Beijing’s Top 10 : Souvenirs – Top 10 Galleries

1. Tea sets

   You’ll
   never look at a cup the same way again. For a start, Chinese tea cups
   are often three-piece affairs with a saucer to prevent burned fingers
   and a lid to keep the leaves out of your mouth. They are sized from mug
   to thimble, and the colors and patterning can be exquisite, making a
   nicely boxed tea set the number one gift from China.

   
   

   
   
   

   Chinese tea set

2. Tea

   All over Beijing are shops devoted to tea. Malian Dao, a street in the southwest of the city ,
   has dozens of tea shops offering around 500 different varieties of
   leaf. The packaging can often be quite beautiful too, from bright red
   tins to cardboard-tube containers decorated with a waving Mao.

   
   

   
   
   

   Tea

3. Contemporary art

   Not
   just a striking souvenir but also a potential investment. Collecting
   Chinese art is big business and some names go for tens of thousands of
   dollars at international auction. The capital’s galleries showcase a
   wide variety of Chinese artists, but their works may not be particularly
   affordable.

   
   

   
   
   

   Carved stone statues

4. Silk

   A
   Chinese invention and still widely employed today for fine-quality
   clothing and embroidery. Genuine silk garments are expensive but look
   out for cheaper household accessories such as silk cushions or bags.

   
   

   
   
   

   Embroidered silk

5. Calligraphy

   It’s
   a skill that is as revered as painting. Master calligraphers practice
   their art assiduously, and their works can be very expensive. However,
   hanging wall scrolls are available at affordable prices and make
   beautiful souvenirs, especially for anyone with an appropriately
   Zen-like apartment back home.

   
   

   
   
   

   Painted scroll

6. Marble chops

   A
   chop is a signature, carved onto wood, marble, stone, or plastic, and
   used as a stamp on official documents or contracts. It is impossible to
   do business in China without a chop. You can quickly and easily get your
   own by having your name translated into Chinese characters and taking
   it along to a chop-maker.

7. Mao memorabilia

   The
   great icon Mao appears on posters, badges, banners, and almost anything
   else with a flat surface. There are shops and stalls that trade in
   nothing but Mao in the Dazhalan district and at Panjiayuan Market.

   
   

   
   
   

   Mao memorabilia

8. Ceramics

   China
   has been producing ceramics for centuries. The finest come from
   Jingdezhen, and can be seen at Ceramic City at 277 Wangfujing Dajie.
   Just remember, you have to get it home in one piece.

   
   

   
   
   

9. Lanterns and lamps

   The
   beautiful red lanterns that you see hanging all over Beijing make a
   fantastic and very affordable souvenir of China. An equally attractive
   variant are the table lamps with distinctive red, tulip-shaped shades.
   These should cost no more than a few yuan.

10. Designer clothing

    Hottest
    souvenirs from Beijing are top-label international brands, sold here
    for a fraction of the cost back home. They are all, of course, fakes –
    almost passable copies but poorer quality. Those whose copyrights are
    being infringed have begun to take legal action and the days of the
    fakes may be numbered.

Top 10 Galleries