Changsha has had a long commercial history, and local craftwork and specialty products are some of the best in the country. The Xiang Embroidery (Xiang xiu) is the highlight, regarded in China as one of the four best embroidery types along with the Suzhou & Sichuan embroidery and the Yue embroidery from Guangdong.

Other specialties include the Xiang Tea (Xiang cha), porcelain & pottery, chrysanthemum stones, fans, firecrackers, lacquer reproductions, smoky quartz, bloodstone carvings, duck-down clothing and bamboo carvings, all of which can be bought in many stores around the city.

The main shopping streets in Changsha are Huangxin lu, Zhongshan lu and Cai'e lu. For department stores, the Apollo Plaza (Apolou shangye jituan), is the best stocked. For the above mentioned products, most can be found in the Antiques Shop in the Provincial Museum, in the Embroidery Research Institute (Xiangxiu yanjiusuo) at 70 Bayi lu, or in the Friendship Store (Youyi shangdian), on Shaoshan lu, just off Bayi lu.