Taiyuan Shopping – What to Buy in Taiyuan

It is easier for tourists to go shopping in Taiyuan than in any other cities in Shanxi Province. Clothing stores, Supermarkets and media shops are all easy to find in the city. Shopping areas in Taiyuan are mainly on Yingze Dong Road, Wuyi Road, Jiefang Road, Jianshe South Road, Kaihuasi Road etc.

International retail chains like Carrefour and Wal-Mart are also available in Taiyuan. Some local supermarkets are also convenient for shopping with cheap price and comprehensive goods.

The most popular Shanxi specialties among tourists are Fenjiu Wine and Zhuye Qing Wine. Fenjiu wine, oringinally brewed in Xinghua Village, Shanxi, has a history of at least 1,500 years. It is one of the oldest brands of wine in China. Today Fenjiu Wine is honored as one of the eight famous wines in China.

Zhuye Qing Wine is also produced in Xinghua Village. The wine is first produced by distilling rice wine together with bamboo leaves. The wine features in a high transparency and color of bluish green.

There are also other popular specialties.

Qingxu Mature Vinegar
Vinegar plays an important role in Chinese cuisine. Shanxi vinegar tops in all the vinegars in China. Vinegar produced in Qingxu County, Shanxi is one of the four most famed kinds of vinegars.

The flavor of the vinegar is extremely sour but pleasant, lasting for a while at your tongue even after you swallow it. Furthermore, while most of the vinegars will go bad after long storage, Qingxu vinegar only gets tastier. Some even store the vinegar for several decades and the water dries, leaving only solid vinegar like a piece of amber.  The solid vinegar tastes still the same after it mixing with water.
The brewing technology of Qingxu Vinegar is now named intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

Wutai Mushroom
Wutai mushroom, which is more commonly known as Tai Mo, is one of the most popular Mt. Wutai Specialties. Tai is Mt. Wutai for short and Mo is mushroom in Chinese for short.

The mushroom is tasty and nutritious with fine quality. It had been chosen as a royal recipe since Tang and Song Dynasties.Except for its outstanding value in nutrition, the mushroom also serves an important role in medicine. The mushroom features in special effect in fighting against hypercholesterolemia, arteriosclerosis, diabetes and kidney diseases.

Datong Daylily
Daylily is a highly praised vegetable with high medical and nutritious value. Datong is one of the major producing regions of daylily in Shanxi. Datong has been named “County of Daylily” since Ming Dynasty (1368 A.D to 1644A.D). Now Datong Daylily becomes the one of the key commodities in foreign trade of Shanxi province.

Pingyao Polished Lacquerware
With special luster polished by hand, Pingyao polished lacquerware is one of the four most famed lacquerwares in China. It was first made in Kaiyuan, Tang Dynasty(431 to 741) and becomes prosperous in Ming and Qing Dynasty. Caskets, screens, TV cabinet, etc are all popular lauqerwares.