Beijing Deep Mountains Bamboo Art Studio Near The Forbidden City

‘Da Shan Qing’ — Mountain Gifts, is a famous brand selling bamboo art near the Forbidden City and Beijing Emperor Hotel in Beijing.

Coming from XianNing, a mountainous city where bamboos are abundant, Mountain Gifts offers a large selection of bamboo books and sculptures.

The crafters of the shop use the ancient way to make bamboo books – by hand-carving on the narrow bamboo strips.

Their themes include Dream of Red Mansion, legend of Eight Immortals, Chairman Mao’s snow poem, and Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Each piece sells around RMB 300.

In the bamboo sculpture section, I was enthralled by the sculpture of “Zhu Lin Qi Xian” – the seven famous scholars of the 3 Kingdoms era.

The carving works were excellent, as I could see clearly the smallest details. Ms. Zhang, the owner, said a good bamboo sculpture doesn’t come easy.

Qualified bamboo is hard to find and the shape will largely affect the sculpture process. That particular artwork is priced at about RMB 2,000.

The shop also offers little bamboo products, such as jars, dishes, food baskets, spoons, and trays.

Gou Bu Li Steamed Stuffed Bun

Gou Bu Li steamed stuffed bun is a traditional and delicious Chinese food.
 
It first appeared in Tianjin in 1858, under the reign of Emperor Xian Feng of the Qing Dynasty.
 
Gou Bu Li means the inventor — nicknamed Gou Zi (puppy)– was so busy selling his steamed stuffed buns that he had no time to answer questions from his customers.
 
There is a Gou Bu Li restaurant on Dongdan North Street near Beijing Emperor Hotel. Their steamed stuffed bun is very tasty, and prices are very inexpensive.
 
One meal of steamed stuffed bun costs only RMB 13 or RMB 15. It includes 9 buns, some home-made pickles, and some mung bean porridge.

Chinese Folkarts Shop near the Fu Hao Hotel specializes in folk handicrafts, such as paper cuts, embroidered shoes, kites, facial make-ups of the Beijing Operas, dough figurines, silk figurines, folk jewelry, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, chopsticks, etc.
 
Among their exclusive merchandise, the shop carries pottery items like Buddhas and unicorns, and shadow puppets.
 
The shop plays classical Chinese music to attract customers’ attention. Foreign visitors account for 70-80% of their customers.
 
On a picturesque note, a white cat with yellow eyes was wandering in the shop at the time of my visit.
 
The shop owner told me the cat was a stray, until a shop assistant took her in and the cat refused to leave ever since.
 
Many foreign visitors like to hold the cat in arms and have pictures taken.

 
 
Jun ware is a type of celadon, with a strange blue and white color due to its unique makeup.
Those who wish to obtain some of the best Jun ware in Beijing can find a nice shop conveniently located near the Forbidden City not far from Beijing Emperor Hotel.
 
It is called Yan Bao Tang.
This shop offers a selection of Jun porcelain made straight from the origin, Yu County in Henan. There, the Jun ware were made using an ancient kiln excavated 3 decades ago.
 
I had a chat with Mr. Wang, the shop owner and noted connoisseur. He told me he was fascinated by Jun porcelain and the process - Furnace Transmutation.
 
This technique could make shimmering chinaware by the irregular application of glaze.
In the shop, I saw a mountain-themed plate. But after the Furnace Transmutation process, a Santa image popped up unexpectedly.
 
This is the magic of Furnace Transmutation. Before the process finished, you’d never know what you are going to get. This particular plate costs around RMB 2,500.
 
Though most of the products copy traditional designs, there are some modern patterns.
 
Two bottle vases with bronze lace and flames are actually designed by Mr. Han Meilin, who created Beijing’s Olympic mascots. Each vase sells for around RMB 3,000.

Handicrafts, especially the Old Beijing handicrafts, are an essential culture of Beijing.

Located near the Forbidden City in inner of Beijing near the Beijing Redwall Hotel, Ya Xuan carries a large selection of traditional Chinese and old Beijing handicrafts.

They offer cloth soles, Peking opera masks, clay figurines, Chinese knot, and more.

Browsing through the shop, I can’t resist picking up a grinning ‘Huan Xi Wa Wa’ – Happiness Doll.

People believe it brings good luck to families and gives newlyweds a life-long bond. Each sells for around RMB 20.

The pottery works of old Beijing residential gates (RMB 150) really brought back old memories.
The weeds on roofs, the mottled bricks of the walls, and the worn-away footsteps, are all beautifully reproduced here.

Another interesting item is the zodiac pendant. They have one for each animal, each with a different meaning.

For example, fish means ‘abundance’, “Fu” symbols ‘blessing’, and the boar is for ‘Happiness’. Each of pendants sells for RMB 50.

The owner is very nice and speaks a little English.

While most pottery shops tend to sell ornamental vases, the ECI Art Gallery offers beautiful pottery which is practical and makes your home more beautiful.

The shop is not far from the Forbidden City near the Beijing International Hotel. It offers a selection of pottery pencil & flower vases and ashtrays.

