Tea sets You’ll
never look at a cup the same way again. For a start, Chinese tea cups
are often three-piece affairs with a saucer to prevent burned fingers
and a lid to keep the leaves out of your mouth. They are sized from mug
to thimble, and the colors and patterning can be exquisite, making a
nicely boxed tea set the number one gift from China.
Chinese tea set
Tea All over Beijing are shops devoted to tea. Malian Dao, a street in the southwest of the city ,
has dozens of tea shops offering around 500 different varieties of
leaf. The packaging can often be quite beautiful too, from bright red
tins to cardboard-tube containers decorated with a waving Mao.
Tea
Contemporary art Not
just a striking souvenir but also a potential investment. Collecting
Chinese art is big business and some names go for tens of thousands of
dollars at international auction. The capital’s galleries showcase a
wide variety of Chinese artists, but their works may not be particularly
affordable.
Carved stone statues
Silk A
Chinese invention and still widely employed today for fine-quality
clothing and embroidery. Genuine silk garments are expensive but look
out for cheaper household accessories such as silk cushions or bags.
Embroidered silk
Calligraphy It’s
a skill that is as revered as painting. Master calligraphers practice
their art assiduously, and their works can be very expensive. However,
hanging wall scrolls are available at affordable prices and make
beautiful souvenirs, especially for anyone with an appropriately
Zen-like apartment back home.
Painted scroll
Marble chops A
chop is a signature, carved onto wood, marble, stone, or plastic, and
used as a stamp on official documents or contracts. It is impossible to
do business in China without a chop. You can quickly and easily get your
own by having your name translated into Chinese characters and taking
it along to a chop-maker. Mao memorabilia The
great icon Mao appears on posters, badges, banners, and almost anything
else with a flat surface. There are shops and stalls that trade in
nothing but Mao in the Dazhalan district and at Panjiayuan Market.
Mao memorabilia
Ceramics China
has been producing ceramics for centuries. The finest come from
Jingdezhen, and can be seen at Ceramic City at 277 Wangfujing Dajie.
Just remember, you have to get it home in one piece.
Lanterns and lamps The
beautiful red lanterns that you see hanging all over Beijing make a
fantastic and very affordable souvenir of China. An equally attractive
variant are the table lamps with distinctive red, tulip-shaped shades.
These should cost no more than a few yuan. Designer clothing Hottest
souvenirs from Beijing are top-label international brands, sold here
for a fraction of the cost back home. They are all, of course, fakes –
almost passable copies but poorer quality. Those whose copyrights are
being infringed have begun to take legal action and the days of the
fakes may be numbered.
Top 10 Galleries
798 Space For contemporary art, the place to go is the 798 Art District.This is the gallery that started it all . PKM Gallery A Seoul-based gallery with one of the largest spaces in Caochangdi. www.pkmgallery.com
PaceWildenstein This New York City gallery’s outpost in the 798 Art District focuses on Chinese art.
www.pacewildenstein.com
Timezone 8 Art, exhibition, and design books from Chinese and international publishers . www.timezone8.com
Urs Meile A gallery founded by Swiss art dealer Urs Meile in a space designed by Ai Wei Wei. www.galerieursmeile.com
doArt China The Beijing outpost of the Korean Gallery Hyundai can be found in Caochangdi. www.doartchina.com
Courtyard Gallery This gallery has locations on Dong’anmen Dajie, as well as an annex in a converted factory in Caochangdi. www.courtyard-gallery.com
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