The flagship Xinhua bookstore on the corner of Wangfujing and Chang'an Avenue, a vast multi-storey shop that has been the city's best-known bookseller for decades. The ground floor handles bestsellers and stationery; the upper floors hold a large art and design section, maps, and a foreign-language department with English titles on the top floors. It is more a window onto how Beijing reads than a place to find rare books.
The shop is busy with locals browsing rather than tourists, which is part of its appeal. Worth half an hour as a stop between the Forbidden City and the National Museum, particularly if you want a decent city map or a Chinese-language children's book to take home.