The street adjacent to Laitai Flower Street is known as Lady Street, and is the largest clothes market in Beijing. Its 1,100 stalls trade in clothes, shoes, headgear, and some 10,000 other commercial varieties.

Compared with other clothes wholesale markets in Beijing, Lady Street is ahead in fashion, and boasts a better shopping environment. Most of its goods are produced in Guangdong, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. There are three blocks on the street, the bulk of attractions being concentrated in Block A, where there are all kinds of women's goods. On the first floor are clothing and other commodities, and on the second floor are cosmetics, underwear, headgear, wigs, shoes and hosiery.

Traditional-style clothes have come back into favor in recent years, and Lady Street stocks some particularly unusual designs. In the boutique opposite the staircase on the first floor of Block A, female shoppers are captivated by dresses decorated with embroidered coiling dragons, the "fu" Chinese character (meaning happiness) in red, and gorgeous peonies, and there is an array of qipao gowns in traditional and updated styles. Among its wares is a pink shawl that is particularly eye-catching. Covered by thin layer of tulle, this embroidered silk shawl evokes an air of ethereal elegance. According to the sales assistant, traditional-style garments are most favored by customers in literary, arts, and drama circles, who most accurately interpret the traditionally refined and poised bearing of Chinese women. At the modest price of 200 to 300 yuan, such traditional garments are accessible to women of all ages and professions.

With the upsurge of Korean trends in China, Chinese youngsters are dedicated to Korean hairstyles, makeup and clothes. In Lady Street, Hanfeisi offers a wide choice of Korean-style garments, including sportswear, casual clothes, fashionable dresses, and formal suits. Short, neat jackets and hipster, bell-bottomed trousers give full play to the curves of these svelte young ladies, and all the garments, whether they be blouses, skirts, trousers or complete outfits, are easily coordinated. "We have many regular customers," the sales assistant said while showing me the register. "Whenever we lay in a new stock of clothes, we let our clients -- mostly fashion models, actresses, air hostesses and office clerks, know." Hanfeisi is also the haunt of salesgirls working at other shops in the street.

In Block A stands a catwalk, where fashion shows are staged every afternoon at five o'clock. The clothes for sale on the street are modeled here, and any interested spectator may make their inquiries after the show. This inter-active method has done a great deal to promote sales.

When it is time to take a break from shopping, a box lunch may be purchased at the snack bar behind the catwalk, and kebabs, nuts, and drinks are on sale at the entrance to Block A.

Between the blocks are promenade paths, lined by European-style benches and decked with clusters of flowers. Most of the people resting here are men, who take naps, have a smoke or read newspapers to kill time, as they wait for their wives or girlfriends to return laden with purchases.