Shopping at Guangzhou's Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street

The road isn't always this empty, trust me on this!

I recently came back from my most recent trip to Guangzhou earlier this May. And what kind of trip would be complete without shopping? An incomplete one of course. (Ha, ha, fooled you into thinking that was a rhetorical question.) My go-to place to shop in Canton (as it was called back then) is Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street. I was able to include this attraction patronized by the locals in a feature I wrote for the June issue of Philippine Airlines' Mabuhay Magazine.

Shang-xia-jiu literally means "up-down-nine." (?). While I have yet to research on its origins, all I know is that all the bargains you need are here: Shirts for as low as RMB 5 (insane; men's and women's and sizes available), shoes, belts, accessories, bags, luggage and all kinds of kitschy stuff. Both sides of the road also offer cheap street food as well as milk tea and fruit juices. For unbeatable deals, just remember the mnemonic: up-down-nine!

"2 Yuan Supermarket." This is the Chinese version of Japan's Daiso or 100 Yen shop, which sells (mostly) everything at RMB 2 and up.

Colorful "pure cotton" ankle socks for men and women at just RMB 10 for 3 pairs. An unbeatable bargain! Makes great gifts if a lot of your friends are expecting a souvenir.