What to buy in Beijing?

As a historical capital, Beijing attracts many craftsmen who gather here to make their fortune, so the handicrafts in this city represent the cream of Chinese craftsmanship. If you want to buy souvenirs for your relatives, friends or colleagues, the following things may be suitable for you:

Porcelain

Porcelain, the original “China is still a major industry, producing dinner services, figurines and reproductions of antique vases, teapots and the like. The finest porcelain in the world can be purchased in China.

Cloisonne

Cloisonne (enamel formed in patterns of copper wire) is an art form developed in the 15th century, and now used to decorate vases, bowls, lamps, jewelry and ornaments.

Lacquerware

Lacquerware consists of up to 500 coats of lacquer applied to a copper base and carved into designs. The colors are red, green, yellow and black, while favorite patterns show flowers, birds, landscapes and figures. Lacquer is used for vases, plates, bowls and screens. Some lacquerware is inlaid with gold, mother-of-pearl or jade, to decorate folding screens and furniture which are genuine works of art.

Jade

Jade is regarded by the Chinese as a stone descended from heaven. They value its hard, cool texture and translucent colors. It is extremely difficult to carve but China's craftsmen create incredibly intricate ornaments and jewelry from jade.

Silk

Silk, which has brought fame to China, can be readily found in a dazzling array of colors, patterns and textures. While large State-owned stores like the Beijing Yuanlong Silk Corporation, Ltd. can be trusted for quality and offer ready-made clothes as well as a complete array of fabrics, private markets like Xiushui and Yabaolu sell all kinds of silk clothing from shirts, underwear and trousers, to pajamas and bedspreads at negotiable prices. Most vendors at the markets are self-employed and speak some English. AII the products are marked in Western sizes, but sizes are often deceiving, so try on for size.

Pearls

Chinese freshwater pearls produced in southern China account for over 90% of the world's freshwater pearls. China's Hepu or South Seas pearl is considered better than other cultured pearls and is far more expensive. Pearl necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pins are sold everywhere and they come in a range of sizes and shapes as well as in many colors or hues. Do not confuse these with the Japanese Cultured Salt Water Pearl.

Embroidery

Embroidery is one of the original folk arts of China. According to many historical accounts, embroideries were designs added to dresses, skirts and other clothing over 4,000 years ago. The histories of silk and embroideries run parallel as most embroideries have been done in silk threads.

Elaborate embroideries were added to imperial and court robes. The most elaborate ones were done during the Qing Dynasty, but have been done since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

Where to shop in Beijing?

Some of the main shopping centers in Beijing are as follows: Wangfujing Street, Xidan Commercial Street, Liulichang Culture Street, Dashilan and Silk Alley (Xiushui Jie).

Wangfujing Street

Wangfujing, a 700-year-old shopping street, is located to the east of Tiananmen Square and stretches from the Chinese Art Gallery to Dongchanan Avenue. It houses a wide variety of shops and boutiques where you can find all kinds of commodities, some of which are world-famous brands. The recently finished Oriental Plaza (Dongfang Guangchang) adds more charm to Wangfujing.
Besides modern department stores, the Foreign Language Bookstore is also in this area.

Old-Beijing-Street, built and decorated in Ming and Qing style is now underground. Here there are centralized well-known longstanding stores selling shoes, caps, silk cloth, scissors, Chinese brushes and ink-stick, jade articles, tea, desserts, pickled vegetables, roast ducks and so on.
Popular sites for souvenir photos are the sculptures along the street, reflecting life of old Beijing.

Xidan Shopping Street

Xidan Street is on Xidanbei Dajie, west of Tiananmen Square and is famous for commerce, entertainment, dining, finance and so forth. Like Wangfujing, you also can see both modern and old shops here.

Liulichang Culture Street

For collectors of antiques, Liulichang Culture Street is a place you should not miss. It is only a few minutes' walk from the south of Hepingmen subway station. It is a traditional cultural market selling jewelry, antiques and ancient calligraphies and paintings. Note that antiques over one hundred years old are marked with a red seal and an export license must be signed in order to take them out of the country. The best-known shop in this street is Rong Bao Zhai, opened about three hundred years ag, and selling authentic works of paintings and calligraphies. There are also shops with old watches and furniture.

Dashilan

The oldest shopping street in Beijing is Dashilan. Its history can be traced back to 580 years ago when the Emperor ordered fences to be built to prevent thieves from hiding. The fences built here were quite peculiar and kept for a long time. Later, Big Fences became the name of this street: Dashilan.

Dashilan is situated to the south of Tiananmen Square, west of Qianmen Dajie, where many century-old shops and restaurants still stand. You can buy traditional handcrafts as well. Note that bargaining is always needed.

Silk Alley (Xiushui Street)

Silk Alley lies in Xiushuidong Jie off Jianguomenwai Dajie, near US Embassy. It is a good place to buy cheaper goods and the resident foreigners in Beijing come here frequently. Whatever you want to buy, like bags, shoes, handicrafts or sweaters, you can bargain with the owners.