Wednesday, 5 August 2009

Looking For Pearls And Antiques In Beijing

By Cathryn Zhang

The largest pearl store near the Temple of Heaven

Close to the Temple of Heaven lies a well-known pearl market. Every day it attracts many visitors from home and abroad. Recently I visited it on my way back to the Beijing GuoHong Hotel and was impressed with the Fanghua Pearl and Jewel store. If you want to find a beautiful pearl necklace, don't miss this shop.

This well-decorated shop is on the 4th floor of the market. You will find numerous pearl necklaces neatly displayed in the shop. The colors included milk white, golden yellow, pink, and black.

Ms. Carrie is a kind shop keeper. She told me Fanghua is the No.1 retailer of high-quality pearls in China. There are mainly three grouping of pearls in the shop: fresh water pearls, sea water pearls, and South Sea pearls.

Many people fear buying fake pearls. But Ms. Carries explained to me how to distinguish real pearls from fake ones. There's a rule for distinguishing fine pearls: the rounder and shinier, the better.

Photos on the wall showed foreign dignitaries visiting the shop. I saw Margaret Thatcher, Putin's wife, the Queen of Spain, and the Queen of Belgium. The photos are proof of the charm of the Oriental pearls.

A shop offering antiques and jade items

The Henan Plaza Beijing Hotel is very close to Chengtian Antique City in southeastern Beijing. If you want to visit some interesting antique shops, go to a shop that carries antiques, jade jewelry, and other Chinese artwork.

Many antique porcelain wares were displayed in the shop: vases, bowls, and plates, just to name a few. Some of them were even made as early as the Qing dynasty.

Mr. Tang, the shop owner, greeted me. He showed me a porcelain statue of Empress Dowager Cixi, a female ruler of the Qing dynasty. She sat on a stone bench with a big spotted dog. She was wearing a big black hat and a colorful button-down robe. Embroidered peonies and butterflies decorated her robe. In China, a peony represents wealth and status.

Their jade items are also very popular, including the pendants and bracelets. They were white and looked glossy. Such items symbolize virtue in Chinese.

Besides jade and porcelain, there are also some Chinese paintings, calligraphy work, and wood carvings in the shop. They are all traditional Chinese art forms. So be sure to come here while staying at your hotel in Beijing.

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