TouchBeijing.com » antique http://www.touchbeijing.com Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:38:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Panjiayuan Flea Market http://www.touchbeijing.com/panjiayuan-flea-market/ http://www.touchbeijing.com/panjiayuan-flea-market/#comments Fri, 25 Dec 2009 03:49:38 +0000 admin http://www.touchbeijing.com/?p=2555 Panjiayuan Flea Market is located at the south east of the 3rd Ring Road. It is an open air market, opened 7 days a week, but the best time to go is on weekend. The market was famous for antique dealings about 10 years ago, today it is famous for the big collections of handicraft works from the neighbouring provinces, but not entirely in the sense of antiques, you can still get some real stuff, but not very easy.

Take it as a fun place for half day shopping, or maybe just a visit to a museum, but not as a serious real antique shopping place, especially when you were told that the stuff you are staring at is from Song or Tang Dynasty…and if you really want to buy it, they will have a story on it, the only thing you can rely on is your own sharp eyes.

The market sells almost anything you can imagine, from the big vase to menus of old cameras, or personal letters, even old private diary, it could be roughly categoried into: porcelain, jade or gem, furnitures, wooden carving, clock (watch), stamps, coins, painting(mostly Chinese paintings), second hand books, newspaper and magezines, old photos (sometime you can find old family album), collections from the Cultural Revolution (Mao’s red books, notebooks, posters, bags)… all of the above could be: seemingly very old or authentic stuff, replica, or just today’s handicraft work. The price may vary a lot from just 10 to several hundres or thousands yuan.

Photos from the market:


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]]> http://www.touchbeijing.com/panjiayuan-flea-market/feed/ 0 Treasures in Capital Museum http://www.touchbeijing.com/treasures-in-capital-museum/ http://www.touchbeijing.com/treasures-in-capital-museum/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:02:08 +0000 admin http://www.touchbeijing.com/?p=1409

The capital museum now can book just one day before visit, and the limitation of visitors is now up to 4,000 each day, except Monday (closed).


溥仪退位诏书 （复制品）二层
Imperial edict of Emperor Puyi (the Last Emperor) on his abdication (replica), on the second floor of the museum.


象牙雕葡萄长方盒，清朝, 三层
Rectangular Ivory Box carved with design of grape, Qing Dynasty, 3rd floor.


凸花海水江牙鱼龙献寿金盘，明，丰台右安门外东庄万贵墓出土
Gold Plate with the design of fish and dragon in the ocean waves offering birthday congratulations in relief, Ming Dynasty, excavated from Wangui Graveyard at Waidongzhuang, You’anmen, Fengtai district, Beijing.


金丝冠，金，房山金陵遗址，九龙山主峰大宝顶前竖穴矿墓出土，初步认定为金太祖晚宴阿骨打之睿陵
Gold Filigreed Crown, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), excavated in Fangshan District.


青瓷转心瓶，清乾隆年
A celadon-glazed movable-core vase painted in gold pattern and decorated in famille-rose openwork lotus and four children sculptures, Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795)


景德镇窑五彩人物故事图盆，明万历年，安定门出土
Five-colored basin with Human figure design in various scenes, Wanli Era of Ming Dynasty, excavated from Andingmen, Dongcheng District, Beijing.


景德镇窑青白釉水月观音菩萨像，元，西城区定阜大街西口出土，三层
Bluish white glazed carving of Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara, Jingdezheng ware, Yuan Dynasty, excavatated from the West End of Dingfu Street, Xicheng District of Beijing, 3rd floor.


檀香木佛像，清，三层
Sandalwood Buddha, Qing Dynasty, 3rd floor


石刻佛像，四层
Stone Statue of Buddha, 4th floor


An effigy in a folklore holiday celebration, 5th floor.

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]]> http://www.touchbeijing.com/treasures-in-capital-museum/feed/ 0 Songtangzhai Folk Carving Museum http://www.touchbeijing.com/songtangzhai-folk-carving-museum/ http://www.touchbeijing.com/songtangzhai-folk-carving-museum/#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:27:19 +0000 admin http://www.touchbeijing.com/?p=557 Situated on Liulichang, Beijing’s antique street is the architecturally important Songtangzhai Folk Carving Museum. Privately owned by manager Li Songtang’s family, this gallery is a two-story building from the Qing Dynasty.

The uniquely cohesive exhibition hall and collection, including the stone stairs, gate screen and ceilings, are all part of Li’s functional, as well as beautiful collection.

The museum’s Jiangxi-style stone-carved gate tower dating from the Ming Dynasty, Qing Beijing-style wood-carved tower gate and Shanxi-style brick-carved gate tower, are all considered to be among the most famous carved art of Chinese history. Because Li collects from around the country, his gate towers represent architectural styles of many Chinese regions.

Cultural and historical traditions and folklore is omnipresent throughout the gallery. The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) stone block door is carved with pictures of the Hu people — Mongolians who ruled China at that time, feeding and training the mythical Qilin, Chinese folklore beast. Images clearly indicate that the Mongolians were the ruling class of the time. Another stone carving in the museum depicts a military and civil officer presenting an official hat to their master in recognition of his promotion. Another item, a Qing Dynasty wood carving of the River God, was used as a sacrificial object when praying for a good year.

“The Emperor Strolling About,” a stone-carved roof beam, is the most precious piece in the museum. Some 60 figures are carved in the stone, including imperial officers, drummers, guardians, animals and plant designs. It is said that the craftsmen spent at least three years creating these carved images.

As Li’s intention is to spread knowledge of traditional Chinese architectural art to his visitors, there is no fixed ticket price for the museum. Donations are accepted.

Address: No. 14, East Liulichang Road, 100050

Open: 9:00 – 18:00

Tel: 8610-83164662

Admission: Admission is free, but making a donation is suggested.


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]]> http://www.touchbeijing.com/songtangzhai-folk-carving-museum/feed/ 0 Liulichang Antiques Street http://www.touchbeijing.com/liulichang-antiques-street/ http://www.touchbeijing.com/liulichang-antiques-street/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:57:33 +0000 admin http://www.touchkunshan.com/backup/?p=808 Liulichang is a small street lined with shops facades bearing Ming and Qing dynasty architectural features. With brightly painted doors and eaves and gracefully curved black-tiled-roofs buildings, a little of old Beijing’s lifestyle is retained here.

Scholars who once came to the capital to sit for the imperial examination started this ancient market. Sometimes, they ran out of money and sold antiques, paintings and calligraphy to cover their journeys home. The cultural market gradually emerged here at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1644-1911).

The China Bookstore, Rongbaozhai, and Jiguge are the most famous antique stores in Liulichang. The China Bookstore located at the back of a courtyard of the first complex on the north, sells second-hand foreign language books. A used bookstore in China, particularly one that has foreign-language offerings, was once a rare thing, but this one also has a curious organizational style. All the foreign-language materials are mixed together. English-language works stand spine-to-spine with Russian and German works. Literature shares shelf space with psychology and history.

Along the street, peddlers hawk snacks, groceries, toys and copper coins, all kind of small commodities. Merchants race to their doors with a welcoming Hello for all their customers, but they all rack their brains to attract foreigners’ attention. Some offer free seal-carving services and they even can find a perfect Chinese name for you if you like. Some shop owners invite folk artists to their shops such as an 80-year-old heir to the Qing Dynasty’s royal embroidery tradition. It is amazing to watch this elderly man embroider a pair of little shoes for a pair of tiny feet.


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