Beijing Hotels: Nearby Fortune Cat Shop

Fortune cats are believed to bring fortune and health to the family in Japan. Now this Japanese mascot has grabbed a piece of China's gift market not only by being a bringer of wealth, but also by its cute and honest looks.

Happy Cats House is a gift shop which sells fortune cat items exclusively. Even so, the selection is amazing. The shop is filled with every little gifts and accessories imaginable. Some items I particularly liked were a cat pocket-mirror, to cat pen-box, cat paper fan, and cat porcelain cups.

Pu'er is from the Southwest China's Yunnan province and has been famous as a medicinal tea. The history of Pu'Er tea could date back to the Tang Dynasty when it was only enjoyed by  the noblemen of that time.

Pu'er tea derives its name from the market town of Pu-er, where it was originally processed and sold. In ancient time, all the tea produced in Yunnan was sold from Pu-er town to other parts of China or overseas. So Pu-er in Yunnan is just like the Ma Lian Dao in Beijing.

It is said in Qing dynasty, the transport of Pu'er tea to the Forbidden City has been delayed due to bad weather. It took more than half-year to reach the imperial palace. The emperor was very unhappy but after he tasted the "overdue" Pu'er, he found it was more fragrant. Since  the specialty of Pu'er  was discovered,  Forbidden City has stored tons of Pu'er, accounting for two thirds of all imperial tea.

Tao Cha Ju is an exclusive seller of Pu'er tea. They collect tea leaves from special broad-leaf tea trees, which are said to be related to ancient prehistoric tea trees in natural forest in Yunan. So their tea is pesticide-free and contain high natural components.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Longjing Tea Shop

I recently developed a strong interest in various kind of Chinese tea. By reading books and hearing from others, I know almost every kind of tea has its fairy legend. So in the following sections, I would like to introduce Chinese tea and share its tales.

In first part, let's say something about Longjing, a kind of green tea. Longjing tea was granted the status of Gong Cha, or imperial tea, in Qing Dynasty . According to a legend, Emperor Qianlong, visited Hu Gong Temple under the Lion Peak Mountain (Shi Feng Shan) around West Lake area in Zhejiang during one of his famous holidays.

He was presented with a cup of Longjing tea. In front of the Hu Gong Temple were 18 tea bushes. Emperor Qianlong was so impressed by the Longjing tea produced here that he conferred these 18 tea bushes special imperial status.

Hanyilou, in Beijing's Maliandao, is a tea shop carrying longjing from  Shi Feng Shan(Lion Peak Mountain ), where produces the best Longjing tea in China. Longjing  has fresh tasting, and its fragrance is sharp and long lasting.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby White Tea Shop

White tea has a history of 200 years. It originated from Fuding in south China's Fujian province. It is called white tea because it has a pale appearance with tiny white hairs.

Fairy tale says long time ago, a beautiful and kind girl, called Lan Gu,  lived on the foot of Tai Mu mount in Fuding. One year, a unknown disease kill many children in the village. An immortal told Lan Gu in her dream to pick up the leaves in a cave on Tai Mu mount to help the children. At last, children were saved and the leaves- white tea- was largely planted in the area.

In hard time, every household in Fuding stored white tea to prevent child measles. It is believed white tea has more anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities than green tea.

Dingyun is a exclusive seller of white tea. So if you want to buy Bai Hao Yinzhen, widely considered the best grade of white tea, you could visit Dingyun shop at  Maliandao street.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Taiping Houkui Tea Shop

Tai Ping Hou Kui, or Monkey Chief, is another kind of green tea, which is also listed as The Ten Great Chinese Teas.

It first caught my attention because of its weird name. At the beginning,  I even thought the tea leaves are picked up by monkey. But it is totally not the truth

Let's talk about its name original story. Once upon a time, a three-member white monkey family lived in Yellow Mountain. But one day, the kid monkey got lost in the Tai Ping village at the foot of Huangshan. Father Monkey came to look for it but without luck, ending in death in a mountain valley. Later, a farmer passed by and found its body. He kindly buried the monkey. Next year the farmer came again and found the place where he buried the monkey has grew up many green tea trees. At that time, a voice filled the valley, saying "This is the reward for your kind behavior and with these tea, you will have noting to worry about".

But story is just story. In fact, the tea is named after Hou Keng, the place where the tea was first made famous. While Kui comes from the name of the tea farmer - Wang Kui Chen - who invented it in the early 19th century. Tai Ping Hou Kui tea gained celebrity status in 1915, when it won the gold medal in an international exposition. It is the first tea to win an international award in China.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Tie Guan Yin Tea Shop

TieGuanYin, originated from Anxi in south China's Fujian province, is a kind of Oolong tea named after the Buddhist saint Guan Yi.

