There’s no way you are bringing an empty suitcase back from your Asian adventures to Hong Kong, Beijing, and Kuala Lampur. Each city represents its country’s peculiarities spectacularly and is distinct in every way possible. While bringing back memories is the best souvenir you can get for friends and family and your own self, a few material gifts never hurt anyone. By Shubhanajana Das
Hong Kong
Kitsch or traditional, in Hong Kong, you get to choose what you want to bring back from this lively, exuberant, and extremely vibrant city. For the ones who collect antiques from cities worldwide, Hong Kong’s Cat Street is the place to be. Here, you will find decades-old antiques as well as contemporary artistic pieces. Expect to catch hold of bronze Buddha heads, old coins, calligraphy brushes, Cultural Revolution-era figurines and antique jade pendants.
Add some quirk to your shopping by visiting Goods of Desire (G.O.D). It is considered the Mecca for tourists who visit Hong Kong for cool and kitschy objects. Here you can find mahjong tile cushion covers, peace-sign lucky cat figurines, koi fish underwear, mahjong wine charms, Yaumati stackable mugs, silk ties and scarves with funky prints, and so much more!
Beijing
China’s vast cultural spectrum is hard to capture in just a few objects. But you can always get yourself some of the absolute best things to encapsulate your wonderful Chinese holiday like no other. If they are handmade, then nothing like it, right? Cloisonné objects definitely fall in that category. Cloisonné is an art form that originated in Beijing during the Yuan dynasty, and then developed during the 15th century. Catch hold of Cloisonné furnace, ash-trays, stationery, lantern, and plates at Silk Market or Beijing Arts and Craft Store at Wangfujing Street.
When in Beijing, Zhonnguo Jie or the Chinese knot is another inexpensive item you can buy. It originated as a traditional form of Chinese folk art back in the Ming and Qing Dynasty. This sign of health and happiness is usually given to people every year, making it the perfect souvenir to gift to your friends and family.
Kuala Lumpur
Apart from the already abundant shopping you may have done during your Malay vacay, Kuala Lumpur is where you can let it all go and fill your bags with the best souvenirs. One of them is the gorgeous Malaysian batik fabric. You can find these fabrics at any stall in the Central Market. The vibrant, hand-decorated floral motifs on this wonderful fabric are great gifts to give to your sister or girlfriends. Block-printed batik fabrics are also available, which make for lovely interior decoration items. You can even buy the Kerongsang, a brooch Malay women wear with their traditional Kebaya or even a Baju to accompany the batik gifts.
Lastly, if you think you can accommodate a Wau Kite in your luggage, then definitely go for it! Resembling a moon-like crescent shape, the Wau kite is available in a range of different fabrics and prints. The large ones may be very difficult to carry, so opt for the miniature Wau Kites.
Related: T+L India’s International Shopping Guide For 2019 Is Here!
