Picking a Beloved Piece of Classic Chinese Furniture

Classic Chinese furniture has its own noble style; yet, if used properly, it matches well with modern household articles. So whether you are a nostalgic lover of the classics or a trendy urbanite, classical Chinese furniture can suit your decorating needs. The search for just the right pieces of furniture to suit your can be enjoyable. There are three nice places in Beijing where your search for furniture should begin.

 

Gaobeidian:

Classical Chinese Furniture Market

 

What makes Gaobeidian more than a common village in Chaoyang District in East Beijing is its classical Chinese furniture street.

In a sense, it is more than a market, because some time-honoured furniture shops on the street have their workshops in their backyards, so they can make furniture at a customer’s request.

If you have any particular style in mind, you can discuss it with the expert traders, who will offer you practical suggestions.

The workshop model has another advantage: better after-sales service if compared with other retail outlets.

Most of the traders in Gaobeidian are familiar with laowai and can speak English or find someone who can in a hurry.

The China Red Sandalwood Museum is also in Gaobeidian: visit it to see the real essence of ancient Chinese furniture and build up your knowledge of sandalwood furniture there.

How to get there: Take the Beijing Subway Batong Line and get off at Gaobeidian. Walk west along the Jing–Tong Expressway service road to the museum. Walk in the same direction form the subway to Gaobeidian Lu, then south to the Gaobeidian furniture street. This is a long walk, but there are things to see along the way. Otherwise, take a taxi.

 

Lujiaying: Try Your Luck in the Pool

 

Located in Shibalidian on the South Fourth Ring Road, Lujiaying is called Hebei Daku (Hebei is a province near to Beijing, and daku means a big warehouse). It is said that Lujiaying is the choice of expert collectors, because some traders who collect old-styled furniture from Shanxi and other provinces gather here, and their goods are quite original.

More than a hundred old furniture shops reside in yards in the village, including some big ones with warehouses of over a thousand square metres. Every day, trucks loaded with old furniture, windows and doors, woodcarvings and stone carvings arrive from around the country. Lujiaying is like a toy store for old-styled Chinese furniture fans.

The price of articles in Lujiaying can be as much as half that of the Panjiayuan, but it’s suggested that you should be energetic enough to wander around the big warehouses crammed with old furniture there.

How to get there: Take Subway Line 5 and get off at Liujiayao, then take a taxi. About 15 yuan.

 

Panjiayuan: A Supermarket of Antiques

 

Panjiayuan is a nice place for beginners to broaden their vision about the artefacts of Chinese culture. Here you could find all kinds of antiques, craftworks and old-style furniture.

From genuine classic Chinese furniture of the Ming and Qing dynasties to brand new imitations, buyers can find whatever they want and at a better and fairer price than elsewhere, especially if the collector can properly identify the goods they seek.

Generally speaking, the imitations made of common wood are comparatively cheap. Never forget to haggle.

The Panjiayuan is like a supermarket: free and well-organized, with everything that you expect to find. So it is good for those who want to select their favourite antique furniture in a short time.

How to get there: Take Subway Line 1 and get off at Guomao, then take a taxi. About 15 yuan.