Shanghai has been famed as "the Shopping Paradise" and "the Oriental Paris in history. Visitors come to Shanghai with a purpose of appreciating the beautiful urban scenery, as well as shopping in its various kinds of shops and stores. Nanjing Road, Chinas No.1 Commercial Street, is a must for all visitors; Huaihai Road, an elegant and cultural commercial street, attracts thousands of young people who search for the latest fashion trends, and Sichuan Road, a popular commercial street, is specially favored by the working classes.

In addition, the modern Xujiahui Commercial Town, the traditional Yu Yuan Bazaar, the Kerry Ever Bright City near the exit of the Shanghai Railroad Station are all prime locations for avid shoppers.

Special shopping streets and markets are also found in Shanghai, such as the cultural street Fuzhou Road, where book stores are closely lined one after the other, including the famous Shanghai Book Town, Science and Technology Book Shop, Ancient Book Shop, etc.

Hundred-year-old stores and shops that sell local special products and are well-known at home and abroad can be found in good locations. The long-famed Beijing Da Ren Tang Chinese Medicine Store, Yellow-Star Fan Shop, Hengdali Watch & Clock Co. can all be easily found in Shanghai.

Wise buys
After eating and drinking, shopping is likely to occupy most of your free time in Shanghai. The citys new malls, its chaotic open-air markets and trendy boutiques are thriving as never before. The most interesting shops are in the French concession. For luxury brands, go to Xintiandi or the glitzy malls on Nanjing Road. For quirkier items, and antiques, your best bet is the old town around Fangbang Lu.

An astonishing amount of fake goods, designer copies and bootleg DVDs fill Shanghais market stalls. As well as being illegal, much of the quality is dismal. Electronic goods are not as cheap as you might expect (and prices of international brands are high), but digital cameras and the like are still three-quarters the price you would pay in the West.

Art and antiques

Dongtai Rd Antique Market
Junction South Xizang Rd
Metr South Huangpi Rd
Open: daily, 9am-6pm
Sprawling across Dong Tai and Liu He Kou roads (near Xintiandi), this outdoor market might overflow with fakes (some say less than 5% of the items are genuine), but it¡¯s a fun place to browse and rummage. Behind each stall is a larger shop with pricier items displayed under counters. Interesting buys include embroidered slippers for bound feet, Communist-era posters, Maoist memorabilia and black-and-white photos of old Shanghai. Take a look inside Chine Antiques, 38 Liu He Kou Lu, for beautifully restored Qing Dynasty wooden furniture.

Shanghai Antique & Curio Store
196-246 Guangdong Rd
Metr Middle Henan Rd
Tel: +86 (0)21 6321 4697, ext. 301
Open: daily, 9am-5pm
This state-run establishment should be on every antique-lovers itinerary. Pieces judged not good enough for the Shanghai Museum end up here. Jade, porcelain, metal and woodwork, and painting and calligraphy all feature and every piece carries a stamp of authenticity. Prices aren¡¯t too frightening; a 200-year-old porcelain vase might start at 2,000 yuan. Note that visitors cannot export items over 200 years old. Ask for Young Du, the shop¡¯s only English-speaker. The shop is near the Bund (opposite the Westin Hotel).

Fuyou Rd Antique Market
457 Fangbang Rd (junction with Henan Rd)
Metr Middle Henan Rd, and a 25-minute walk
Open: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 5am-5pm
Locals and tourists alike scavenge for every imaginable imitation antique at this chaotic four-floor warehouse. For cheap souvenirs, its hard to beat the red and black enamel boxes, laughing Buddhas, and mock-Tibetan jewellery. A permanent market sits on the first and second floors, while at weekends sellers from the countryside fill up the rest of the building.

Duo Yun Xuan Art Shop & Gallery
422 Nanjing Rd
Tel: +86 (0)21 6351 0060
Chinese calligraphic art is the focus at this privately owned gallery. Pick up metre-long scrolls from about 200 to 30,000 yuan, depending on the artist and the period. Calligraphy kits on the first floor are fun for budding artists. Small jade carvings, framed embroideries and antiques are also on sale.

Eastlink Gallery
50 Moganshan Rd
Su Zhou Creek Area
Metr Shanghai Railway Station
Open: daily, 11am-8pm
Shanghai has a thriving contemporary art scene worth seeking out. The old warehouses around Suzhou Creek, north of the centre, are a good place to start. If you¡¯re looking for an investment, visit 50 Moganshan Rd, a maze of old workshops where over 20 artists have opened studios. Nearby is a clutch of well-established galleries, of which Art Scene, BizArt, Eastlink and ShanghArt are well worth a visit. Leading Chinese artists include Zhou Tiehai, Shi Yong and Ding Yi).

Electronics

Cybermart
282 Huaihai Zhonglu
Tel: +86 (0)21 6390 8008
Metr Huangpi Nanlu
Open: daily, 10am¨C8pm
Next to Hong Kong plaza, Cybermart should be your first port of call for electronics. Apple, IBM, Sony and others have outlets here; for the best value, consider local brands such as Lenovo. Computers and printers occupy most of the ground floor; mobile phones, digital cameras and DVD players are on the upper floors.

Xujiahui¡¯s Metro City
Xujiahui
Metr Xujiahui
Open: daily, 10am¨C8pm
You can¡¯t miss Xu Jia Hui, a spherical glass building on a busy junction west of Renmin Square. Enter the ground floor, pass Pizza Hut, and take a staircase leading to four floors of small electronics shops. There are great bargains to be had here