Beijing High Life The Best Of Beijing's Hotels Travel Shops

Huge Pearl Selection

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:59:30 -0500

caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Huge Pearl Selection"/captionOn the first floor of Baigong Handicraft Museum near the Beijing Hongkun International Hotel lies a large pearl store, which specializes in both freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls.

As the shop attracts a number of foreign tourist groups every day, it gets the name “Group Pearl Store.”

Arriving at the store, I was pleasantly surprised to find several shop assistants separately introducing their products in English to some overseas customers.

Each assistant was doing her best to offer foreign friends a pleasant shopping experience.

In showcases and on shelves, I found a wide variety of pearl jewelry to choose from. The pearls are pure in color and come in different sizes.

All feature beautiful, creative designs. A string of necklace with big pearl beads cost around RMB 4,000.

Also, a necklace pendant in the shape of a cross caught my eye. The pearl was pure, soft white, and the four ends were made of gold. It was priced at RMB 1,883.

In the earring section, a pair of earrings made of shining blue pearl beads and 925 silver stood out over others. It cost 1,281 yuan.

For men, the shop also offers pearl ties, stickpins, and cuff links.

Biggest Roast Duck Restaurant in the World

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:50:28 -0500

caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption=" Biggest Roast Duck Restaurant in the World"/captionLocated on the southeast corner of Hepingmen, Beijing Quanjude Hepingmen Roast Duck Restaurant is the biggest of its kind in the world right near a lot of Beijing Hotels.

The first Quanjude restaurant opened in 1864 during the reign of the Qing Emperor Tongzhi, while the Quanjude Hepingmen Restaurant was founded in 1979 in response to the late Premier Zhou Enlai.

This restaurant covers 15,000 square meters.

Inside, you can find large and medium sized banquet halls and more than 40 luxury separate dining rooms that can entertain 1,500 guests simultaneously.

George H. W. Bush, former President of the United States once enjoyed Beijing roast duck here.

A set of roast duck costs RMB 198, including the duck, pancakes, sesame bun, sliced scallion and cucumber, and sweet soybean sauce (hoisin).

A chef will show you the whole duck, and slice it into about 120 pieces with both skin and meat on each piece.

Another dish you can’t miss is Mustard Duck Webs. But be prepared, for the mustard is so strong that it will make you shed tears!

Because of Quanjude’s fame, they even have a souvenir counter carrying various handicrafts on the first floor. For instance, you could get a fluffy panda of different sizes priced ranging from 20 yuan to 156 yuan for each.

If you come to Beijing, do have a meal at this authoritative Beijing roast duck restaurant.

Fine Western Dining in Beijing

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:38:41 -0500

Located within the China World Hotel near Beijing Taiyue Suites, Aria Bar and Restaurant delivers stylish, modern European cuisines courtesy of Chef de Cuisine Nicholas Blair.

With an extensive wine selection built to complement the menu, every meal is certain to be unique, and delightfully memorable.

We arrived early and sat at the bar where a pre-dinner drink went perfectly with the live jazz music.

Famed for an evolving menu that embraces Mediterranean influences, almost every guest sing praises of the restaurant after a meal there. A must try is the Wagyu beef burger - absolutely delicious!

Aria’s decor doesn’t disappoint either.

Its main dining room has a bright and relaxed atmosphere with little alcoves carved off by velvet curtains. You can also hear a band bringing in the crowds between 5.30 and 7pm.

The average expense for each person is between RMB 300 to RMB 10,000.

Though a bit expensive for a restaurant in Beijing, it is still worth it.

Its accolades include mentioning in “To Go List of Hottest Restaurants in the World” by Food & Wine magazine, and “One of the Top 10 Western Restaurants in China”, in 21st Century Business Herald. All waiters there speak excellent English.

Downtown Jingdezhen Porcelain Outlet

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:36:05 -0500

caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption=" Downtown Jingdezhen Porcelain Outlet"/caption

When it comes to porcelain, the town of Jingdezhen is by far the most famous in China.

