Wangfujing Artworks Mansion
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.
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