Hefei is not bad in its shopping variety, and most of the specialties from around Anhui and beyond make their way to the markets, stalls, shops and department stores around town.
The most noteworthy of specialties include feather fans (Yumao shan), pottery (Taoqi), Gujing wine (Gujing gongjiu), Huangshan tea (Huangshan cha), bamboo carving (Zhuhuang diaoke), traditional medicines (Zhongyao) and the four treasures of Chinese calligraphy (Wenfang sibao) - specialist writing paper (Xuan zhi), writing brushes (Xuan maobi), inkstones (She yantai) and ink (Hu mo).
The city is also notable for the variety of its fruits, that still arrive on the markets seasonally. Species include pears, pomegranates, grapes and kiwi, among others.
Shops: Those hunting for handicrafts and antiques should go to the Anhui Antiques Shop (Anhui guwan shangdian) at 57 Renmin lu. If you like haggling for prices for antiques and curios, head to the Chenghuangmiao Shopping Center (Chenghuangmiao gouwu zhongxing), near the Old City Gods Temple (Chenghuang miao). The Hefei Department Store (Baihuo dalou) at 124 Changjiang lu and Shangzhidu Department Store (Shangzhidu baihuo dalou) on Suzhou lu are good places to look for wine and tea. The Foreign Languages Book Store (Waiwen shudian) can be found at 29 Yimin jie. Good for English maps, postcards and books.
