A family of six walked into a glasses shop in Shanghai and bought more than 20 pairs at once. The shop is not a luxury store. It sits inside Shanghai International Glasses City, a market of hundreds of small counters that used to serve local buyers.
For foreign visitors, that ordinary stop is becoming part of the trip. Tong Qingying, a manager there, says foreign customers in 2026 have grown to about five or six times the number in earlier years. Many come as large families, she says, and they often leave with more than 20 pairs.
Shanghai received about 5.31 million overseas visitors in the first half of 2026, up nearly 28 percent from a year earlier, according to the city's culture and tourism bureau.
In many countries, getting new glasses means seeing a doctor, then waiting days or weeks. At this market, an eye exam can happen in the shop, and ordinary lenses are often ready in about 20 to 30 minutes. Shopkeepers say the same frames cost much less than at home. The choice is wide enough that one family can pick styles for different people, and extras to take back.
Swiss visitor Mia Bernauer bought two pairs of prescription glasses on her first trip to China. "The price is half, or even less, than in Switzerland," she told China Daily.
The draw is not a famous brand. It is a dense row of ordinary shops: choose a frame, check your eyes, wait a little, walk out wearing the glasses. Other shops in the market tell similar stories. Groups of foreign tourists have bought more than 20 pairs in a single visit.
China is used to travelers shopping for luxury. What stands out now is a far more ordinary errand. Some visitors still go to the Bund. They also leave with a bag of glasses.