Located near the Forbidden City in inner of Beijing, Ya Xuan carries a large selection of traditional Chinese and old Beijing handicrafts, from cloth soles to Peking opera masks, clay figurines to Chinese knot.
Browsing through the shop, I can't resist picking up a grinning ‘Huan Xi Wa Wa' - ‘Happiness Doll'. People believe it brings good luck to a family, or life-long bond to a pair of newlyweds. Each sells around RMB 20.

There are also some pottery works of old Beijing residential gates. The weeds on gate roofs, the mottled bricks of the walls, and the worn-away footsteps, all these wake up my nostalgia! Each is priced RMB 150.

Other interesting items I'm sure you don't want to miss include the Peking opera masks and pendants. The Chinese zodiac or blessing creature pendants have different meanings. Fish represents ‘abundance', "Fu" symbols ‘blessing', and the boar is for ‘Happiness'. Each of pendants sells for RMB 50.

Handicrafts have become an essential cultural element of Beijing. So you can't miss the shop when in Beijing.