Lady Street in Beijing is a market that is predominantly targeted at the fairer sex; it is also by far the largest clothing and garments market in the city with the number of stalls surpassing 1,000. Lady Street confirms what numerous men all over the world have known for centuries; the strange affection that women have for the latest clothing and accessories.

When compared with most other markets, open air markets in particular, Lady Street can be termed as being at the cutting edge of fashion. The market regularly has new stock arriving and quickly updates itself to stay abreast of the latest trends and seasonal fashion preferences of the female population. The clothes are also of much better quality than those found else where in markets because items are mostly sourced from Guangdong in China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The 1,000 odd stalls stock items of varying descriptions from t-shirts and jeans to headgear, lingerie and handbags.

The Lady Street market is located close to the large Lufthansa Shopping Mall which is known for its designer brands; however Lady Street delivers compatible quality and cutting edge fashion for a much lower price. The market itself is actually divided into three blocks, the first block known as the A block is the most popular and mostly deals with women’s apparel. The other two blocks with more general items found in Chinese markets such as traditional medicine, souvenirs, second hand books and groceries.

The Lady Street market stocks some interesting designs that can rarely be seen anywhere else, such as jeans and t shirts embroidered with traditional Chinese designs. A particularly popular design is the “Fu” symbol which represents a dragon. Traditional clothing styles which have recently made a comeback in China are also readily available here and are extremely popular among the literati, arts and drama circles that frequent this market.

A number of quaint roadside cafes and eateries are also found in abundance in this area; primarily because of it is one of Beijing’s shopping hotspots. So for ladies planning that exhaustive shopping expedition, a traditional Chinese lunch is in the offing. A few Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurant including a Japanese tea house can also be seen here. In addition other beauty related stores such as Nail Bars, Salons and Tattoo Parlours have also been set up here. Located close by are a block of Beijing Serviced Apartments known as Ascott Beijing that offer comfortable accommodation for business travelers.