Located adjacent to Bohai Bay, Qinhuangdao offers many local products and specialties that come straight from the sea. In addition to abundant sea products such as crabs, scallops, whelks, pikes and sea cucumbers, Qinhuangdao offers many handicrafts and ornaments that are made from sea products.

What to buy
Shell carvings are the most popular handicraft and tourist souvenir in Qinhuangdao. Craftsmen make vivid and exquisite things and figures that tell different poetic stories. The city teems with pearls as well. In craft shops, portieres, necklaces, pendants and other kinds of ornaments made of pearls are beautiful and attractive. There is another kind of decoration unique to Qinhuangdao that is made of snails' luminescence under the sea.

Qinhuangdao gathers together quality products from many other places, such as the Jingdong chestnut, Shimen walnut, Changli honey pear and Meiguixiang grape. The native pears, called Xiao Yang Li in Chinese, are a unique species of wild fruit found in Qinhuangdao. The pear is small and seedless and tastes crisp and sweet.

Where to buy
As a rising tourist city, Qinhuangdao has worked valiantly to keep up with the latest trends. To promote the development of tourism, relevant industries are growing vigorously in Qinhuangdao. Busy fairs and prosperous bazaars as well as large supermarkets and shopping malls can meet different needs. 

Bazaars
The market in the southeast gate of the Lianfengshan Park in Beidaihe is a well-known distribution center of fancy goods that is full of dazzling items. There are seafood, fruit, wooden wares, pearl products, small appliances and many other items for daily use. There is no lack of cheap and elaborate products.

There is another noted wholesale market in Shitang Lu near the Laohushi (a scenic spot contiguous to Beidaihe (Haibin) Long-distance Bus Station). This market is currently the largest necklace crafts market in China. Most handicrafts and ornaments come from this market. Since this is a wholesale market, anyone buying the shell and pearl ornaments at the wholesale price should expect to pay for at least several dozens of items. Of course, if the purchasing volume is small, the price will a little bit higher than wholesale price, but haggling is still a must. Take Bus No.34 from Qinhuangdao Railway Station and get off in the terminal stop. The market can be reached by walking 200 meters (219 yards) westward along the Liangfeng Lu. Or one can take Bus No.5 or 15 from Beidaihe Railway Station and get off in the Agricultural Fair (Nong Mao Shi Chang).

In Laolongtou of Shanhaiguan, there are also fairs selling local products and ornaments. Note that bargaining is necessary whenever one shops in the wholesale markets or crafts shops in downtown areas. 

Shopping Malls
Qinhuangdao Plaza
Address: No.152, Hebei Da Jie, Haigang District
Bus Routes: 8, 9, 3, 4, 18

Jindu Mall
Address: No.139, Wenhua Lu, Haigang District
Bus Routes: 2, 8, 19, 32, 33

Hualian Commercial City
Address: Wenhua Lu, near the Jindu Plaza
Bus Routes: the same to Jindu Plaza

Yanbin Shopping Center
Address: No.18, Yingbin Lu, Haigang District
Bus Routes: 3, 6

Tianyang Shopping Plaza
Address: No.56, Minzu Nan Lu, Haigang District
Bus Routes: 3, 4, 20, 16

Supermarkets
Wal-Mart
Address: 1/F, Lvse Shang Sha (Green Commercial Building), Minzu Lu, Haigang District

Jinyuan Supermarket
Address: No.150, Hebei Da Jie, Haigang District

Guangyuan Supermarket
Address: Sun Town (Taiyang Cheng) in Minzu Lu, Haigang District

Aixin Supermarcket
Address: No.57, Yingbin Lu, Haigang District
Shitang Lu, Beidaihe Haibin
Chuanchang Lu, Shanhaiguan District
No.159, Haiyang Lu, Haigang District
Note: Apart from these supermarkets, there are Jiahui, Lilian Hualian and Baolongcang. These are all well-known large supermarkets in Qinhuangdao. Most of the department stores close as early as 18:30 and a few of them at 19:00.

Commercial Street
The most renowned pedestrian street of the city is located in the Sun Town (Taiyang Cheng) in Minzu Lu. Take buses No.3, 4, 20 and 16, and it can be found after getting off the bus in Qingzhensi (Mosque) or Qinhuang Xiaoqu (Qinhuang Community).

Book Stores
Wuxing Book Plaza
Address: the Sun Town
Bus Routes: 12, 17, 25, 33 (getting off in Jindu Mall)

Guangyuan Book Plaza
Address: above the Guangyuan Supermarket

Bus Routes: 3, 8, 14, 17, 20, 24, 31 (getting off in Qinhuang Xiaoqu)