Wednesday, September 24, 2008

LYS Hopping in Beijing

I really haven’t got much knitting progress to report… but I took a morning off my recent trip to Beijing and hopped around a few LYS in the western part of the city:


Beauty Wool (名线)
Location: Shop 3018K, Golden Resources Shopping Centre, 1 Yuanda Lu, Haidian District
(海淀区远大路1号金源时代购物中心3018K)

Tel: + 86.10.8887.5848 or call their hotline on 800.829.6889
for other locations in Beijing and other major cities
(http://www.beautywool.com/)

This giant centre is located between Beijing's West Third and Fourth Ring roads and was the first shopping mall that came close to a western standard on the Chinese mainland. And Beauty Wool is a nation-wide chain store that carries a whole range of imported yarn brands, such as Mondial, Katia, Online, Ornaghi, Richmore, Hamanaka & etc, as well as Japanese Knitting magazines, Addi needles and some Clover tools. The yarn and prices are probably not the most attractive around here, but it’s really good to know where I can go in case I forgot to bring my knitting needles or got them confiscated at the customs.

* * * * *

My second stop is less than 15 mins away -- a local wholesale market place north of Lianxiang Bridge... Certainly more of an adventure...

This one came as a surprise before I actually found entrance to the fashion market.

Hui Kun Wool Yarn (慧昆羊绒毛线)
Quite a small but friendly store that sells Chinese branded yarn in balls or cones. Well, it’s definitely more appealing inside…


And then I finally got into the huge but hot and stuffy Golden Five Stars Fashion Wholesale Market


Found the "yarn alley" too, but....


...there was only one yarn stall crammed with some low-mid range yarn and a grumpy owner!

The Old Couple's Yarn Store (老俩口毛线店)

Golden Five Stars Fashion Wholesale Market (金五星服装批发市场)
Location: No 118, Zhongguancun Lu, Haidian District (North of Lianxiang Bridge)
(海淀区中关村东路118号(联想桥北))

* * * * *

Saving the best for last, my final stop at Daqianye Yarn Company is the most fascinating! I’ve visited their smaller Xuan Wu branch 2 years ago but didn't know that they were in fact the biggest local yarn company in Beijing.


This store is "HUGE"!

And chock-a-block full with Hengyuanxiang, Sanli and
almost all of China’s top yarn brands!

Knitting needles for the cheap!



Daqianye Yarn Company (大千业绒线公司)
Location: , No 6, Xin Jie Kou Wai Da Jie, Xi Cheng District
(西城区新街口外大街6号)
Tel : +86.10.6202.0352

I’ve translated some of their other locations here for you,
or go check them out at http://www.daqianye.com/.

No. 96A, Yong An Lu, Xuan Wu District
宣武区永安路甲96号
Tel: +86.10.6303.8504

No. 45A, An Le Lin Lu, Chong Wen District
崇文区安乐林路甲45号
Tel: +86.10.8726.7522

No. 1, Guang Qu Men Wai Ma Chuan. Chong Wen District
崇文区广渠门外马圈1号
Tel: +86.10.6778.0542

No. 96, Dong Zhi Men Nei da Jie. Dong Cheng District
东城区东直门内大街196号
Tel: +86.10.6407.1770

No. 120, Xiao Dao Kou Nan Da Jie. Dong Cheng District.
东城区交道口南大街120号
Tel: +86.10.8404.8415

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Maryann, thanks for the list! I must check these out when I'm next in Beijing...

Ann

Jackie said...

O, how i wish i can be there right now !! Can u pass me a mop.....i m drooling !!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the enabling! You are quite the LYS hunter.

handknit168 said...

Oh, so many LYS in beijing. thanks for the list.

Unknown said...

would love to have gone shopping with you!

Deborah said...

Oh, now that's what I call a yarn crawl!!! Wow, and I thought that when I visit a yarn store a few towns away I think I'm doing something exotic!

so what did you buy?

Musica Gloria said...

Thank you for posting the information here. I am looking for some yarn for my sister. Beijing has everything and yet everything is so hard to find.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the list!
I found one of the Daqianye branches today, at 120 Jiaodoukou Nandaojie - the staff did their best to assist me (as I really don't speak Chinese). I came away with some 3RMB metal needles and some Double Deer (Shuang Lu) yarn I think will be OK for socks.
Lisa, usually in Toronto

Craftlover said...

wow, thanks for the great info !!
However, I am not going to Beijing, otherwise, would really like to go and check them out.
I really want to touch the 'top' Chinese brand yarn... how do they feel like?

do you know any store in Shanghai?

Craftlover said...

oh, I just found that the 1st one you showed in the post is actually FROM SHANGHAI. They have a very beautiful store in Shanghai, it's a MUST GO place for me!!! can't wait to sit there. THe place is soooo beautiful (even nicer than Canadian's.)

Elena Ho said...

I'm visiting Beijing in Oct and been looking for good yarn shops. This is great! Thanks for sharing!

Meiling772 said...

Thanks for posting this. I will be in Beijing in November on a tour. I will have just a little free time and would like to know if there are any LYS near Traders Hotel and China Mall.

Thanks for your input.

Meiling772 said...

any yarn shops near Traders Hotel and China Mall. I will be visiting Beijing on a tour in November and will have little free time, but would love to purchase yarn.

Thanks for your help.

Meiling772 said...

I will be in Beijing on a tour with little free time in November and will be staying at Traders Hotel. Are there any yarn stores near there?

Thank you.

Maryann said...

Hi Meiling,

It's been a while since my last trip to Beijing so perhaps you could print out my list and get your hotel concierge to call them in advance to see which store is the nearest to you.

Hope that helps.

Maryann