BRASH, bustling and brimful of confidence, Shanghai is mercantile China at its pushiest. But when it comes to shopping, it's not an easy city to suss.

Yes, you can go to all the obvious places, but, if possible, it's worth finding a good Chinese guide to take you to the lesser-known, stranger quarters - you'll have fewer certainties, but a lot more fun.

I don't see a lot of point in arriving in Shanghai and heading straight for the swanky malls and shops on The Bund (though this area is a must for other reasons - it overlooks the Huangpu River, has excellent restaurants, and is lined with historical buildings that offer a glimpse of why Shanghai once was called the Paris of the East). Head, instead, for something that at least gives the illusion of being authentically “Chinese”.

Xintiandi is Shanghai's attempt to give visitors the feeling of being in “China” as opposed to being a bit-part player in a futuristic Spielberg movie. It may have been artificially created - “Disney China”, as its critics call it - but it has some real charm, isn't pretending to be in New York (a real blessing) and has shops that sell everything from fashion to jewellery, ceramics and art. Look at the IT department store and Shanghai Trio as well as Xavier, Unit 2, 181 Taicang Lu, for clothes that don't make you feel as if you're wearing fancy dress.

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BACKGROUND

• Hong Kong shopping

• Our man in Shanghai

• China's penis restaurant

• Travelling between China and Japan

• China: six Olympic cities

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• Where to buy the world's best gems

China may make most of the world's clothes, but few designers have made their own names on the international stage. Lu Kun is a home-grown Shanghai designer who produces clothes that are mostly rooted in Chinese aesthetics but are at home in Western settings. I bought a gorgeous black-over-white lace skirt for about £120 (nothing Chinese about that, I know, except that it was wonderful value for money). Make an appointment to view and shop by ringing 8621 63451120.

Wang Wei doesn't deal in mandarin collars and flying dragons - he deconstructs traditional Chinese clothing until he reaches what he calls a “powerful core - like Yin and Yang” - his huge jackets and coats and asymmetrical jackets have a distinctly Eastern tinge, but are gloriously glamorous. His clothes can be seen and bought at Amber Cai 25a, Tower 3, Plaza Gallery, Xie Tu Road.

The fabric market at 399 Lujiabang Lu, Old City, is a wonderful collection of stalls selling every manner of cloth - tailors will make up almost anything to order and I bought a son-in-law a gorgeous

navy-blue cashmere coat lined in red silk for £60.

Yuyuan Bazaar, corner of Fuyou Lu and Jiujiachang Lu, Old City, is a great one-stop shopping bazaar - you could find anything from oceans of pearls to jade, as well as a fantastic selection of antiques (I bought some gorgeous old babies carrying shawls from a remote province for about £200) and antique textiles.

Dong Tai Road Antique Market is a must, although you need to understand that the word “antique” is pretty loosely applied to anything from a watch that doesn't work to statues of Mao made by the thousands in a nearby factory. Never mind, it's fun. The small stalls sell dusty ornaments, sculptures, old textiles, ceramics, old records, Mao memorabilia, watches and a whole lot else.

Yatai Xinyang Fashion and Gift Market (by the Science and Technology Museum) has nothing ancient, but there is an authentic Chinese mercantile buzz here. This underground maze is filled with tiny shops and it's the place for souvenirs that go for a song - T-shirts, scarves, handbags, hold-alls. You'll find rip-offs of the fashionable watches, handbags and luggage of the moment, but remember that the trade in fake goods is illegal.

Chinese art has been lighting up the sale rooms of the West for some time now, and it's a whole lot of

fun to try to unearth your own Chinese version of a budding Damien Hirst.

Head down to Moganshan Lu, where in converted warehouses there are galleries, workshops and studios - visitors can poke around to see if there is anything that takes their fancy. What's on offer varies, but you could find anything from sculpture and paintings to photograph, video art and craft. You could pick up a picture for something like £200, and even if you aren't of a mind to buy, it offers a fascinating glimpse into contemporary Shanghai culture.

It is hard to pick one gallery, but if I had to, I would say head for Shine, which is young, new and challenging. For serious collectors the ShanghART gallery is the place to go (www.shanghartgallery.com).

Madame Mao's Dowry is a fabulous store for those wanting to track down something they can't find in the mall back home. It's at 70 Fuxing Xi Lu, Xuhui, and has all those kitschy revolutionary propaganda posters, teapots, ceramics, statues, watches and the rest. A great outlet for presents.

Suzhou Cobblers at No 17, Fuzhou Road (just by The Bund) sells delicious silk slippers, great little shoes, Chinese-influenced bags and holdalls and some cute children's sweaters - all nothing like the standard department store fare you find back home.

Jehanne de Biolley is a wonderful jeweller who works in Beijing in an unusual gallery set in a Ming Dynasty structure. Some of her pieces can be seen and bought in Shanghai. She can be contacted on jehannecuicui@gmail.com.

Hong Merchant is the house of Pia Pierre - a beautiful old house in the old French concession that is worth seeing in its own right. It's at Number 3 Lane, 372 Xing Guo Road and is filled with Chinese furniture and art pieces, all of which are for sale. Call 8621 6283 2696 for an appointment.

Finally, I stayed in the Shangri-la Hotel in Pudong and anybody who is daunted by finding their way around Shanghai should order its special shopping package or just ask for a personal shopper and car to accompany them for the day (or half-day). You could save yourself hours.

NEED TO KNOW

Virgin Atlantic

(0870 5747747, www.virginatlantic.com) flies daily from Heathrow to Shanghai from £560.

Stay The Shangri-La Pudong (0800 0283337, www.shangri-la.com) has doubles from £180 a night.

Visa Information

is available at www.chinese-embassy.org.uk

Read Shanghai

(Time Out, £12.99)

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