Bookshops, stationery and paper goods

Chinese stationery design is strong and cheap, and Shanghai has both big curated bookshops and ordinary retail streets selling paper goods.

This is my default recommendation for people who want to buy something and do not want to be sold something.

Fuzhou Road

Fuzhou Road, running north off Nanjing East Road, has been Shanghai’s book and stationery street for over a century. It has become considerably less interesting than it was, but several good shops remain.

Look for art supply shops and paper specialists rather than the general bookstores.

Modern bookshops

Large multi-storey bookshops in Shanghai are serious places — they carry substantial English-language sections, design and art books, and are pleasant to spend an hour in.

They also sell Chinese-branded stationery, gifts and design objects that make good presents.

What to buy

Chinese-designed notebooks and pens, traditional brushes and ink blocks for calligraphy, seals carved while you wait with a Chinese name, and paper goods.

Seal carving is one of the better purchases available: portable, personal, and made in front of you.

Verdict

Genuinely good shopping for things that fit in a suitcase and will not disappoint you later.