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Legitimate (aka Real) Apple Stores in China

China, love it though I do, is quite the producer of Apple fakes. In fact, just about every name brand product has been re-created here lacking a brand. 🙂

In regards to clothing and accessories (and sometimes food) woohoo! Cheap products! You’d be surprised how often the fakes look, feel, wear, and sometimes taste like the real thing. To be honest, most of us can’t really tell the difference. So many real companies re-package their products for sale in foreign countries, that we can’t tell if the product is a fake or just a “re-designed” legit item.

However, when it comes to electronics, not so fun. While I hear some complaints about random items, nothing compares to the tears over fake Apple products.

Did you know the Apple IPhone 6s is actually produced in Zhengzhou, Henan, China (my home)? It’s true! We have one of the large FoxCon factories here, and many of my students worked there this past summer helping to manufacture the Iphone.

But that doesn’t mean we get a good price. Apple products are one of the things statistically the same price or more expensive than in America. Given the cost of Apple products and the inability to repair fakes, most people try to avoid the fakes if at all possible. And the fakes are almost indistinguishable from the real products until you try using them or repairing them. It’s extremely hard to tell when you are visiting a “real” Apple store and when it is an independent seller.

In the interest of helping some fellow Laowai (foreigners) out, I decided to share Apple’s list of approved Apple stores. You can find this list (and the lists for other countries) on their website www.apple.com/retail/storelist/. These stores are the only stores in China that Apple itself has approved to sell their products. If you really want to verify that you have the real thing, try to check out one of these stores. And avoid online retailers if at all possible!

Shanghai

Shanghai, Shanghai iapm
999 Middle Huaihai Road
Xuhui District
200031 Shanghai
021 3332-6000

Shanghai, Nanjing East
No. 300 East Nanjing Road
HuangPu District
200001 Shanghai
4006639988

Shanghai, Pudong
No.8 Century Avenue IFC Mall
Shop LG2-27, Lujiazui, Pudong District
200120 Shanghai
0212033 5300

Shanghai, Hong Kong Plaza
282 Huaihai Zhong Road
Luwan District
200021 Shanghai
021 2312-2800

Beijing

Beijing, Sanlitun
Building 6, No. 19, Sanlitun Road
Taikoo Li Sanlitun, Chaoyang District
100027 Beijing
010 5931-2100

Beijing, China Central Mall
China Central Mall
81 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District
Beijing
010 5940-3300

Beijing, Chaoyang Joy City
101 Chaoyang North Road
Chaoyang District
100000 Beijing
4006171284

Beijing, Wangfujing
Beijing apm, No. 138 Wangfujing Street
Dongcheng District
100006 Beijing
0105657 2000

Beijing, Xidan Joy City
131 North Xidan Avenue, Joy City
Xicheng District
100032 Beijing
0105882 5200

NANJING

Nanjing, Nanjing IST
100 Zhongshan Road
Xuanwu District
210008 Nanjing
4006171334

Nanjing, Wonder City
619 Yingtian Road
Yuhuatai District
210000 Nanjing
025 5186-9000

Nanning, MixC Nanning
136 Minzu Avenue
Qingxiu District
530000 Nanning
4006171265

XIAMEN

Xiamen, Xiamen Lifestyle Center
SM Lifestyle Center
No.399 Jiahe Road, Siming District
Xiamen
4006171383

DALIAN

Dalian, Parkland
19 Jiefang Road
Zhongshan District
116000 Dalian
4000560921

TIANJIN

Tianjin, Tianjin Joy City
2 Nanmenwai Street
Nankai District
300199 Tianjin
022 5998-3200

GUANGZHOU

Guangzhou, Parc Central
No. 218, Tianhe Road
Tianhe District
510000 Guangzhou
4006139742

CHENGDU

Chengdu, MixC Chengdu
No. 8 Shuangqing Road,
Chenghua District
610000 Chengdu
0286528 0800

Chengdu, Taikoo Li Chengdu
8 Middle Shamao Street
Jinjiang District
610000 Chengdu
4006171275

WUXI

Wuxi, Center 66 Wuxi
139 Renmin Middle Road
Chong’an District
214000 Wuxi
0510 8508-7000

HANGZHOU

Hangzhou, MixC Hangzhou
701 Fuchun Road
Jianggan District
310000 Hangzhou
0571 8991-1000

Hangzhou, West Lake
100 Pinghai Road
Shangcheng District
310006 Hangzhou
0571 8790-0000

SHENYANG

Shenyang, Zhongjie Joy City
5 Xiaodong Road
Dadong District
110042 Shenyang
024 3162-2000

Shenyang, MixC Shenyang
288 Qingnian Street
Heping District
110000 Shenyang
4006171274

SHENZHEN

Shenzhen, Holiday Plaza Shenzhen
No. 9028 Shennan Avenue
518000 Shenzhen
07552639 3400

ZHENGZHOU

Zhengzhou, MixC Zhengzhou
10 Minzhu Road,
Erqi District
450099 Zhengzhou
0371 6033-7200

