Curiosities From Tibet

A Tibetan handicraft shop is in Fangyuan West Road, named "Jia Na Ma Ni". "Jia Na" means "monk"in Tibetan, and "Ma Ni" is the stones Tibetans pile together for prayer.

The shop owner had worked in Tibet for many years. In her recent visits to Tibet and the area around it, she brought back a lot of colorful items from Tibet and India.

The carpets there were very eye-catching. They are made of wool, cashmere, silk, yak hair or camel hair, and have sizes varying from 2 x 3 feet to 5.5 x 8 feet. Because of a special process in the making, the colors of the carpets won't easily fade. I couldn't get my eyes off a 5.5 x 8 feet red carpet, which has a typical Tibetan style and beautiful vertical stripes at the four sides. I couldn't get my hand off it, too, because 30 % of its material is silk, so it felt so soft and so warm. The price is RMB 25,000.

Jewelry there come in the forms of necklaces, earrings and bracelets, which are made from coral, agate, pearls or pipal seed. Tibetans believe that wearing such jewelry can bring them good luck. Prices range from RMB 100 to RMB 200.

For other beautiful items, there are the spoons made from yaks' horn, which are rarely seen in Beijing, and some colorful scarves, bed linens and hats that are from India.

What I appreciate:
Ethnic Tibetan handicrafts of fine workmanship

What customers appreciate:
Tibetan handicrafts, reasonable price