Shopping in Mandalay

Mandalay is the second largest city and the last imperial capital of Myanmar. Located in 715 km north of Yangon, on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, Mandalay is regarded as the center of Burmese culture. There are many famous attractions in Mandalay, such as U-Bein bridge, Mandalay Royal Palace, Mandalay Hill, etc.. Where to shop and what to buy in Mandalay? There are 2 main shopping centers in Mandalay: Jade Market and Zeigyo Market.

Brief introduction of shopping in Mandalay

Crafts including jade carvings, silks, tapestries, lacquerwares, silver and bronze vessels, and so on are distributed in the eastern part of Mandalay. Mandalay is also the main marble producing area and processing area in Myanmar. So in Mandalay not only can you buy a fine marble statue of Buddha, but you can also see the process of making Buddha statues. Another popular souvenir in Mandalay is puppet. The facial expressions of puppets are also quite imaged. The price of these puppets is very cheap.

Where to shop and what to buy in Mandalay?

No.1 Jade Market

• Location: Between 39th Street & 40th Street, between 87th Street & 88th Street, Mahar Aung Myay Township, Mandalay
• What to buy: jade and jewelry

Jade Market is the most famous jade trading place in Mandalay. Since northern Myanmar is a jade production area, and Mandalay is a jade distribution center, many foreign jewelers will come to Mandalay for purchase jade. The selection of various jade is very wide. Here you can see the appearance of many raw stones of jade, as well as various jade articles. Burmese jade is famous all over the world. Here is the first foreign trade gateway, so you can see many people do jade trading in the market. Here you can feel the most primitive way of negotiating transactions in Myanmar. However, the original stone and too many expensive jade articles can not be out of Myanmar. If you want to buy a little expensive jade, you should go to a regular store. These jade taken out of Myanmar need to have complete procedures. As this market is quite famous, it has also become one of the tourist attractions of Mandalay.

No.2 Zeigyo Market

• Location: Between 84th Street & 86th Street and between 26th Street & 28th Street, Chan Aye Thar San Township
• What to buy：Buddhist supplies and souvenirs，Burmese handicrafts

Zeigyo Market is the most largest trading market in Mandalay. This market has a large number of goods including handicrafts made in Myanmar for sale. In this market, there are many daily necessities for locals who come here to purchase flowers, fruits, clothes, etc., which is very lively. Here you can buy Burmese fabrics as well as Buddhist supplies and souvenirs. If you buy something here, please pay attention to street vendors here. They will raise the price after seeing the tourists, so you must bargain with them when buying something. It is recommended for you to go to a few more stores to compare the quality and price of the goods.

No.3 Yadanabon Super Center

• Location: Near Mandalay Railway Station
• Recommended reason: Entertainment center in Mandalay

As the oldest market in Mandalay, Yadanabon Super Center has a long history and has now been transformed into a leisure center that combines shopping and entertainment functions. The first to forth floor of the center are shopping malls, which are mainly sold mobile phones, household items and clothing. There is a big department store underground where you can find a lot of things. The 5th floor is a cinema with 3 halls. This cinema is open from 10:00am to 9:30pm. Watching a movie is cheap here, ranging from $1.5 to $3 (for reference).

No.4 Diamond Plaza

• Location: 34th street，Between 77th and 78th street
• Recommended reason：Large shopping mall in Mandalay

This is a large shopping mall in Mandalay. There is a largest supermarket chain in Mandalay - City Mart. There are also branded cosmetics stores and clothing that you can buy. There are cinemas and cafes on the top floor of the mall. You can have a try of bread in these cafes. If you find shopping mall in Mandalay. You can visit this shopping center in Mandalay.

No.5 Chinatown Night Market

• Location: Between 35th and 34th st, on 76th st, Mandalay
• What to buy：Daily necessities, souvenirs and local snacks

Chinatown Night Market gathers a large number of Chinese people, where you can not only shop but also taste a lot of ethnic snacks. There are also some daily necessities and souvenirs for sale. If you are just walking around, you can experience the life of the local people here.