Dongsheng is the older, more lived-in urban core of Ordos — the city that existed before Kangbashi was built to replace it as the administrative centre. The contrast between the two districts is instructive: Dongsheng has the density, noise, and commercial energy of a functioning Chinese city, with a Sunday market, busy food streets, and the kind of neighbourhood-level activity that Kangbashi's wide boulevards deliberately designed out. Dongsheng is the more interesting place to eat, shop for cashmere, and walk around.
The Dongsheng market area, centred on the old commercial streets near the railway station, has the best concentration of Ordos cashmere shops in the city. Ordos cashmere (branded as Erdos) originates here — the local goats produce some of the finest fibre in the world, and the factory outlets in Dongsheng offer prices significantly lower than the Beijing or Shanghai retail equivalent. The Sunday market is a worthwhile morning's activity; it covers everything from livestock to electronics and gives a genuine picture of the local economy.