Chinese consumers shop at a duty-free store in Seoul. [Photo by Zhu Xingxin/China Daily]

What I find most alluring about South Korea is the integration of energy, avant-garde fashion and romance. And the first thing that occurs to many people about Seoul specifically is shopping, largely for a wide range of cosmetic brands from Korea and foreign markets. Myeongdong, the popular commercial district in central Seoul, is heaven for women of all ages, but especially the young.

To reach this area, take the subway to Myeongdong station on Line 4, or Euljiro 1-ga on Line 2, where a mind-boggling number of cosmetics shops, boutiques and large department stores are ready to stealthily empty your wallet. It is a very pleasant shopping experience, not only because of the reasonably priced products and welcoming sales assistants, but also the lack of pressure to buy anything that you try on.

During or after shopping, you can delight your taste buds and fuel your physical strength at the stalls and restaurants in this neighborhood. They offer Korean snacks and delicacies, such as bulgogi (Korean barbecue) and samgye tang (ginseng chicken soup). Personally, I find it quite fun and fascinating to stand beside the stall for a perfect set of topokki (stir-fried rice cake) and saecham oden (fish cake soup), which warm the body in cold weather.

Once in the Myeongdong area, and after walking and dining until sunset, it's almost certain that I will visit the N Seoul Tower, a 236-meter-tall city landmark on Mount Namsan that attracts tens of thousands of locals and tourists every year for the tower's panoramic view, especially at night.

I took the Namsan cable car to the tower, and then the elevator to the top observation deck. As the entire night view of Seoul unfolded before me, the phrase "breathtakingly romantic" popped into my head, although I cannot recall anything in particular about the scene that related to romance.

Perhaps it was a decoration on the deck, a huge sticker on the glass that read "Love is in the air", or the sight of other tourist couples happily taking sweet selfies with the dazzling night view as a background, that gave me that illusion. Or perhaps it is truly romantic, just like the love padlock tree on the roof terrace that has become a popular place for young couples to hang their locks symbolizing eternal love－a scene depicted many times in classic romantic scenes in Korean dramas and TV programs.

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