Founded nearly six centuries ago, Dashilan is famous for its ancient architecture. It has been home to many time-honored Chinese brands with histories as long as the buildings.

Liubiju pickled vegetables, Zhangyiyuan tea, Yueshengzhai stewed pork and Ruifuxiang silk and fabric are household names locally.

Tongrentang drugstore is a good place to learn about traditional Chinese medicine.

Its founder was Emperor Kangxi's royal doctor back in the Qing Dynasty.

You can see how shopkeepers weigh and mix different kinds of herbs in accordance with doctor's specific recipe to make one package of medicine for a patient.

Upon completion, New Qianmen Street would be where the old meets the new, China specialties meets Western brands.

You can sip Starbucks after tasting the famous Beijing roast duck at Quanjude Restaurant.

Gulou East Street

Located beside the subway station of Gulou on Line 2, this is a great shopping stop for electronic game players, cartoon lovers and music fans.

The young owners of the 36 specialty shops along the street sell a variety of gaming software, PSP, PS2 and a rich collection of cartoon souvenirs.

The traditional Chinese musical instruments displayed in the 16 music stores along the street are another major attraction.

Panjiayuan Antique Market

Panjiayuan, long a major attraction for visitors from home and abroad, is a few minutes walk from Jinsong subway station on Line 10, scheduled to open by the end of July. Alternatively, you can take buses No. 36, 34 and 434.

Founded in 1992, it is China's largest market for folk art and covers 48,500 square meters.

Stalls selling paintings and penmanship, jewellery and jade, folk art, old books, coins and other paraphernalia are open year round.

The weekend bazaar attracts dealers and buyers from around the country. Hilary Clinton shopped here during her visit to the city.

Sanlitun Bar Street

Running between Baijiazhuang Road and Dongzhimenwai Street near the east Third Ring Road, this well-known night spot has a few interesting places for shopping.

The Yaxiu (Yashow) market is frequented by foreigners living and working in Beijing for its reasonable prices and wide range of clothing.

Sanlitun, however, is more famous for its bars. With the neighboring embassies of 79 nations on its border, the area has around 200 bars.