Not that I disagree with the cheapness of the clothing, especially in Dongmen, but Lohu is good and known for decent tailoring and the draperies that can be made are a great deal if that’s what you are after. Sure everything is a knock-off, but in Lohu some are better than others with some name brands being very good copies.

Dongmen to me isn’t an expat shopper area but more for locals and out of area people buying for their stall shops in other cities. I simply like Dongmen for the crowd walking, people watching and finding the cheap gem to pick up.

I agree on the services in Lohu for massage and nails. They nickel and dime inside and an outside service away from those two centers tend to be good.

Lohu is annoying with the whole, “Mister, copy watch, hand bag? Come see looking.” That and the hounding people which for me are “iphone, gulf (golf), sexy D-We-Ds” but I still enjoy the haggling and just active nature of the place.

Visas are expensive, but in my opinion if you want to do a little more than shop, hitting the mainland can be fun just to see the less refined side of the border. Plus, Shenzhen has a few other areas worth wasting a day or two including some stuff in the OCT area, Mangrove park, Shekou, etc…

Hua Qiang Bei is good for electronics both legit and B-grade. But I still agree the value isn’t there anymore since the increase in value of the RMB over the last 3 years.

About the author:  Prespd from San Diego, California