Beijing Souvenirs        2008-6-20 16:51:47

Shopping in Beijing is tremendously rewarding. Visitors will find the best products that China has to offer in the capital's stores while exploring a wide variety of interesting shopping venues like outdoor markets, small boutiques and luxury malls.

Prices in Beijing are generally very competitive, but that can depend on your bargaining skills. In places like department stores, prices are clearly marked and generally non-negotiable. Conversely, in markets, bazaars and shops where prices are not indicated, haggling is expected.
More egregious than paying too much is buying something that's mislabeled. Many of the pieces in markets like Liulichang and Panjiayuan are antique reproductions, not genuine antiques. A well-made antique reproduction can make a lovely purchase, so long as you don't pay an exorbitant sum to acquire it. Bear in mind that genuine antiques should have a red seal at the bottom indicating that they're authentic an can be exported from China, however, antiques dated before 1795 can't leave the

Dressing up as his imperial highness and consort

country. Goods made after 1949 aren't considered antiques and won't have a seal.
Be sure to keep your receipts since you may have to show them when departing China.
Beijing's contemporary art scene is among the most exciting in the world, drawing the international attention. Fortunately, paintings and prints by Chinese artists are far more affordable in China than they are overseas. Moreover, they are among the most original purchases you can make in the city and, if history is any guide, their value can appreciate significantly.

Hongqiao Market--The Pearl Market
Hongqiao is a shopping Mecca with ndividual stall holders selling clothes, suitcases, shoes, jewelry, cloisonne, old watches, vintage cameras, porcelain, jade, teapots, Cultural Revolution memorabilia and more. Hongqiao is most famous for its cultured pearls, which are much cheaper than they are in the West. When buying pearls, consider their luster, surface, shape and size. Real peads should feel cooler and more grainy than fakes. If you want to design your own  necklace, most shops can accommodate you in less than 24 hours. A "Jackie Kennedy" style necklace with three strands of pearls should cost RMB 500, but baby pearl necklaces are as cheap as RMB 20 each.
Add: Tiantan Dong Lu, Chongwen District (across from the east gate of the Temple of Heaven)

Liangma Antique Market 
The vendors in this indoor market sell porcelain, jade, paintings, calligraphy,
Chinese lamps, furniture, Buddhist statues, and curios like snuff bottles. Some of the goods are reproductions and some are genuine antiques. The shop owners are less pushy than in other markets, but you should still bargain over the price. A favorite is the store run by the English-speaking Mr. Cui Zhiqian (Stall Al12, Tel: 136 5103 2336). He sells antique and contemporary rugs from Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and eastern China. His prices for antique carpets range from RMB 2,300 for a small
Tibetan prayer rug to RMB 9,500 for a handsome Muslim-style carpet from Ningxia in western China.
Add: 27 Liangma Lu, Chaoyang District


Lizhi 
Lizhi stocks an excellent assortment of porcelain lamps and silk "palace" lanterns for Lizhi, Lizhi stocks an excellent assortment of porcelain lamps and silk "palace" lanterns for RMB 1 50 and up. Nearby stores sell planters, vases and other chinoiserie.
Add: 12 Liangma Flower Market, Chaoyang District (on the south bank of the Liangma River, across from the Lufthansa Center)

Lufthansa Center
The Lufthansa Center was the first Western-style department store built in Beijing. As its name implies, the shopping experience here is similar to an airport. You'll find tourist trinkets, perfume, books and expensive brand-name goods. That said, with so much under one roof, the Lufthansa is a very practical place to shop.
Add: 50 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District

Panjiayuan Flea Market 
If you only shop in one place in Beijing, let it be Panjiayuan. This recently remodeled market is home to over 3,000 dealers who scour China's countryside in search of antiques, family heirlooms and curios. Many of them arrive in Beijing on early Saturday mornings and head straight to Panjiayuan. Since they are eager to make their first sales, Beijing's best bargains are offered early on weekend mornings - between 6:30am and 8:30am. After that, more shoppers arrive and prices go up. During weekdays, the market is a shadow of its weekend self.
Some dealers have stalls, others have actual shops and the remainder sell their goods outside Panjiayuan's east wall. On offer is a galaxy of attractive items, most of which were made in the last 80 years. There are Qing dynasty antiques but these are rare and may be hard for the untrained eye to distinguish.
Prices here are lower than anywhere else in Beijing. Popular items include china plates for RMB 15 and up; carved w