Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Looking For Pearls And Antiques In Beijing

By Cathryn Zhang

Visit Fanghua Pearl and Jewel to find your favorite necklace.

The Pearl Market close to the Beijing Avic Hotel is a hot shopping center. Every day it attracts a great number of people from all over the world. If you want to buy natural pearl jewelery for yourself or loved ones, I recommend you come here and to a shop named Fanghua Pearl and Jewel.

This well-decorated shop is on the 4th floor of the market. You will find numerous pearl necklaces neatly displayed in the shop. The colors included milk white, golden yellow, pink, and black.

As the No.1 retailer of high-quality peals in Beijing, Fanghua has been in the business for twenty years. According to the shop manager, the main categories of pearls here are fresh water pearls, sea water pearls, and South Sea pearls.

Ms. Carrie explained to me how to distinguish real pearls from fake ones. There's a rule for judjing fine pearls: the rounder and shinier, the better.

You will notice the photos on the wall showing foreign dignitaries visiting the shop: Margaret Thatcher, Putin's wife, the Queen of Spain, and so on. The photos are proof of the charm of these Chinese pearls.

A shop offering antiques and jade items

The Henan Plaza Beijing Hotel is very close to Chengtian Antique City in southeastern Beijing. If you want to visit some interesting antique shops, go to a shop that carries antiques, jade jewelry, and other Chinese artwork.

The shop owner Mr. Tang collected many antique porcelain wares, including vases, bowls, and plates. Some of them were antiques made in the Qing dynasty.

Mr. Tang, the shop owner, greeted me. He showed me a porcelain statue of Empress Dowager Cixi, a female ruler of the Qing dynasty. She sat on a stone bench with a big spotted dog. She was wearing a big black hat and a colorful button-down robe. Embroidered peonies and butterflies decorated her robe. In China, a peony represents wealth and status.

Jade jewelery items are also very popular here, including the pendants and bracelets. Jade symbolizes virtue and brings good health.

You can also find Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and wood carvings in this shop. They are all very good decorations for your room. So check it out on your way home to your Beijing hotel! - 2361

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