The market streets around Dazhao Temple are the most accessible place to buy Mongolian crafts and cashmere in Hohhot. Shops along the main temple approach and the surrounding lanes sell cashmere scarves, sweaters, and blankets alongside Mongolian silver jewellery, saddle ornaments, felt hats, carved horse-head fiddles, and the small painted wooden boxes used for storing snuff. Quality varies significantly; the better shops are identifiable by the thickness of the cashmere (hold it up to the light — tightly-knit single-ply cashmere should be opaque) and the weight of the silver (heavier is better).
For serious cashmere shopping, the wholesale garment market on Zhaojun Road in the eastern city has better prices and wider selection than the tourist-oriented shops near the temple. Prices at the wholesale market are roughly 60–70 percent of Beijing retail; it is worth the taxi ride if you are buying more than one or two items. The brand-name cashmere companies (Erdos, Muxiyuan) have factory outlets in the city that offer additional discounts on end-of-season stock.