Beijing Curio City
Beijing Curio City (Antique City, as it is signed) is Asia’s biggest curio arts and crafts trade center. It is China’s first curio market supervise by Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau to secure the good’s genuineness.
South of Panjiayuan and next to the Antique City Hotel, Curio City is four floors of antiques, scrolls, ceramics, carpets and furniture.
Beijing Curio City is a complex housing scores of kitsch and curio shops and a few furniture vendors. The market specializes in antique pottery, paintings from China and foreign countries, jade ware, bone carvings, antique furniture, antique carpets, antique timepieces, pearls and jade. Many of the dealers are themselves connoisseurs and curio collectors.
Opening Hours: 09:30-18:30 daily
Location: 21 Dongsanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District Beijing
How to get there ?
Curio City is located at No.21 Dongsanhuan Nan Lu, Exit Third Ring Rd. at Panjiayuan Bridge, Chaoyang District. It is on the south third ring road, is an easy walk from Chao Wai Furniture market, the glasses market and directly opposite the Beijing antique painting and calligraphy centre. Or, via cab, it is about 15 minutes from Guomao Subway Station (China World Trade Center).
If you want to get there by bus, you can take Bus No. 28, 300, 352, 368, 378, 975,986 and get off at Huaweiqiao or Shilihe Station.
What to Buy ?
It is perfect to buy old or antique artifacts. You can buy anything from gold buttons to restored bridal beds. If you’ve seen a piece of Chinese furniture in a glossy magazine or high-priced home décor shop back home, you may well find the same item here for a fraction of the price.
While you arrive there, you’ll find:
* The ground floor: Jade and pear
* The 2nd and 3rd floors: Antiques and carpets
* The 4th floor: Antique clocks and watches
* Others: old books and paintings, agate, jadeite, ceramics, ancient Chinese and foreign coins, bamboo and animal bone sculptures, leather puppets for shadow play and a wide range of Chinese opera masks.
Best Time to Shop
It is open at 9.30am – 6.30pm daily, but Saturdays and Sundays are still the best days to go.
A Beijing Curio City Virtual Tour
It is divided into four floors, and you can find your favorite two or three floors to shop:
* The ground floor: Jade and pearl. Most of them are Ancient traditional Chinese jade and pearl. But parts of them are from the outside world.
* The second and third floor: Precious antiques and unique carpets. Beijing Curio City is well stocked up with all kinds of antiques and carpets.
* The fourth floor：Traditional Chinese Antique clocks and watches.
There is so much to do and see in this area you could easily make a day or two of shopping just around this small area! Generally the items on sale are authentic. But the prices are going to be inflated.