Back in Anxi, there are many versions of legend behind the tea. The most popular is about a farmer called Wei Yin. Wei voluntarily cleaned a temple in which held an iron statue of Guan Yin. The  Buddhist saint was touched by his kind heart and appeared in his dream,  telling him of a cave behind the temple where a treasure awaited him, that is the Tieguanyin tree. Because of the help of the tea tree, Wei Yin became the rich tea farmer in that area, and finally Anxi tieguanyin got its name across the country.

 The leaf of the Tieguanyin tea is rolled into small tubes and then dried for consumption. The tea produces a fragrant orchid-like aroma when steeped, and it may be very floral or very fruity also.

Tian Ran Xiang teashop is an exclusive seller of TieGuanYin in Beijing' Maliandao street. It has various colorful packages of Tieguanyin as well asloose Tieguanyin. According to different quality, tea price varies from RMB 30 per 500 gram to over thousand yuan.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Keemun Tea Shop

At the end of the tea tale series, I would like to introduce the best known tea in western society - Keemun. Keemun tea, or Qimen Hong tea is a kind of black tea. It is also listed as one of The Ten Great Chinese Teas.

Keemun is produced in the Qimen county of Huangshan city.  It was first produced in 1875 by a failed civil servant, Yu Quianchen. Before Yu traveled to Fujian province to learn the secrets of black tea production, only green tea was made in Anhui. The result exceeded his expectations, and the excellent Keemun tea quickly gained popularity in England, and became the most prominent ingredient of the English Breakfast tea blend.

The aroma of Keemun is fruity, with hints of pine and floweriness. Typically Keenmun is enjoyed without milk or sugar; however, it goes well with milk.

If you want to buy Keemun tea, Hui Ming Xuan is a good choice. It is a Huangshan tea factory office in Beijing's Maliandao tea street. So you can trust it quality.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Customer Designing Gift Shop

Located in Xintiandi clothes market, Character Bar is a shop where you can customarily design your cups, T-shirts, pillows, crystal adornments, and mobile phone decorations with your beloved pictures.

The shop owner promises prompt service. It usually takes her one day to finish required customarily designing goods. And the price is reasonable as well.

You could spend RMB 60 for small crystal adornments with your own pictures embedding within, or RMB 240 for large one and RMB 30 for a crystal mobile phone hanging. RMB 40 is enough to make your own cup, RMB  50 for a porcelain cup and T-shirt costs you RMB 60.

It isn't all about photos, the owner will help you realize any original ideas you share with her on this specific goods. You could also have your-own-shaped figure with a price of RMB 80.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Calabash Carving Shop

BoGu YiYuan is the largest antique city in west Beijing. And in the market, I found a Calabash carving shop, with its owner a prizer winner of top designing contest in China.

First, let me introduce the multi-functional plant,  calabash (hulu).  In the old days, doctors believed hulu is a traditional Chinese medicine cure. Dried calabash is also used as containers of liquids, often liquors or medicine. Nowadays, hulu becomes a decoration item. Artists could draw your whatever patterns you want on the hulu, even your own photo.

Ju De Tang is such a calabash-carving studio, and its owner, Guo Jude, is a second winner of 4th China Gift Designing Contest. After the success, Mr Guo's life is getting busier. He is invited to  draw and curve 60 imagines of ambassadors and leaders from some middle-east nations on  large bottle gourd. Beijing university and government Shijingshan district asked him to give lectures. He now has 10 students, whom he selected to pass down his skill.

You would find a large amount of bottle gourds in different sizes. Mr Guo  charged RMB 50 for a small gourd-carving, But for the large one, because it is hard to find large gourd and it needs more time to increase resemblance, it costs over thousand.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Archaeological and Tibetan Gift Shop

Near the northwest of Jianguomen Bridge, there is a shop specializing in various archaistic bronzes called The Archaeological and Tibetan Gift Store. All the small, fine items sold here are good choices for gifts or souvenirs.

There is a huge Ding - ancient Chinese cooking vessel - with two loop handles and three or four legs, on each side of the entrance.

Entering the shop, a small bronze Jue, a kind of China's ancient drinking goblets, first caught my attention. It is priced at RMB 210. Also in sight are small bronze Dings in round or square shapes for RMB 380 each. Placed on a shelf, a bronze Chinese unicorn looked very exquisite, which is RMB 1000.

In a showcase, various bronze mirrors filled the display. According to the shopkeeper, when the sun or a beam of light shines on one of the bronze mirrors, it will reflect the light onto the wall, and form a pattern. The price for a small bronze mirror is RMB 210

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Yaxuan Handicraft Shop

Visiting the Forbidden City during your stay in Beijing is definitely a must. If you get out of it from the eastern gate, and turn right at the first street on your right side, you will find a small handicraft shop waiting for you. You can't miss it, as there is a red sign above the entrance that reads ‘Chinese Folk Handicraft'.

