Shopping or buying souvenirs for family or friends is an important part of one's visit to a foreign country. China is an interesting place to go shopping, and Beijing has a long history as a commercial and cultural centre. It was the place from which Marco Polo brought to Europe silk and noodles. Nowadays there is a bit more choice that in Marco Polo's time. You can choosing interesting things as you like.
Native Production
Providing special description of various unique productions of ancient Beijing like antiques, jade, silk, Chinese trational paintings and calligraphy, cloisonne, lacquerware, procelain and more...
Beijing, as a historical capital attracted numerous craftsmen to gather there and make their fortune, so the craftworks in this city relatively exhibit the cream of Chinese crafts.
The "Four Famous Representative Arts" in Beijing are cloisonne(Jingtailan), ivory carvings (Yadiao), jade objects (Yuqi) and carved lacquer wares (Qidiao). If you prefer folk handicrafts that we will mention later, you are sure to be interested in them. On the street you may meet lifelike flour-made or clay-made figurines (Mianren or Niren), colorful kites, exquisite paper-cut, Chinese knots (Zhongguojie) and so forth.
If you know some Chinese culture, will you miss "the Four Treasures in the Study" (Wen Fang Si Bao)? They are Chinese brush, Chinese ink, paper and ink stone. Many visitors like to buy Chinese traditional instruments in Beijing, too, because the instruments there are thought to be best in the whole country. Traditional calligraphies and paintings, porcelains, silk, embroidery, jewelry, snuff bottles (biyanhu) and seal cuttings (stones carved with one's name, called yinzhang in Chinese) are all good choices for you.
Some local food, preserved fruit (guopu), candied fruit (mijian) and Beijing snacks are all thought to be good to give your friends as presents. Don't forget Chinese medicinal herbs, if you do believe its magic power to help patients.
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).
Cloisonne
Cloisonne is a unique handicraft. It is made of bronze and porcelain through complex artistic procedures as traditional painting and carving.
The earliest existing cloisonne was made in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). During the Jingtai Period (1450-1456) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), craftsmen found a kind of dark-blue material which was of graceful style. Blue is pronounced "lan" in Chinese. This is how it got the name: Jingtailan.
Cloisonne has a grave and magnificent appearance so people like to decorate their rooms with it and young women like wearing jewelries made of it. In addition, it also could be a superb gift.
