People visiting Lhasa have the opportunity to buy distinctive local products that are unique to Lhasa and the Tibetan Region. Tibetan thangkas, silver ornaments, yak wool products, dzi beads and Tibetan medicine are some of the most interesting and typically Tibetan things to buy. Lhasa had a great selection of souvenirs and other items that are very distinctive, different from the rest of the stuff commonly available throughout the rest of China.

Of particular note are the hand knotted carpets, made of yak wool or sheep wool. Colorful and intricately designed, they differ from Chinese silk carpets in terms of material, design and production. Groups of locals have come together to form Tibetan owned and operated cooperatives, where carpets are made by hand, and profits go directly to the coop members, the wool producers and weavers.

For everyday necessities as well as clothing, shoes and incidentals, there are a number of department stores in Lhasa, mostly on a section of Beijing Lu that is sometimes known as department store street. The Lhasa Department Store is located on the west end of Yutuo Lu. It is the largest and best-known department store in the city. Although the range of supermarkets isn't on a par with China's larger cities, you can get most essentials, even if you have to do without the odd imported delicacy.

Barkhor Street is home to a more traditional Tibetan shopping market. It is on Barkhor that local shopkeepers with small stalls and shops sell a variety of interesting items, ranging from the mass-produced spinning prayer-wheel, to handmade brass yak butter candle holders, to huge bags of Tibetan saffron, a real bargain at around RMB 4. Here is where you can buy most everything Tibetan: prayer flags, Buddha figures, conch-shell trumpets, Buddhist rosaries, amulets, fur hats, horse bells, bridles, copper teapots and more. Be sure to bargain, and do try to weed out the mass-produced junk (which abounds), if you want to find something truly Tibetan. It isn't difficult, it just takes patience! There are shops and markets elsewhere in Lhasa that specialize in local antiques. As always with antiques, take your time, and if you can get advice from a trusted local, use it.

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