On the southern side of Zhushikou Dongdajie near the Beijing Emperor lies a large Jingdezhen porcelain shop named Jiangqing Zhai.

It is owned by a porcelain company based in Jingdezhen.

Various delicate porcelain wares behind the shop windows attracted me in.

The spacious setting is full of art. A wide variety of porcelain items are displayed on shelves. The selection was very good.

According to the shopkeeper, who is from Jingdezhen, all these items on display can be divided into four categories: artistic porcelain created by famous artists, antique reproductions, daily-use porcelain, and gift items.

I noticed several beautiful items.

One was a plate painted with colorful mandarin ducks, lotus flowers, and lotus leaves (RMB 70).

Another was a gift box, which contained three little caskets painted with lovely pandas eating bamboos (RMB 100).

I also admired many elegantly-painted vases with strong traditional Chinese characteristics.

Ivory carving artifacts

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:22:57 -0500

caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption=" Ivory carving artifacts"/captionAs a naturally perfect sculpture material, ivory features not only solid, compact texture, but also gem-like luster.

Elaborate ivory handicrafts are art treasures that transcend time. It has been considered one of “the eight consummate handicrafts of Beijing” since the Ming Dynasty.

Beijing ivory artifacts feature folktales, legends, ancient celebrities, plants and animals, and nature. However, they are rarely found today, due to the Ban on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Today, ivory carvers instead turn to bone carving or rosewood carving.

On the first floor of Baigong Handicraft Museum right near a lot of Beijing Hotels, I recently found a shop featuring both ivory and rosewood carvings.

The central showcase presented a milky white ivory necklace containing 3 bead strings for RMB 2,000. Other ivory jewelry included a bracelet made of ivory beads for RMB 450, while another band stringed with elaborate Buddha heads cost RMB 2,000.

According to the shop assistant, all these ivory jewelries were made before the ban. However, customers can also admire their big ivory sculptures on display, including Tiger Running down the Mountain, 500 Buddhist Arhats, and Running Horses.

As centerpieces, the shop also presents two large rosewood sculptures. One is “the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest” of the Temple of Heaven, the other is “the Nine-dragon Screen” of Beihai Park.

Beijing Fang Hua Pearls & Jewelry

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:13:51 -0500

caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Eternal Pearls Gives You Eternal Memory"/captionUnlike diamond or most other precious gems, Pearls is a jewelry designed only for women. Wearing pearls let ladies look more feminine and gentle.

The best Pearl shop in Beijing is Fang Hua Pearls & Jewelry. I visited one of its shops in the Pearl Market near the Beijing Guangxi Hotel. Photos hung on the wall caught my attention immediately upon entering the shop.

You can find many celebrities like Margaret Thatcher and Cherie Blair among them. They came to Fang Hua to select pearls during their visit to China. In fact over one hundred leaders with their wives from other countries have visited Fang Hua.

How to select pearls? A good pearl can be told from its shape, luster and color. The best is the one which is round, and can mirror images reflected on it. I especially like a necklace of pearls with jade green.

It’s suitable for ladies working at office. The black pearls imported from Maldives are also appealing. But they are very costly because a black pearl is so rare.

Each necklace of pearls costs at least several thousand yuan.

Colored glaze jewelry

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:10:10 -0500

caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Colored glaze jewelry"/captionChinese Liuli, or “colored glaze”, is a perfect integration of ancient culture and modern art. With over two thousand years of history, Liuli is currently made using dewaxed casting with artificial crystal. The entire long process may take up to 20 days for each figurine. Each piece must be exquisite, bright and limpid.

On the first floor of Baigong Handicraft Museum near the Beijing Jiangxi Grand Hotel lies a shop named BaiYiDeKun Liuli Fang, which specializes in Liuli products. I found mostly a large variety of necklace pendants and colorful bracelets on display.

According to shop assistant, Liuli is very durable, as hard as jade. Their best-selling item is a pendant called “Yuan Meng”, which means ‘realizing one’s dream’. It is a glittering, translucent blue circular ring, matched with a 14K white gold necklace. I found it graceful and mysterious, and could see why it was so popular. Price was RMB 480.

