| Special Gifts: Chinese Folk Handicrafts | | Print | |
| Written by Philippe Chavanne | ||||||
| Sunday, 07 September 2008 | ||||||
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If you stroll around the Forbidden City, you will notice the presence of many handicraft shops in the neighboring streets. This is one of the pleasures of this area: there is an abundance of small joints carrying folkloric items from the Chinese provinces. Oftentimes, these will make great gift ideas.
If you stroll around the Forbidden City, you will notice the presence of many handicraft shops in the neighboring streets. This is one of the pleasures of this area: there is an abundance of small joints carrying folkloric items from the Chinese provinces. Oftentimes, these will make great gift ideas. That's of course an easier task for those of us who live in Beijing, since we see many such little shops and can identify more quickly if what they carry is worth a look, or simply junk not worth using for gifts. Nan Chi Zi street harbors a number of such shops, and I found one there which I think should be told about. Like many others, it offers handmade objects from the Chinese minorities, but also some "purely Beijing" items which are worth a second look. The shop is a happy capharnam, by which I mean an organized disorder of hundred of small items which could each be offered as surprising, unusual gifts of ethnic flavor. Enter the shop, and bob your head if you are over 6 ft. The ceiling is decorated with red and yellow lanterns from the Shandong province, as well as lucky pendants the Chinese people love to offer their families and friends. You can't miss the small wooden figurines called 'happiness dolls' either: if some friends of yours are about to tie the knot, buy a couple of 'Huan Xi Wa Wa' - their name in Chinese. These dolls symbolize the longevity of the life-long bond which is to unite newlyweds. They are small enough to be carried back home without any problem, and they will make absolutely unique wedding gifts. Chinese families often give each other such small but meaningful gifts, to wish wealth, prosperity, good health, and good fortunes to their families and friends. The typically Chinese cotton knots and pendants are braided in shapes of fish, zodiac animals, Peking opera faces, and 'auspicious' Chinese characters. In a Western interior, they would make intriguing and exotic ornamental accents. If you check this shop out, don't overlook the painted clay figurines reproducing gates of old Beijing residences. Made according to ancient clay-modeling techniques, these genuine works of art bear a rather exquisite level of details. The artists even thought of adding the familiar weeds typically found on old roofs in the Beijing Hutongs (the old alleyways), and the worn-out stone stairs leading up to the richer courtyards (traditionally, the higher the flight of stairs, the richer the home owner). I love these original figurines. Their naive character make them one-of-a-kind, unique gifts. Article Author: Phil 'Biker' Chavanne roams China to bring you unique gifts from Beijing and other places. Check the wealth of information provided on his Beijing shopping website and get fresh gift ideas for your significant ones.
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 August 2010 ) | ||||||
