A cluster of stalls and small shops in the central district around Changjiang Road caters to Tibetan residents and tourists with items from across the plateau: thangka paintings (ranging from cheap prints to handmade works costing thousands), silver jewellery, Buddhist ritual objects (dorje, prayer wheels, singing bowls), traditional Tibetan clothing, and an extensive selection of incense. The quality and authenticity vary widely — bargain on everything.
The best thangka dealers can be found in the permanent shops rather than the market stalls; look for workshops where the painting is done on the premises, which indicates the images are made locally rather than mass-produced in factories. Cordyceps fungus (虫草, chóng cǎo) — the expensive caterpillar-fungus medicinal ingredient prized in Chinese medicine — is sold throughout this area; prices are high and authenticity requires knowledge to verify.