Must-Buy Souvenirs

A hand-painted (not printed) replica of a famous Western or Chinese painting, made to order by one of Dafen Village's thousands of resident artists — this single village once produced a genuinely large share of the world's exported oil paintings. Rolled in a tube for easy travel; framing is extra.

A compact folding camera drone from DJI, the Shenzhen-headquartered company that makes the majority of the world's consumer drones. Huaqiangbei's electronics malls sell current models at prices that regularly undercut overseas retail, though buyers should check firmware/warranty region and airline battery rules before flying home.

Loose-leaf oolong or aged pu'er packed in a gift box, bought from one of the hundreds of wholesale-and-retail tea vendors at Qianhai Tea City, one of Shenzhen's largest tea-trading markets. Shenzhen doesn't grow this tea itself — it's a major regional trading and re-export hub for tea from Fujian, Yunnan, and elsewhere, so vendors here are genuinely knowledgeable and prices are competitive.

A low-alcohol, amber glutinous-rice wine, traditionally home-brewed by Hakka families for a new mother's confinement month and for festivals — Longgang district's Hakka villages are where the tradition runs deepest in Shenzhen. Bottled versions sold as souvenirs range from everyday drinking wine to aged, sweeter reserve bottlings.

A wide, brimless straw hat with a black cloth fringe hanging around the edge, traditionally worn by Hakka women while farming to block sun without covering the face — a genuinely distinctive piece of Hakka material culture, still occasionally seen worn (not just sold) in Shenzhen's older Hakka walled villages. Sold today mainly as a handicraft/decor souvenir rather than daily wear.