CHONGQING

Chongqing, Jiefangbei
108 Zourong Road
Yuzhong District
400010 Chongqing
023 6399-7300

Chongqing, MixC Chongqing
55 Xiejiawan Street
Jiulongpo District
400050 Chongqing
023 6346-3000

Chongqing, Paradise Walk Chongqing
8 Paradise Walk
Jiangbei District
400020 Chongqing
023 6700-8300

Tags: Apple, beijing, China, Fakes, I-Pad, IPad, Shanghai

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Categories Asia, China, Life, Travel

Image

Light in the Shadows

20 Jan

Tags: Ancient, Asia, asian, China, Chinese, Culture, Kaifeng, night, Photography, temple, Travel, Travel Photography

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Categories Art, Asia, China, Life, Travel

When Time Rewinds

19 Dec

Kaifung, Henan, China ~ Traditional Park

Tags: Chinese Art, Landscape, Life in China, Photography

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Categories Art, Asia, China, China, History, Life, Travel

Life in China ~ Shhhh, they’re sleeping

12 Dec

Only in China. . . The Construction Bank was closed today with a sign in the door. I asked some students to read the sign and tell me if the closing was for a reason. . . “They’re taking a rest day. They decided everyone needs a rest.” 0_0 Can you imagine a US bank just closing the doors one Saturday for a “rest day.”?

Tags: China, Funny, Humor, Life in China, Real Life, Work

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Categories Asia, China, Life, Travel

Kaifeng Acrobats

30 Nov

Tags: China Travel, Performance

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Categories Art, Asia, China, Life, Travel

48 Hours in Kaifeng ~ City of Chrysanthemums

29 Nov

Where? ~ Kaifeng, Henan, China

How? ~ Fly into Zhengzhou (an international airport). Grab the train or a bus to Kaifeng (takes about 2 Hours)

Recommendation ~ Don’t go later in the winter than November 20th or so. All the cultural sites will be winding up their activities and events, so you’ll miss all the fun things to do there. For example, we caught the last showing of the Millennium Park War (a major thing to see).

Cost ~ Please note that the costs below are what was reported to me. To be honest, costs vary from week to week here. So it could be as much as 20CNY higher or lower (about $4) for each place, or it could be what I told you. It really depends on the day.

Why?

The Ancient City of Kaifeng 开封 (kI fuhng) lies in the heart of central Henan Province, China and trails just south of the Yellow River. The local Henan people speak of Kaifeng, the capital of six different dynasties and a town filled with beautiful flowers and famous dishes, with the greatest respect and awe.

“Open and Shut”

Dating to 364BC, a small city of canals and waterways linked to the Yellow River was created. This little town would eventually morph into a thriving business and merchant city, now home to almost 6 million people. The city would be destroyed, abandoned, and re-built many times in the following centuries, and remnants of these cultures can still be seen at the local cultural sites and the city museum. In fact, for about 114 years, Kaifeng was the largest city in the world! The tour guide compared it to Tokyo, New York, and Paris in its time.

The characters in the name Kaifeng represent the phrase “Open and Shut.” Officially, this name represents the fact that Kaifeng represents open and shutting doors. Kaifeng has always been open to new ideas, new theories ~ a center of business, technology, and politics. But it is also closed, remaining true to the traditional values and beliefs of its ancient inhabitants. This is why when you visit, you can find both Ancient villas that appear unmarked by the intervening centuries and modern Shopping.

Secretly, our guide says “Open and Shut” is the name because if you open up the windows in Kaifeng, you’re blown away by the winds. Perhaps true, it was seriously freezing and the wind could have cut through a sheet of glass. Continue reading →

Tags: China, Henan, History, Kaifeng

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Categories Asia, China, China, History, Life, Travel

One Thousand Hands and Eyes

26 Nov

This beautiful statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy lies in Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng, Henan, China. Gold-plated, it is a memorial to both propriety and filial piety, two of the great Chinese Confucian virtues. The story below is a combination of the story told by the tour guide and some local conversationalists who were happy to relate the story to me.

Many centuries ago,

An old emperor of China grew very, very ill and saw that his country was suffering as well. Realizing that the country was troubled and needed heavenly assistance, the worried king called out to Buddha and asked for guidance on how to appease the heavens and reclaim the blessings from above.

Buddha responded that the country and its king had done some very wicked things in the past and that now a sacrifice would be required to repair the damage. Buddha asked that the Emperor offer up to the heavens one arm and one eye from someone within his family. If he did so, Buddhas said, the country and emperor would be healed and would live in peace once more.

The Emperor was very saddened and worried, because the only family he had left were his three young daughters. The Princesses though were very concerned about their father and finally convinced him to share what Buddha commanded. Upon hearing of the sacrifice required, the sisters were quite upset.

The eldest daughter went to her father ~ “My king, although I love you and would do anything else that you asked of me, I cannot do this for you. I am a new mother, my baby is still nursing. If I only have one arm and one eye, how could I possibly care for my baby the way a good mother is supposed to?” Continue reading →