2004/07/14
- Liulichang
- Temple of Heaven
- Antique Market
This walk-about odyssey could well be described as a cultural quest, because such is the nature of the antiques and other riches you come across. Chances are that by day’s end you will be loaded down with bargains galore, assuming you are adept at haggling! Just wrap up warmly during the winter, including gloves, and carry nothing except a couple of roomy bags and a fair amount of money. You may not be actually seeking objects for your home, but it is a fair bet that you will be unable to resist a purchase once there.
Your first stop, best by taxi, is Liulichang, to the south of Hepingmen. The area is a virtual treasure trove of imitation 18th and 19th century arts, and their allied skills. The name Liulichang originates from a royal factory built during the early Ming Dynasty, supplying bricks, glazed tiles, and roof and window decorations for the imperial palace.
Although the factory was destroyed in the late Qing Dynasty, it had from the start acted as a magnet for many booksellers, typographers, paper traders, brush and ink-stick/slab makers and a small tribe of stonemasons, painters, bookbinders and dealers in curios. Operating from about 200 shops, they inevitably attracted conventional artists, scholars and foreign visitors.
Today’s Liulichang, also known as Cultural Street, has 54 shops largely concerned with selling souvenirs, handcrafts, cultural relics, ancient books, paper of all descriptions, calligraphic brushes and paintings. While now a far cry from the original, its sheer diversity is still fascinating enough to merit a few hours on your feet as you explore the richly stocked shops that vie for your business.
If you end up footsore, you will find relief in a 10-minute taxi ride to the Temple of Heaven. You can take a break there and spend a pleasant hour resting in the temple’s own park, one of the most beautiful in Beijing. If your trip is on a Saturday or Sunday, you can take a 15-minute drive from the park to the city’s most famous curio market, Panjiayuan.
This truly is a treasure house, so much so that many Beijingers go there every weekend in search of a true bargain, hidden among row upon row of stalls.
Even if you don’t buy anything, you will expose yourself to many facets of Chinese history and culture. |
