Shopping Streets in Guangzhou

There are two major shopping areas in Guangzhou that I often frequented.  Both are quite unique and each offer a very distinctive experience. 

Beijing Road
Getting to Beijing Road: Subway Line 2 Gongyuanqian Stop Exit 2

I first visited Beijing Road for the first time on a spring day and I had thought that Beijing Road would be similar to Dongmen Pedestrian Street in Shenzhen (東門).  However, Beijing Road seemed to be a bit of an upgraded version.  There was some street food and random shops, but the majority of the street was taken up by franchised, branded stores.  This also means that it is a bit pricier than what I had expected. 

Beijing Road is also home to this cute little shop selling tea.  Once you step through the entrance, you can actually see that they have a large interior garden with a nice sitting area.  We even ended up chatting with one of the Germany families who was enjoying their tea.

Up Down Nine Street
Getting to Up Down Nine Street: Subway Line 1 Changshou Road Station Exit D2

The other Pedestrian Street I came to really like is Up Down Nine Street (上下九街).  I’m still puzzled as to where it got its name from, but I did end up frequenting Up Down Nine quite a few times during my two years in Guangzhou.  It is a very popular shopping street where the buildings use the Qilou (騎樓) architectural style, that is common in Southern China.  Qilou refers to a style where the first floor of the buildings consists of shops and restaurants and the second floor is generally the living quarters for the families that run the shops on the first floor.  The second floor is larger and extends out past the first floor, which means that the second floor provides a shield and covered walkway for the people roaming around the first floor.  This is especially useful in the summer when Guangzhou sees a great deal of rain.  You can continue shopping comfortably without getting wet.    

The unfortunate thing about Up Down Nine Street is that the closest metro station is about a 10-15 minute walk away.  There are a couple of bus stops that are closer, but not by much.  I also don’t think Up Down Nine is as big as Beijing Road, but if you’ve come to Up Down Nine, you’re probably not going to be buying the same thing as you would at Beijing Road anyways.  Up Down Nine definitely has more of a local vibe to it, and many of the shops are privately owned family businesses. 

Once you’ve made it half way down the street, you will come across this big public square that starts to look a little more commercialized. 

Overall, both shopping streets were very enjoyable.  Visit Beijing road for the larger, branded shops and visit Up Down Nine for more local souvenirs.