The strangely wonderful designs of their products really drew me in.
There I saw a Great Wall shaped pencil vase, with the famous Chairman Mao saying: He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.

The design is great yet practical. And it only costs RMB 80.
I personally like the stone-shape vase, carved by an old Chinese slangs, which roughly translates to ‘Be sure to remain ignorant when the situation calls for it’.

So I bought the vase for RMB 90 with a 10% off.
Also there are a selection of yak-bone rings, turquoise-studded bracelets, and colorful clothing from Tibet and Nepal.

Prices vary, from RMB 30 for a string of rosary to several hundred RMBs for a Nepalese Saari.
The manager is Mr. Kang, who speaks a little English.

There are large numbers of handicraft shops in Beijing. But it is not that easy to find a quality one with good prices. So I was very happy coming across Good Old Days near the Beijing Redwall Hotel.

Carrying over 100 categories of finely selected traditional Chinese handicrafts, Good Old Days has been in the business for almost a decade. They offer everything from clay baubles to cloth cats, wood paintings to zodiac pendants. Everything brings and old-time touch.

In the of clay products section, I picked up a small, stripped-color kitty with its tail pointing up. This lovely animal, as the owner told me, is popular with ladies as a place to put their rings. It only sells for RMB 20.

There are two dozens of Chinese shadow puppets in the puppet section. Made of donkey or ox leather, those little figures are used for shadow play and home decoration. Each sells around RMB 150.

The owner is a native Beijinger, who speaks fluent English and would like to share his insights on Chinese culture with foreign friends.

On the east side of Wangfujing Street lies a shop named Jianhua Fur and Leather right near a lot of Beijing hotels.
With a history of more than 80 years, the shop mainly carries high quality fur coats and leather jackets.

Entering the shop, I found out it has a spacious shopping area. The key section features the “Snowflake” leather jackets.

A middle-aged female shop assistant told me that “Snowflake” is China’s Time-honored Brand, and has won the Good Quality Product Award many times.

A black leather jacket caught my eye. It was in a simple design, but the workmanship looked superb, and the leather very delicate. I touched it, and it felt very soft.
The price tag for it was RMB 2,580.

Other items on display include leather handbags, purses and wallets, and Tang suits (traditional Chinese attire).

Customers buying the goods could enjoy up to 20 percent discount. The shop also offers made-to-order service and fur coat processing service.

Beijng Wangfujing Walk Street near the Beijing Redwall Hotel and Beijing International Hotel is one of the most famous venues for shopping in Beijing.

Strolling up and down this crowded street, passers-by have scores of choices to indulge in their favorite sin.
In this multitude of shops, I spotted one in particular which offers various kinds of exquisite ornaments.

This shop is located on the 2nd floor of the Artworks Mansion.
They have an abundance of jade, golden and silver jewelries, Tibetan ornaments, and figures of Buddha carved of rare timbers.

The shop not only offers various kinds of ornaments, but it is also a study center for Buddhists.
As I visited this huge place, a smiling assistant served me all the time. On each wall, numerous figures of Buddha carved of rare timbers.

In the glass display tables at the center, ornaments are categorized showed based on their materials: crystal, colored glaze, wood, and jade.

Each Buddha figurine is accompanied by a tag showing the type of timber, the name of the Buddha, the country of production.

I was interested in a deep brown color figurine (RMB 26,000) made of a Vietnamese wood called Nanmu (楠木). Its expression and the decorations around had been carved carefully by the craftsman.

Then the shop assistant showed me a set of crystal bracelets.
She explained that each Chinese zodiac animal matched a kind of crystal. For example, the goat matched a deep purple crystal, supposedly capable of absorbing body toxins. A box contained 12 crystal bracelets of 12 different colors, priced each at RMB 268.

Prices for Buddha figurines ranged from RMB 500 to RMB 50,000, and for other ornaments from RMB 200 to RMB 20,000. Bargaining is not customary in this shop.

The Artworks Mansion hosts other shops on the 2nd floor.
In general, their prices ranged from RMB 10 to much more. Again, no bargaining is really possible with the shop assistants.

Fortunately, prices are clearly marked and the shop assistants can speak a little English.

One of China’s most time-honored traditions is the fine art of paper cutting, which has been around since ancient times.

Zi Yi Xuan, a Paper-cutting shop right near a lot of Beijing Hotels, offers a large selection of paper-cutting works in the center of Beijing.
They make paper cuttings of all sorts of themes, including shadow puppets, peacocks, playing children, opera figures, and court ladies.

Mr. Li, the owner, said one of the most popular items is the set of 12 Chinese Zodiac animals, believed to bring happiness and success to their owner. The works look lively, and the animals seem to pop out from the paper. The set sells around RMB 900.

I also picked up a colorful fish paper-cutting commonly seen during the Chinese spring festivals. People use them to adorn their doors and windows during Spring Festival. The fish express their wishes for more wealth. It sells only for RMB 25.

Other popular themes include historical tales, auspicious animals, and daily life scenes. I even found some Fuwa mascots for the Olympics.

Mr. Li speaks a little English. Communication should not be a problem.