You can find various small handicrafts with strong, traditional Chinese characteristics there, such as paper-cuts, dough figurines, painted small gourds, and tiger-head baby shoes. All of them are ideal for presents or souvenirs.

The most impressive items to me were miniature Peking opera facial masks. Among which my favorite was a small gift box contains four pieces of the masks. They represent the four main characters from ‘Journey to the West', classic in Chinese literature. Among them, I especially like the Monkey King, whose face features a red, peach-like pattern in the center. That's because peach is the Monkey King's favorite food. Very cheap too. The set cost less than 5 dollars.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Cloth Shoe Shop

After visiting Baigong Handicraft Museum located on the south side of Guangming Lu, I dropped in at a small shop right by the building. The shop's name is Buhai'er, which means Cloth Baby in English. The small, lovely shoes behind the shop window dragged me in.

The main goods selling there are traditional tiger-head shoes. They are handmade by local women. They feature bright colors, layers and layers of pure cloth soles, and of course, a pair of tiger heads. Traditionally, Chinese couples love to have their babes wore this kind of shoes, hoping they are as strong and brave as tigers.

The details are nice, showing vivid features of a tiger. Even the tiger's beard is made of white thin threads. And a Chinese character ‘Wang', or ‘King', is sewn on the forehead. This is because the Chinese feel tigers are the king of the wild.

I picked up a pair. They felt pretty soft. It must be comfortable to have them on feet. I wish I could get back to my babyhood again.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Jin Ping Handicraft Shop

Located in Tian Di wholesale market, the largest of its kind in west Beijing, Jin Ping owns a small shop which sells different kinds of folk artwork.

Items cover from Chinese knot to paper-cut, to embroidery to Beijing Opera facebook. Ms Jin said the most popular items for foreign customers are Chinese knot hanging and paper-cut.

The characteristic of Chinese knot is that every knot is made of a single rope. "By combining different knots and other auspicious adornments skillfully, like Beijing Opera facebook or carp ( carp indicates richness in Chinese), Chinese knot hanging expresses warmest regards and best wishes." Jin introduced, " Foreign customers would like to choose the small and delicate hangings. It is much more convenient for them taking home."

Paper-cut has 2000 years of history and now it is still custom to paste paper-cut on windows or doors, especially during the spring festival. Even though  paper-cut nowadays is mainly produced by machines, foreign customers are attracted by the folk art. " Take the Four Beauty paper-cut ( According to legend, the Four Great Beauties are the most beautiful women of ancient China) for example, they could enjoy the artwork while get to know the tales of those people in that periods." Jin explained.

Price of different merchandise ranges from 1 RMB to over hundred. You can bargain hard with the owner.

Beijing Hotels: Nearby Guyazhai Antique Shop

If you come to the Beijing's famous artisan hub of Liuli Chang, you will find many antiques and artifacts shop, and Gu Ya Zhai is one of them
 
It is a curio shop selling various kinds of antique items, like porcelain,calligraphy, painting, shadow puppet, snuff bottle and kite.

The shop owner, Mr Xu, showed me his collection of porcelain ware excitedly. Most of the items on the wooden shelf has a history of more than 100 years. He especially introduced the one made during Guangxu emperor regime. Because two parts can be rotated, the piece is rare and set price of RMB 10000.

I was attracted by its large section of  reverse painted tobacco bottles. Most of them are the crystal bottles made by modern artists. These exquisite bottles are with different themes, like spring lantern feast, ancient beauties, fairy tales, and landscapes. I like the cat one most. If you check close, you can even see the cat fur are clearly painted inside the bottle. Price ranges from RMB 500 to RMB 2000 according to different shapes and skills.

Mr Xu told me the most popular items for foreigners are thin-silk kite and shadow puppets. The largest kite in the shop, featuring a light green fish costs RMB 80. While a pair of shadow puppets are priced for RMB 250.

Beijing Hotels - Nearby No.5 Cross Stitch Shop

Embroidery is considered as a must-skill for elegant woman in ancient China. Now the art has delvelop into cross stitch in modern times.

Located in Tian Di wholesale market, No. 5 Cross Stitch  specializes in making  the traditional and exquisite crafts.In the shop, you can choose every patterns, from world famous art paintings to Beijing opera's facebook, to Japanese animation character.

Besides from the common style of cross stitch, like fixing the finished pattern in picture frame,  the    pattern can also be stitched on pillows and clocks or used as insoles.

The price varied from 20 yuan to 800 yuan according to different needs of customers. For example, a 30cm x 30 cm unstitched package will cost you about 25 yuan,  but a 80 cm x 80 cm finished goods is priced at 800 yuan. The owner of the shop, Ms Kuang said it will take a lot of time and energy to finish a cross stitch, so the cost is very high.