Beijing Baigong Fang Jade Shop near Temple of Heaven

Although not well known in the west, Jade is a very popular jewelry among Chinese people, especially women.

Jade is known for its graceful color and elaborately carved patterns, as well as mythical powers in chasing away bad luck.

At Beijing Baigong Handicraft Museum near the Jiang Xi Grand Hotel and Temple Of Heaven, I found a shop specializing in jadeite ware.

The shop assistant guaranteed that all of their jewelry is made of top grade jadeite.

Raw jade is imported from Burma, and they are then carved by master craftsmen in Guangzhou.

For ladies, the shop offers bracelets and necklace pendants with Buddha and Ping An Kou (literally means button of protection).

A bracelet usually costs several thousand yuan.

For men, they have pendants such as Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy) and Pi Xiu (legendary animal which eats and retains wealth).

A yellow-colored Pi Xiu cost about 600 yuan.

Also on display was a big, crude, black-colored jadeite stone.

The shop assistant turned on a small flashlight against the stone, so I could see beautiful, charming green light shining into it. It was amazing to see graceful jadeite ware made from this kind of stone.

Old Beijing Paper Cutting Shop Near Forbidden City

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.

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Beijing Tea Pillow Shop Near The Temple Of Heaven

Combining Chinese traditional Tea culture with Eastern medicine, Hanyilou shop on Beijing’s famous tea street Maliandao near the Beijing Hong Kun International Hotel carries a series of healthy tea pillows.

Tea pillow has a long history in China. Many Chinese in ancient times made simple tea pillows to treat headache and insomnia.

The shop owner, Mr. Zhang, told me they use natural green tea, Oolong tea, or flower tea.

All teas are gathered from in natural tea gardens located above Mount Taimu in Fujian Province, and then used to fill the pillow’s heart.

A fragrant pillow could improve sleep quality, rejuvenate one’s mind, and  reduce stress. Prices vary from a small cushion for RMB 118 to an adult pillow at RMB 236.

The shop also displays some cute tea-pet figurines, like the “dragon fish” and “two lions fighting for a ball”. All these are symbols of blessing in China.

Tea lovers like to raise their tea pets on the tea set, by splashing them with extra water used in teas.

Due to the special of the materials used, the pets become shinier the more hot tea they absorb.

Prices vary from RMB 15 to RMB 50.

Beijing Hotan Jade Shop Near The Temple Of Heaven

Jade is believed to bring happiness and luck for the people, keeps away evil, and good for one’s health.

With its clear jadeite qualities, Hotan Jade has enjoyed a good reputation since ancient times. Its history can be traced back to 1200 years ago.

Jade Family is a Hotan jade shop near the Jiang Xi Grand Hotel,   which sells finished jade accessories as well as incomplete jade materials that you can design yourself.

From jade necklace and bracelet, to large jade home  adornments, Jade Family carries a large selection of jade merchandises.

The shop owner, Ms. Cao, told me their story of jade collection in Xinjiang.

She said that the mountains south of Hotan City are called Jade Mountains, and the river beside the Hotan city is called the Jade River.

Even today, you can find people picking jade from the river. Only in the Jade river one can find the best quality Jade, but the mountains are still mined for cheap jade product.

She showed me a top-quality jade horse. Even though I know little about jade, I still appreciated its whiteness and brightness. The item is sold at RMB 30,000.

Another piece I liked was the “Jade Mountain.” It had a shape of a mountain, with three old men standing by pine trees. All these represent longevity in China. It costs RMB 2500.

Jade Family also sells some daily items, like ceramic ware, tobacco bottles, and fingerstalls popular back in the early 20th century.

A Sea Of Jade Near The Temple Of Heaven

Just as its name implies, Yu Hai Cui Yuan, is indeed a “sea of jade”. Located on Fatou Xili Street near The Jiang Xi Grand Hotel, it is very close to the Temple of Heaven.

Upon entering the shop, I was first attracted by a huge jade carving of a cabbage displayed in a glass container.

It looked fantastic, both in terms of size and craftsmanship. According to the shop assistant, it took totally three years to carve this giant piece of work.

Needless to say, the price tag was also quite amazing, at RMB 1,000,000.

Another characteristic jade carving is a basket containing peonies, peaches, and guavas with butterflies flying, and a cat standing aside.

This is a good birthday present to the elderly. Peonies and butterflies symbolize wealth, while peaches and cats mean longevity.

Besides these exquisite jade carvings, this shop also holds a range of jade jewelry. The jade is imported from Burma, which are the best in the world.

The raw jade are then carved into their present form by Yu Hai Cui Yuan’s own group of artists. Prices vary from RMB 300 to RMB 58,000.

Beijing Rare Mineral Crystals And Jewelry Shop Near Houhai Area

Element is the only jewelry shop in Beijing which sells rare mineral crystals and meteorites, as well as jewelry made of these precious ores.

The shop is located on Tobacco Pipe Lane near the Beijing Phoenix Palace Hotel, in the Shi Cha Hai area.

Lots of mineral species, such as fluorite, cinnabar and pyrite, can be found here. You can find regarding each piece.

