China Souvenir Shopping 2026: Snacks, Sauces & Tianjin Marts

Quick answer

• Popular Chinese souvenirs include unique snacks, local alcohol, and diverse cooking sauces.

• For souvenir shopping in Beijing and Tianjin, consider RT-Mart (Darunfa) or Wu Mart.

• Recommended snacks are unique Oreo flavors, Franzzi cookies, and spicy Mala Konjac.

• Essential sauces to buy include Haidilao hotpot sauce, Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, and Doubanjiang.

• In Tianjin, Wu Mart and Hema Mart are highly recommended supermarkets for tourists.

When it comes to Chinese travel souvenirs, most people pick up snacks like confectionery or alcohol, but you'll also find a wide variety of sauces that are quite affordable.

When you're traveling in China and head to a supermarket for souvenirs, it's super convenient to grab snacks, alcohol, and various sauces all at once. If you're serious about your souvenir shopping, it might be worth dedicating some time to visit a supermarket specifically.

If you're exploring Beijing or Tianjin, I highly recommend checking out RT-Mart, also known as Darunfa Mart, or Wu Mart.

I've put together a list of Chinese travel souvenirs I bought at Darunfa Mart, the specific store I visited, and other recommended supermarket locations.

China Souvenir Shopping List: Darunfa Mart, Snacks, Various Sauces, Mala, Tianjin

1️⃣ Snacks & Confectionery

2️⃣ Alcohol

3️⃣ Sauces

4️⃣ Tianjin Supermarkets in China

1. Snacks & Confectionery

🛍️Item: Oreo

💰Price: 6.8 Yuan

While Oreo cookies are easily found in many countries, China boasts an incredible variety of flavors.

You'll find unique flavors like Raspberry, Matcha, Peach, Coconut, and Pistachio that aren't typically available elsewhere, so if you spot a flavor you love, it's definitely worth trying!

🛍️Item: Franzzi Cookies

💰Price: 4.5 Yuan / 7.5 Yuan

Franzzi is a Chinese sandwich cookie brand known for its rich buttery flavor.

A friend who traveled with me to Tianjin received them as a gift from another friend, raved about how delicious they were, so I had to try them myself!

While they might not taste as exquisite as premium cookies, considering their incredibly low price (around ~$1), you're getting amazing quality for your money!

They also come in a variety of flavors, including Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Lemon, Cheese Chocolate, and Matcha.

🛍️Item: Mala Konjac

💰Price: 4.8 Yuan

The combination of konjac and mala might sound a bit unusual, but this snack offers a chewy, bouncy texture with an exciting, spicy mala flavor.

I imagined it would be similar in texture and taste to adding semi-dried squid to Mala Xiang Guo, and as someone who loves Mala Tang and Mala Xiang Guo, I found it absolutely delicious!

It's a savory snack that would pair perfectly with a cold beer.

#ChinaSouvenirs #ChineseSnacks #ChinaSnackSouvenirs

2. Alcohol

🛍️Item: Beer

💰Price: 8~10 Yuan

China is also renowned for its alcohol, so you'll discover a fantastic selection of beverages when you visit a supermarket.

When I went to Qingdao, I even brought back 'Wonjang Beer.' The beer in the photo is a Chinese craft beer.

These are beers infused with fruit or tea flavors, so they might not be for everyone, but I recommend them if you're looking for a unique souvenir gift.

#ChinaShoppingList #ChinaAlcoholSouvenirs

3. Sauces

🛍️Item: Haidilao Sauce

💰Price: 12.8 Yuan

If you're a fan of Chinese food, especially Mala Tang or Hot Pot, bringing back Haidilao sauce is a fantastic idea.

While you can find it in other countries, buying it in China is much cheaper and offers a wider selection.

At Darunfa Mart in Tianjin, China, they stocked various types of Haidilao sauce, beyond just soy sauce-flavored and mala-flavored hot pot sauces.

If you're looking for Mala sauce, just pick up a product labeled 'Mala' or '麻辣'.

🛍️Item: Laoganma Sauce

💰Price: 9~12.5 Yuan

Get ready for Laoganma, a sauce brand famous throughout China!

Among its many products, the Chili Crisp (Lajiao Jiang) is particularly famous, and the beef-flavored one for 9.8 Yuan is a popular and safe bet.

It pairs wonderfully with dishes like Mapo Tofu, Chinese stir-fried noodles, or fried rice.

🛍️Item: Wang Zhihe Fermented Tofu

💰Price: 7.8 yuan

This is Furu, a Chinese fermented tofu sauce, often used in sesame paste sauces.

🛍️Item: Doubanjiang

💰Price: 11.5 yuan

Doubanjiang, the Chinese equivalent of Gochujang and Doenjang

It's a fermented condiment made from broad beans (or soybeans), chili peppers, and salt, and it's an essential ingredient for Mapo Tofu.

It also pairs wonderfully with dishes like Yuxiang Eggplant or Mala Xiang Guo.

🛍️Item: Mala Oil

💰Price: 5.5 yuan

Mala oil is what gives Mala Tang its signature numbing sensation!

It's an oil made from huajiao (Sichuan peppercorns), which is why your tongue gets that delightful numbing sensation when you eat Mala Tang.

Sometimes when I make Mala Xiang Guo at home, I miss that numbing kick, and since this was so affordable at around ~$1, I just had to get one!

🛍️Item: Liaojiu

💰Price: 5.8 yuan

Liaojiu is a Chinese cooking wine, similar to Korea's mirin (cooking sake).

While there might not be a huge taste difference compared to buying mirin in Korea, if you're serious about authentic Chinese cooking, it's definitely worth considering!

#ChinaSouvenirSauces

4. Tianjin Supermarkets in China

China Tianjin Darunfa Supermarket

The link above is for the Darunfa Supermarket on Gaode Maps, which is where I went to buy Chinese souvenirs.

When I visited a Darunfa Supermarket in Qingdao, it was large and had a wide variety of items, so I decided to visit one in Tianjin too. However, this particular branch turned out to be quite small and seemed more geared towards locals than tourists.

Later, checking Gaode Maps again, I saw it only had 29 reviews, which could have clued me in that it was a much smaller place...

I wish I had done more research and gone to a different supermarket.

If you're planning a trip to Tianjin, China, I highly recommend these two supermarkets:

Wu Mart

With over 500 reviews and close proximity to the excellent value-for-money Lijindong Hotel where we stayed, I really regret not going here instead ㅠㅠ

Wu Mart Gaode Maps Link

Hema Mart

With over 800 reviews and conveniently located near Joy City, it offers great accessibility.

Hema Mart Gaode Maps Link