Shenzhen is a popular shopping area located near the Chinese border near Hong Kong. Called "Hong Kong's backyard to the motherland" by Oriental Travel, the city is known for the Lo Wu Shopping Mall, which offers bargains on designer labels as well as beauty parlors and tailors. The Lo Wu City Shopping Tour is a day tour that begins in Hong Kong and takes tourists to the shopping mall; it also takes guests to the Meridian View Centre, the highest spot in the city affording panoramic views, the Green Great Wall Mangrove, an important ecological site, and a hand-crafted arts and crafts souvenir shop.
The two major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai offer lots of opportunities for shopping. According to Getaways for Girls, the city of Beijing has been the country's "cultural heart" for centuries; Shanghai used to be known as the "Paris of the East" for its unique east-meets-west culture. Getaways for Girls offers an eleven-day tour of both cities which includes shopping as well as sightseeing at major attractions such as the Great Wall. Shopping spots include a fabrics market and antiques market in Shanghai and the silk market of Beijing. Tour Beijing offers a Beijing Handcrafts Shopping Tour with Factory Visits, a day tour on which people can purchase jade, silk, carpets and a variety of handcrafts.
According to Frommers, before they go bargain shopping in China, tourists should be aware that pirated goods--such as purses and watches--are illegal in the United States. One-day or two-day tours will mostly likely include the cost of a group visa, so that participants don't have to worry about getting individual visas for visiting China.
According to Frommers, tours can be booked up to the day preceding the departure date, but there will usually be an extra charge if the booking occurs after 11:30 a.m., as the tour group will be required to rush-order an individual visa. For longer shopping tours, an individual visa will be required, which can be ordered through a travel agency or hotel.