Another pendant caught my eye is called Loving Heart (RMB 365), especially the cherub with open wings inscribed within.

Not all jewelry inside are this expensive. The shop also carries some craftworks fit for present or souvenir, such as a Peking Opera-decorated small folding screen, for under RMB 100.

Beautiful Chinese Ceramics

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:02:16 -0500

caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Beautiful Chinese Ceramics"/captionChinese ceramics come in all shapes and sizes, as vases, plates, tea cups, to name a few. Tian Bo Yuan, located on Dongzhimen Wai Street near the Beijing Great Hotel, has a good selection of each.

The exquisite porcelains and potteries there are from Jingdezhen, Longquan and Liling. These 3 cities are famous for their characteristic production of ceramics.

Everywhere you look there’s something unique. A particular blue vase with protrusive yellow and purple patterns looked like a cloisonné. The potteries “climbing flowers” were characterized by beautiful pictures depicted in details by needle.

The vases with underglazed color are my favorite. They have lucid bodies with light colors. You can clearly see your images reflected on each.

Some potteries are great works of masters. A pottery featuring an old man with a tiger even won the gold medal at the Shanghai International Art Festival.

A series of chinawares with red hue were appreciated by the leaders who attended 2006 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Tian Bo Yuan also has some special paintings drew on the ceramic tiles. One is produced by a famous artist, Fan Zeng, in the 80’s. Today, it’s an art treasure for the unique technique.

Prices range from RMB 200 to RMB 3000.

Fusan Lacquer Thread Sculpture

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:44:40 -0500

caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption=" Fusan Lacquer Thread Sculpture"/captionLacquer Thread Sculpture is an ancient art. In ancient times, the lacquer threads created patterns on deity figures.

Today, it is more popular for decorating bowls, vases, and various table settings.

The FuSan Lacquer Thread Sculpture shop, located on FuXingMenNei Street near the Beijing Guo Hong Hotel offers a large selection of products from the best place for Lacquer Thread Sculptures, city of Xia Men.

The dominant theme here is the imperial dragon, though you will also find other designs like flowers and birds.

I saw a red porcelain vase decorated with two gold-plated dragons. The vase featured a silhouette of a plump lady, and the dragons were made with lacquer threads.

In ancient times, vases like this one would only be seen in the palace in old days. But today, you can get it for RMB 3000.

There’s also a celadon jar modeled finely decorated with a dragon and a phoenix, symbols of the emperor and the empress.

A slight crack by the handle gives the jar an antique feel. The jar cost RMB 4500.

I also found other interesting wares. There’s a celadon dish decorated with Peking opera masks, white porcelain jar with auspicious animal sculptures, and a replica of the famous Nine-Dragon Wall in the Forbidden City.

The manager speaks a little English. Communication shouldn’t be a problem.

Beijing Teapots that ages well

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:47:15 -0500

caption id="" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Beijing Yixing purple clay teapot"/captionWhen it comes to Zisha, or purple clay teapot, we usually mean a traditional pot made from Yixing clay, and commonly used to brew tea.

The name comes from Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, and the original place of purple clay teapot production.

Zheng Fu Cao Tang is a shop selling various shapes of clay pots made from teapot masters in Yixing right near a lot of Beijing hotels.

Entering the shop, I was enthralled by its atmosphere. In the middle of the spacious exhibition room, four deep sofas create cozy place for visitors to rest, with a glass display of precious teapots in the center.

Not far away, a traditional rosewood tea table holds a tea set on top while four wooden chair on four sides. Yellow lights, which casted shadows on clay pots lined up on shelves, produced an odd atmosphere.

Some of the teapots are symbols of blessing, like the fish-shaped teapots for wealth or the fruit-shaped pots for good harvest.

The shop also carries a clay pot made by Master Wang Xiaolong. Due to its complex technique, the pot is only for display purposes.

Prices are from RMB 80 to over thousands, according to different skill levels involved.