bring cash.

    You can get there by taking the subway Line 2 and get off at Xizhimen.

    Similar markets can also be found elsewhere. If you take the subway Line 2 to south of Xizhimen, you will find another two markets near the stations of Chegongzhuang and Fuchengmen.

    The Guanyuan Market and the Wantong Market offer more than clothes, with almost everything needed for daily life from kitchenware to bed clothes, as well as ornaments like cheap earrings.

    To the north, the Wudaokou market near the prestigious Tsinghua University is frequented by students looking for bargain clothes in South Korean or Japanese styles. The clothes stores are clustered around the Wudaokou subway station connected by Line 13.

    DOWNTOWN XIDAN

    Xidan is a busy commercial area only one stops west of Tian'anmen West station on subway line 1. As you walk from the subway station north up to the main street, you will be confronted with a line of clothing stores which have loud sales people trying to draw in passers by.

    These clothing stores usually have the mid-range Chinese and Hong Kong brands, and their goods can be quite cheap if bought at a discount. Almost every clothing shop has something on sale each day.

    But if you are looking for even cheaper rags, go to the mall directly behind these stores. The bottom floor of the mall is filled with very cheap clothes, but the upper floors offer cheap bargain able clothes of better quality.

    On the upper floors of the main Xidan Market, or Xidan Shang Chang, you can find a young women's fashion accessory bazaar, with earrings, belts, sunglasses, necklaces and watches on offer. Bargaining is essential.

    XIUSHUI MARKET OR SILK STREET

    In 2005, the Xiushui market moved from its long open alley into a shiny new five-story shopping mall. It is located on Chang An Avenue near the Yong An Li station on subway Line 1. You can walk directly from the subway into the mall via an underground passageway.

    Most of the store assistants have good language skills and a good sense of customer service. However, some can be rude if you haggle too much over prices and then leave without buying anything. Bargaining is still essential here.

    Items on offer include jeans, trousers, jackets, shirts, shoes, Chinese souvenirs, Chinese rugs and carpets, golf equipment, pearls, watches, sunglasses, silk and Chinese paintings. Prices are generally reasonable. But if you are a skilled bargainer, you might get things incredibly cheap.     

    HONGQIAO MARKET

    Hongqiao Market is in the south central area of Beijing, just opposite the east gate of the Temple of Heaven, on Subway Line 5.

    It is an indoor mall best known for pearl jewellery, but you can also find clothes, shoes, sunglasses, scarves, souvenirs, and electronic goods such as portable CD and DVD players, camcorders and batteries.

    The items for sale are hardly brand names, tending to be from "no-name" Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai companies. However, it does have jewellery made by Chinese brand name companies on the fourth floor.

    They are more expensive than the cheap pearl jewellery available on the third floor, but are of better quality. Compared with Western brand names, they are still cheap.