Gulou neighborhood (鼓楼)

Best known for Nanluogu Xiang, a well-worn alley of boutiques, cafes, dive bars and souvenir shops, this historic corner of central Beijing is a hot-bed of hipster retail.

From designer T-shirts to bespoke leather ware, there’s much to discover; the side streets throw up the most interesting finds.

Muxiyuan Fabric Market (木樨园纺织品市场)

Muxiyuan market could be called the mother of all clothing and textile markets in Beijing .With merchants selling every kind of fabric, the market is the capital's biggest and most chaotic textile market.

But if you are willing to commit a few hours to strolling through the maze of shops here, you will be surprised at what you come out with at the end of your experience. "Muxiyuan" refers collectively to all the fabric markets in the area south of Muxiyuan Qiao. One of the biggest is Jingdu Qingfangcheng . Come with a list: the choices can be overwhelming. It's easy to get lost – happily – in the enormous and crowded maze of stalls. You'll find a galaxy of fabrics (silk, cashmere, lace, cotton, and embroidery) as well as fake and real fur, zippers, brass buttons, and so much more. Finding the nicer material may take some effort, though. Prices are very, very low, especially if you haggle.

Whether compared with San Francisco, London or Sydney, the Chinatown districts are premier drawcards. You would be quite the comic to invite your out-of-towners to Muxiyuan Markets to check out Beijing's Chinatown. Yet it certainly feels like it! No Hutong Rickshaw tours or a ridiculous guided walk through a wet market for this brave (but uninitiated!), curious (but ill-exposed) and determined (but rather nervous) soul. There are hundreds of fabric shops, sewing supplies, haberdashery, hair accessories, cosmetics, jewelry, underwear, hosiery, stationery, clocks and watches, belts, wallets, bags and suitcases just to name a very few of the findings in this treasure trove. The entire area is totally a trading zone, as we discovered much to our chagrin!

Most fabric are sold by the bale or roll of 100mtrs.So unless, you are planning to outfit the 3 generations of folks back home in matching pajamas, you may want to stick to Sanlitun for fabrics. With some persistence though you will find a few shops selling by the meter and we delighted ourselves with some gorgeous Chinese brocade and embossed silk (Rmb15-Rmb30/meter). Top quality "branded" leather wallets (none of that miserable stuff piled high for Rmb150 in Yashow) found their way into our shopping bags for an amazing Rmb25 to Rmb80. Do check out both the indoor and outdoor venues. Watch out though, for the hundreds of flatbed tikes driven by Formula 1 wanna-be's, weaving through the outdoor market and the almost chronic spitting frenzy all around.

Tips: Before you fall in love with any textiles, ask vendors if they sell in less-than-wholesale amounts. Even if they don’t, nearly every stall has a box of fabric remnants (mostly 1.5-3m) for sale out in front, which may be sufficient for your needs. Ladies, you’ll need 2-3m for a long qipao. Fellows, a tailored shirt requires about 2m, trousers 2.5m. (For stripes or plaids, add half a meter.) If you want to match the fabric of a favorite item of clothing, don't forget to bring it along for comparison. Both light silks and the heaviest furs can be found all year round, but stock does tend to change by season. Lace/cording/elastic is measured out in yards, not meters.

Location: Dahongmen Lu (south of Muxiyuan long-distance bus station), south of Muxiyuan Qiao on South Third Ring Road, Fengtai District

丰台区南三环木樨园桥往南大红门路木樨园长途汽车站南侧