Visitors browse bags at a store in Shanghai on July 6, 2026. Photo: Qi Xijia/GT

On Shanghai's bustling Huaihai Road, foreign shoppers weave through the TX shopping mall, a well-known hub for streetwear brands, where local labels are suddenly in the spotlight. Inside, several homegrown fashion stores are drawing strong overseas attention.

In Beijing's China World Mall, foreign shoppers are making big purchases, taking advantage of China's departure tax refund policies that have streamlined issuing devices and reduced refund form processing time.

In Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei, a major shopping center for electronics, more and more foreign consumers and overseas traders have arrived to "hunt for goods," including AI and AR glasses and projectors used to watch World Cup matches.

Together, these scenes paint a starkly different picture from a few years ago when Chinese consumers flock to overseas shopping malls to buy everything from clothes to accessories. This shift reflects China's broader industrial upgrading, with a more complete supply chain and stronger original design capabilities helping some domestic brands gain greater pricing power in global markets, supported by a slew of policy measures to boost inbound tourism and consumption, an industry expert said.

Growing appeal 
"I love that they have so many unique pieces that you won't find in Europe. Everything is in silver, and I love silver. I was really impressed by the designs here," Kasha from Poland, who was shopping for jewelry in the TX mall, told the Global Times.

Michelle, also from Poland, told the Global Times that she was attracted by the variety and strong personality of Chinese fashion. "I love all the clothes here. They are unique and full of personality with rich colors. European clothes are usually plain, gray and blunt, and we don't have styles like this back home. Chinese fashion is way better and super cute," she said, adding that she bought two bags from a store in the mall, one for herself and one for her mother.

Mall staff told the Global Times that foreign visitors mainly come from Thailand, Russia, Europe, the US, as well as South America, and tend to buy in larger quantities, making foreign visitors a significant share of spending in the mall.

At the handbag brand MOVA's store in TX mall, foreign visitors cluster around the counter. An Indonesian tourist was seen purchasing 11 handbags in one go, saying he discovered the store through TikTok and planned to bring them back as gifts. Store staff said about two-thirds of daily customers are now foreign visitors, many of whom arrive with specific styles already in mind.

At PANE, local streetwear footwear brand popular among overseas consumers, staff told the Global Times on Monday that foreign visitors now account for around 80 to 90 percent of daily traffic, with the store often fully packed during peak hours with international shoppers.

Julia from Brazil, who bought bags from Songmont, told Global Times she discovered the brand online before coming to China. "It's a well-known Chinese brand with high-quality bags at reasonable prices and great designs - that's why I came here," she said, adding that she often recommends Chinese brands to friends back home, citing their quality, design and affordability.

Beyond apparel and accessories, Chinese tech products are also drawing strong attention from overseas buyers.

At Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei, foreign visitor traffic has maintained steady growth this year, with a sharper surge during the Canton Fair period, when overseas visitors increased by 50 percent year-on-year, according to Xu Jiyue, an official with the Futian District Huaqiangbei Subdistrict.

Recently, it released its second "Top 8 AI Devices" list, covering AI glasses, robots, drones and other smart devices, amid rising global demand for tech products. Foreign visitor numbers are up about 20 percent year-on-year, reaching around 8,000 people per day on average and showing strong demand for on-site sourcing and bulk procurement, Xu told the Global Times. 

Policy boost
In Beijing's China World Mall, a visitor from Algeria purchased around 20,000 yuan worth of electronics and completed a tax refund application in minutes using a self-service kiosk, receiving nearly 1,800 yuan in refunds before going on to buy additional accessories, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Improved digital processing is a key feature of China's upgraded departure tax refund policy 2.0. Cui Peng, operations manager of China World Mall, said the mall has equipped high-traffic merchants with streamlined issuing devices, reducing refund form processing time from about 15 minutes to as fast as three minutes.

This comes after China introduced its "1.0 version" departure tax refund policy in April 2025. Since the policy's rollout last year, the number of participating merchants has increased by 50 percent, while the number of transactions has tripled, Xinhua reported.

On July 1, key measures under China's upgraded departure tax refund "2.0" policy took effect, including full-process paperless processing and simplified sampling checks, offering overseas visitors a smoother refund experience.

In May, six government departments including the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued a notice calling for further optimization of departure tax refund measures to expand inbound consumption, including the introduction of simplified sampling checks, improved digital processing, and upgraded "instant tax refund on purchase" services.

Policy dividends continue to take effect, with an increasing number of foreign visitors engaging in "Shopping in China" alongside "China travel," shifting from sightseeing to deeper consumption, thereby further enhancing the diversity and competitiveness of China's cultural and tourism appeal, Zhang Yi, CEO of the iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times.

Amid the strong policy support, the number of tax refund transactions in the first quarter of 2026 was up nearly fivefold year-on-year since the release of a MOFCOM policy in 2025 aimed at further optimizing departure tax refunds and expanding inbound consumption, according to a report on people.com.

Zhang noted that policy measures such as visa-free expansion have lowered entry barriers and boosted inbound travel, while upgraded tax refund policies, including paperless processing and "instant tax refund on purchase," have amplified the appeal of Chinese products for overseas visitors.

Julia, the shopper at Shanghai's TX mall from Brazil, said this was her first visit to China under China's visa-free entry policy. "It's very convenient. I only needed to complete an online arrival form with my accommodation and length of stay," she said.