Chengdu as a gateway to Tibet and the start of the Silk Road, it is an important center for commerce and trade.  Chengdu City is a city with a good selection of souvenirs and things to buy.  Shu Brocade is an example of exquisite workmanship and detail.  Equally impressive are the beautiful Silverware pieces and Qingcheng Silk Tapestries.

Street Market
Location: beside the Jin Jiang Hotel and the Minshan Hotel.
It is a great atmospheric market selling all kinds of weird and wonderful goods and the best place to pick up all these souvenirs at the evening here.

Chaotang Bei Lu Market
Location: in the west of the city.
It is an interesting antiques market.  Don't forget to bargain at both of these places as traders and store.  The owners are used to seeing foreign faces and ripping them off!

The Chengdu Lacquer Craft Factory  
Location: at No 81 Jinghejie, Chengdu.
Chengdu is one of the major producers of lacquer ware.  The Chinese assign name to different types of lacquer-ware according to the method of production. Many different types of lacquer product are produced in Chengdu including wall decorations and screens.  Some pieces are covered with flax, paper or plastic before they are painted to avoid the wood rotting.  The main factory producing these exquisite pieces is located here.

Qing Shi Qiao Art, Flower and Pet Market
Location: Xinkai Jie and Nanfu Jie Street.  Close to the city center.  With Mao's statue and Tianfu Square at your back, head south on Renmin Lu.  You will soon turn left onto Xinguanghua Jie and then bear right onto Jinxing Lu.  The walk should be less than 15 minutes from Tianfu Square.

Qing Shi Qiao market offers an unusual mixture of goods.  The middle of Xinkai Jie is home to a two-storey art market featuring a variety of wood, stone, porcelain crafts and sculpture, calligraphy and landscape paintings, jade stamps, and Buddha figures. There are a number of flower shops along Xinkai Jie, including some selling cacti.  Once you turn left onto Nanfu Jie, you will reach another row of small tree, lawnmower, and garden shops followed by a jam-packed, flower market at the end of the street.

Puppies, kittens, hamsters, rabbits, gerbils, turtles, and a wide assortment of fish are available in the pet and pet supply shops here.

Songxianqiao Art City
Location: The market is located just west of the 1st ring road on the corner of Qingyang Shangjie and Kuanhua Beilu.  Hop off bus 17, 19, 35, 47 or 309 soon after you cross the large 1st ring road.  The bus stop is just past the market, so walk back east maybe 100 meters from the bus stop.  Traveling by taxi from the center of town should be less than RMB12.

It is an expensive market obviously trying to milk a foreigner.  There is an interesting selection of Mao Zedong memorabilia to go along with the predictable items such as jade jewelry and stamps, Buddha statues, animal figures of all kinds, calligraphic wall hangings, tea sets and loads of pottery.  Be patient as the rows of shops and small stalls, all of which sell relatively similar items, keep bending away from the parking lot.  With patience and persistence, anyone should be able to find a deal they are satisfied with.

Women's Market
Location: It is located in the Central Business District, intersection of DaYeJie & ShangDongDaJie. The market is within a few minutes walk from Tianfu Square, which is across the street from Ran Fang Jie and close to ChunXi Lu.

Any kind of clothing accessories, jewelries or styles of young women's fashion can be found here.  The market is a two-floor maze of tiny wall stalls and little shops. Don't forget to bargain hard before you buy something from here.

Sabrina's Country Store - Western Groceries
Location: It is located at No. 54 Kehua Beilu, across from Sichuan Univ. west gate.
Sabrina's is located on Kehua Beilu across the street from Sichuan University's west gate and Peter's Tex-Mex Grill - just before the intersection with the American consulate road.  Bus nos. 6, 49, 55 and 110 pass by the restaurant on Kehua Beilu.

Sabrina's Country Store is likely essential to any expatriates living in Chengdu, especially families with children.  Foreigners who love to cook should definitely stop by Sabrina's for its selection of cooking ingredients and spices - items that are extremely difficult to find in China.

Ran Fang Jie Street Market
Location: The market is incredibly close to Tianfu Square.  Walk straight south from Tianfu square and stay on the left side.  You will soon see a market down to your left on a pedestrian street called Ran Fang Jie, just a few meters from the square. That is the west entrance.

Most of the goods here are geared towards females, but men can still find something to shop for here.

He Hua Chi Wholesale Market
Location: On the south side of the North Railway Station.
He Hua Chi Wholesale Market is a very big market.  The bulk of the stores are on the east side of Renmin Beilu.  A few buildings are full of clothing and shoe shops and a number of winding covered markets offer every kind of clothing, house-ware, home furnishing, and traditional Chinese souvenir imaginable. 

Cell Phone Street
Location: Tidujie Street. Walk east along Renmindonglu from Tianfu Square and you will soon make a left on Shunchengjie. Pass the Dynasty Hotel and then make a right onto Tidujie Street. 

In the department store on the south side of the street, competition between shops is so intense that prices for new cell phones are as low as possible.  Second hand phones are available for purchase on the north side of the street.  Remember to bargain here.

Computer City & Shu Ma Guang Chang Square
Location: Renmin Nanlu & the South 1st Ring Road.  It is located at the junction of the south 1st ring road and Renmin Nanlu and on the southeast corner.  It takes about 30 minutes to walk straight down Renmin Lu from Tianfu Square and arrive at the electronics super store.

At either end of the street, there are large electronics department stores selling absolutely everything from computers, cameras, and cell phones. All along the street in between the large department stores are smaller shops specializing in different aspects of electronics.

With intense competition, the Shu Ma department store is a good place to shop around for good deals on all kinds of electronics.  The first two floors are selling computers, laptops, hard drives, and cell phones. The 3rd floor features cameras, while the 4th floor is the best place in town to shop for cheap DVDs.