Carved lacquer is a traditional form of Chinese art that has existed for at least 1,400 years. If you have a chance to visit the famous ancient culture street in Beijing – called Liulichang – be sure to visit this shop. You will find a number of handmade decorations.

I went there last week. A lot of carved lacquer plates, vases, and jewelry boxes are displayed orderly on the shelves. Most of them feature a black background and a red, elevated pattern. The patterns show birds and flowers, dragons and phoenixes, landscapes, and characters.

The shopkeeper, Mr. Zhu, told me the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties cared for carved lacquer very much. At that time, some royal lacquer ware workshops were set up. Their products were used exclusively by the royal family.

Want to know how a piece of carved lacquer ware is made? Take a carved lacquer plate for example, which has tens or hundreds of layers of paint on a thin plate. When it is half dry, artists engrave various patterns in the thick paint. Once the paint is completely dry, the color will never fade.

I couldn’t help picking up a carved lacquer plate. It features a vivid picture of the Great Wall. I touch the pattern, and it felt very hard. The plate can be mounted on a wooden stand, and be displayed on your shelf.

What I appreciated

Fine carved lacquer ware, excellent craftsmanship

What customers appreciate

Traditional Chinese artwork, good decorations

For ladies who have jewels, a nice, unique jewelry box is absolutely indispensable. Recently, an archaistic jewelry box shop near the famous Hongqiao pearl market really impressed me. The jewelry boxes there have strong traditional Chinese characteristics and simply look like antiques.

As soon as I entered the shop, a number of appealing wooden jewelry boxes of different sizes jumped into my sight. Most of them were painted with vermilion paint and yellow images. The two colors symbolize nobleness and happiness in China. The hardware accessories like handles are made of yellow brass.

I also noticed the vivid images on the boxes. Most of them depict dragons and phoenixes. Dragons represent male, while phoenixes signify female. And a picture with a dragon and a phoenix stands for harmony and protection.

The shopkeeper, Mr. Li, told me these jewelry boxes were handmade and hand painted based on styles popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties hundreds of years ago. He opened this shop as he believed these archaistic jewelry boxes would be well-received even these days.

I couldn’t agree more. Actually, a national treasure is an international treasure.

What I appreciated

Archaistic jewelry boxes, handmade artwork

What customers appreciate

Chinese-style jewelry boxes, fine craftsmanship

Sometimes Chinese artisans incorporate the beauty of nature into their work. One example is bamboo scroll paintings, where pictures are painted right on bamboo. Just simply hang them on the wall without a costly frame, and it's a beautiful decoration.

I visited a shop close to the Forbidden City and was impressed by the wide selection of bamboo artwork it offers. On the scroll paintings, images of birds, cranes, tigers, flowers, and men are intricately carved into the wood. I liked a painting featuring eight galloping horses the best. Each horse is characterized by its unique and vivid expression. Watching them, I felt like I was on a great prairie.

Besides pictures, the shop also has scripts carved on to bamboo scroll. Some of the scripts are excerpts from famous writings in ancient China, such as the Teachings of Confucius and Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Bamboo carvings are another kind of artwork highlighted in this shop. Many works are based on Chinese history and legends. You can see an ancient warrior, a Buddha, and a god vividly carved into this beautiful bamboo wood.

Also, they have a bamboo carving featuring pines and cranes is in the shape of a pot. This symbolizes longevity.

The shop also offers small bamboo products such as jars, dishes, spoons, and trays.

What I appreciate:
Handmade artwork, intricate craftsmanship

What customers appreciate:
Beautiful bamboo artwork, reasonable prices

A silk figurine is a Chinese figurine with gorgeous silk clothes. It usually depicts ancient beauties from Chinese folktales. People like to decorate their home with these beautiful dolls.

A few days ago I found a silk figurine shop in a famous handicrafts market in Beijing. Each figurine is characterized by its unique facial expression and elegant posture. Some are reading, some are dancing, some are playing musical instruments, and some seem to be delivering an eloquent speech.

According to the shop assistant, a silk figurine is entirely handmade. The process of making a silk figurine involves many steps, including sculpting, painting, designing clothes, and arranging the hair. It usually takes a skilled worker a couple of weeks to make just one silk figurine.

One figurine featuring a woman combing her hair was my favorite. Her hair is made of silk thread.

Besides silk figurines, the shop also has other colorful items like cloisonne bracelets, plates, and handmade straw hats.

