'Shopping in China' becomes new way for foreign visitors to discover China

Foreign visitors are discovering China through its rich array of goods and diverse shopping experiences, from intricately designed creative cultural products and high-quality smart home appliances to convenient mobile payments and efficient departure tax refunds.

Refrigerator magnets shaped like museum artifacts, Spring Festival-themed T-shirts from theme parks, and building block sets modelled on Chinese engineering achievements from trendy toy stores have all proven popular with international visitors. Tech products are increasingly making the list as well, with foreign tourists snapping up drones and foldable smartphones in the country.

Foreign customers shop at a duty-free shopping mall in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 9, 2025. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

Sun Yeli, China's minister of culture and tourism, noted that inbound visitors' shopping lists are expanding rapidly, encompassing everything from smartphones, drones and VR headsets to cultural collectibles and designer toys. All are increasingly seen as must-have Chinese souvenirs.

"On East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, our tour leader told a group of 30 Greek tourists they had one hour to shop. But almost every one of them asked for at least two hours," said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Shanghai-based Spring Tour travel agency.

Zhou noted that tour guides make a point of explaining Chinese products and the departure tax refund policy in detail to foreign visitors.

Beyond their enduring love for museum souvenirs, silk and custom Chinese-style costumes, foreign visitors are increasingly drawn to tech products, including phones, laptops, VR headsets, smart rice cookers and robot vacuum cleaners, Zhou said.

According to data from China's State Taxation Administration, the number of foreign travelers applying for departure tax refunds rose 305 percent year on year in 2025, while sales of tax-refundable goods increased 95.9 percent from the previous year.

The shopping landscape for foreign visitors in China is richer than ever, with options now extending across a wide variety of commercial venues.

In core commercial areas such as Beijing's Wangfujing and Shanghai's Nanjing Road, smart wearables and China-chic costumes are top sellers.

At duty-free stores, including the Haikou International Duty Free City in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, foreign shoppers pick up fashion items at attractive prices.

At electronics markets like Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, drones and VR headsets are the stars of the show.

In culturally rich attractions such as Nanluoguxiang Lane in Beijing and Ciqikou ancient town in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, international visitors browse cultural and creative gifts alongside intangible cultural heritage crafts.

Foreign visitors can shop for great-value goods not only at airport duty-free stores but also at city duty-free outlets across multiple cities. China Duty Free Group (CDFG) said its stores in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other cities have adopted a blended model combining duty-free and taxed retail, online and offline channels, and both imported and domestic products. Departure tax refund services have also been extended to taxable retail areas.

German tourists Martha (R) and Sofie taste Tanghulu, a popular Chinese winter snack of crispy sugar-coated hawthorns, at Qianmen Street in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

An executive from CDFG said the firm will leverage the resources of China Tourism Group, its parent company, to act as a bridge connecting the "Shopping in China" brand with global markets. The goal is to aggregate quality resources, empower local brands to innovate, and give distinctive products greater visibility. The firm also aims to help local intellectual properties engage with global markets in a more contemporary way, while giving foreign visitors a chance to discover Chinese culture through shopping.

China's ongoing efforts to streamline entry clearance procedures for foreigners have ensured that "Shopping in China" continues to gain traction among international visitors.

"This is the best tax refund service I've encountered in all my travels," said Andrea, a visitor from Mexico who bought a silk scarf at Wensli Group, a well-known Chinese silk producer in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. Andrea was impressed by the speed of the tax refund process on Alipay, calling it "so advanced and so convenient."

Ke Saihong, head of Alipay's foreign visitor payment services, said the app now covers digital services spanning food, accommodation, transport, travel, shopping and entertainment. These include ride-hailing, hotel and attraction bookings, bus rides, portable charger rentals, currency conversion and tap-to-order dining. The app supports translation across 16 languages and offers bilingual customer service in Chinese and English.

Last year, Alipay launched an initiative rolling out new features, including "Tap to Pay," to enhance the experience for inbound tourists. Twenty major markets known for Chinese-made goods have since adopted the feature, including the Yiwu International Trade Market in Zhejiang Province — the world's largest small commodities market — Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen, and the Sijiqing clothing market in Hangzhou.

Alipay has also introduced tap-to-refund services in popular inbound tourism destinations including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Guangzhou. After purchasing goods with Alipay at stores offering instant refund services, visitors bring their documents and items to a tax refund counter and complete the process in three steps — significantly reducing waiting times.

The results speak for themselves. Spending by foreign visitors via Alipay in China rose 142 percent year on year in 2025, while inbound tourist spending via the app during this year's Spring Festival holiday grew more than 80 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Alipay said it plans to further optimize its payment and digital service offerings and expand e-commerce tax refund capabilities. It will also deliver tailored recommendations for China-chic products, time-honored brands and innovative tech goods, helping to promote "Shopping in China" and raise the global profile of China's consumer market.