Some are even said to have the mysterious power to be able to bring people good luck.

The owner showed me one particularly special mineral crystal. It came from a mine in the Sichuan Province, where the earthquake hit last year.

He said the mine was destroyed during the quake, so this crystal has become incredibly rare.

Prices of mineral crystals are from RMB 1000 to RMB 3000. One fluorite I particularly liked, which resembles rock candy, costs RMB 2000.

Among the collection of meteorites, most are imported from other countries, and came to Earth this year.

How would you like to wear a ring made of meteorite? You may choose any meteorite in the shop, and have them create a ring for you.

The shop also sells jewelry made of diamond, jade, emerald, and other precious stones.

Prices are negotiable.

The shop owner speaks excellent English. Feel free to ask him anything you need.

Beijing Puer Tea Shop Near The Tian

Known as the “health-giving tea” and “beauty-slimming tea” in China, Puer tea is something you won’t regret trying out.

This famous tea from the Yunnan province of southern China gives you both taste and health benefits.

For tea-loving tourists, the large Yunnan Pu’er Tea Market offers convenient location near the Tian’anmen Square near the Beijing Emperor Hotel.

It is here on the second floor where I found Leyuanyu Pu’er Tea Shop.

The shopkeeper, Mr. Wang, warmly invited me to sit down and sample their fermented and unfermented teas.

Decorated with unique items from the hometown of Pu’er tea, Leyuanyu provided me a great tea-tasting experience.

The stone elephants, wooden decorations, and green plants soon led me into a relax state.

Fermented tea looks red, and tastes kinda sweet. Unfermented tea looks like amber. They taste somewhat bitter at first, but give a sweet after-taste.

Mr. Wang said all their Pu’er tea comes from naturally grown trees without any human interference. They offer two famous brands: “National Chinese” and “Image of Washan Mountain”.

The former has won many prizes in Pu’er tea competitions.

Looking around, I found a wide variety of compressed Pu’er tea on display. The compressed nature makes them easy to carry.

Some even come in nice small packages fit for presents or souvenirs. Prices are reasonable. One particular 250g “Tea Horse Ancient Road Pu’er Brick Tea” cost only RMB 50, for instance.

Dehua Porcelain Outlet Near Forbidden City

Outside the shop there’s a red sign that reads “China White”, “China” here means porcelain.

Dehua, Jingdezhen of Jiangxi Province and Liling of Hunan Province ranks the three biggest capitals of Porcelain in China.

Dehua is famous for its time-honored white porcelain and modern unique red porcelain.

Dehua white porcelain originated in the Song Dynasty (A.D. 960~1279). It has made tremendous strides ever since the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368~1644).

It features white color, semi-transparency and shining glaze. So the white porcelain has earned the names of China White, Ivory White or Cream White.

In the shop, a lot of white porcelain works are on display, for instance, the statue of Guanyin (the Goddess of Mercy). The most impressive one is entitled “the Soul of Chrysanthemum”.

Its pendant filaments are so slight that it has to be kept from touching in a showcase.

Dehua red porcelain is a modern outcome through generations’ effort. In traditional Chinese culture, red color represents happiness, auspiciousness and prosperity.

Many red porcelain wares have been sent to foreign dignitaries as national treasures. These exhibits will bring you strong visual impact.

Both Dehua white and red porcelain are of great value. Their prices start from several thousand yuan.

In addition, the shop also carries porcelain wares made in Dehua for daily use, including tea sets, coffee cups & saucers, salt & pepper shakers, bowls & plates.

Price for a set of exquisite tea sets including one tea pot and six tea cups is RMB 300.

Beijing Tea Researcher

If you like Chinese tea, you won’t regret paying a visit to Tea Researcher near the Beijing Fuhao Hotel. The shop offers many types of tea, from various tea planting regions in Asia, and also from Europe and Africa.

Until then this tea shop has opened less than a dozen branches in Beijing.

I was at first attracted by a tea gift box composed of two packages of Dahongpao (大红袍).

Dahongpao is one of the rare and excellent Wulong teas (often spelled Oolong) and its price is pretty expensive.

According to the tea shop assistant (who could speak a little English), the variety of Dahongpao carried by the shop is of a high quality. Its prices range from RMB 65 per 15g to RMB 238 per 60g.

Tea Researcher packages their teas in different hues: the green tag denotes Chinese tea, the purple one is reserved for Japanese and Korean teas.

European and African teas are packaged in blue and brown boxes respectively.

The shop assistant recommended both Dahongpao and Dongding Wulong, a tea harvested and fermented in Taiwan.

The taste of Wulong tea is even more magnificent when you infuse it in a Zisha teapot (Zisha a special mineral deposit which is ground to make a paste with which skilled craftsmen make very exclusive teapots).

She also told me Mocha (抹茶) imported from Japan would benefit a girl’s skin. Sencha (煎茶), another popular tea from Japan, has a little sweet and freshly green taste.

Prices range from RMB 50 per 15g up to RMB 300 per 60g. More expensive gift boxes were priced at over RMB 500. No bargaining.