What I appreciate:

Unique craftsmanship

What customers appreciate:

A wide selection of traditional Chinese handicrafts

Hand-painted fans have a long history in China, and are still popular today. They are not only used in summer, but good gifts on any occasion. In a famous street lined up with lots of painting, calligraphy, antique shops, I found a shop Jing Hua Fan House.

Mr. Shen, the shop owner, is a gifted artist. He would paint on fans in front of your very eyes.  There are two different types of fans: traditional court silk ones, and folded paper ones. The court silk fans are designed for women. I especially noticed one round silk fan featuring a beautiful plum blossom. In China this is the symbol of  purity and fortitude. The folded paper fans are used by men. They are characterized by vivid paintings on the front and calligraphies on the back.

Prices are around RMB 100.

The shop also displays a large collection of clay figurines and framed paintings. Prices range from RMB 100 to RMB 200.

What I appreciate:

beautiful handmade fans of good quality

What customers appreciate:

hand-painted fans, reasonable price

If you are searching for unique, fun, and a little twisted gifts in Beijing, then going to Grifted would be a good choice. Grifted is a gift shop located in an old street with 800 years of history.

The owner of Grifted comes from New York.

She first showed me the colorful postcards hung on the wall. The postcards are pictures taken by  local photographers. They reflect lives of the ordinary people in Beijing. One postcard featuring a little girl with a gorilla was quite interesting. It seemed to tell us a story of how to live in harmony with nature.

The colorful curtains offered in this shop are made from recycled candy wrappers. They are so glittery. Hanging them in your doorway would make a catchy fashion statement.

You also can find dolls, puppets, jewelry, and T-shirts. A black umbrella featured the picture of a monk with a funny victory gesture. It really made me in stitches.

What I appreciate:

funny items with unique design

What customers appreciate:

a wide choice of interesting items, hospitable shop owner who speaks good English

You An Kite is a shop located at You An Men Wai street, that sells kites of various types, large and small, all unique and beautiful. A large kite can be as large as the dragon kite, 100 feet in length, with hundreds of rings circling its body. A small kite can be as small as a miniature kite with a length of 0.33 feet.

One traditional Beijing kite is "Sha Yan". It is a lovely kite with a swallow's head on its main body, and four wings painted with different animals, like dragon, fish or bat, which respectively represents good luck, wealth and happiness. People believe that “Sha Yan” can bring good luck to any place it flies by. There are a lot of “Sha Yans” in the shop, and according to the shop owner, one such kite is always handmade, with bamboo as it frame and silk as its covering.

There are also kites that are machine-made. One such kite is in the shape of a triangle, and uses iron as its frame and ninon as its covering. You can easily fly it in the sky.

The smallest kites are the miniature kites with a length of only 0.33 feet. They look exactly like "Sha Yan", with their whole body painted with cute animals. They are priced at RMB 20 each.

Other beautiful kites are in the shapes of butterfly, dragonfly, fish or eagle. They are all handmade and with gorgeously painted wings.

What I appreciate:
Handmade kites with gorgeous painting

What customers appreciate:
Traditional technique, modern design

Lijiang in Yunnan Province is home to Naxi, an old ethnic minority group that holds a mysterious Dongba culture. I took a visit to Dong Ba E Zu, a handicraft shop in the 798 Art Zone, and it was a colorful experience.

The shops had many interesting items that had different colors and fancy shapes. Among them were pottery vases and teapots, one of them looked like a fence, another like a castle. A fence-shape teapot is an old item used by Naxi people. When the lid was removed, the air was instantly filled with the fragrance of the tea. Prices for these vases and teapots vary from RMB 300 to RMB 1000.

The woodcarvings also fascinated me. I found a round piece of woodcarving work that depicts an old story from this unique culture. Another piece features a goddess with an exaggerated bottom, symbolizing Naxi people's worship for reproduction. Prices for a woodcarving item is about several hundred yuan.

The batik fabrics and batik garments there were also lovely. A violet pleated skirt got my attention, one that is wholly handmade. I liked it because it not only looks Naxi, but also looks metropolitan on a Beijing street.

What surprised me were the silver jewelry items hung on the wall. They were twinkling necklaces and earrings. The earrings were so huge! - And they were just for ordinary Naxi women.

What I appreciate:
Unique culture, excellent handwork

What customers appreciate:
Handicrafts representing Dongba culture

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