Take Your Trip Home With Some Brilliant Gifts in Beijing
Are you visiting Beijing for the first time? Lots of photos and some great stories may not fully suffice as souvenirs for your friends and family back home? Then authentic Chinese gifts are the ideal souvenir to bring back after a trip to Beijing.
Whether it’s Chinese knotting, a silk scarf, or simply a Chairman-related gift – it’s always nice to have a souvenir. Here are eight brilliant things that you can bring back to remind you of a fantastic Beijing trip.
1. Silk
This natural fabric has hailed from China for more than 5,000 years. Created by silkworms and then dyed, silk is soft, lightweight, and glossy. Because of the rarity and difficulty in manufacturing this fiber, authentic silk clothing and other items are prized.
You can buy silk all over China. The price depends on the quality and your bargaining ability. Besides, the famous Silk Market, Beijing is better to go to more established silk stores that are more popular among Chinese citizens.
2. Jade
Jade is durable but soft enough that it can be carved into a variety of beautiful decorations and sculptures.
Though it’s more commonly seen as bright “Imperial” green, it actually can be found in a variety of colors, including white. Jade has also been a part of Chinese culture for thousands of years and continues to be mined.
In many shopping malls in Beijing, you can find real jade. If you’re looking for a wide variety of Jade, Panjiayuan Antique Market is an excellent place to visit. Stalls are set up inside and out. Another chain shop is Chow Tai Fook, where you can buy jade.
3. Chopsticks
Yes, you can always get two essential pieces of cheap, splintery wood at any take-out restaurant. But in China, you’ll find that some chopsticks are beautifully decorated and functional.
Some of the more traditional chopsticks use fine wood, ivory, or metal, and sometimes include inlaid jewelry, and are also well-balanced, so they’ll help you maintain a good grip and pick up food more efficiently. Some of them cost more than $100.
You’ll find stores selling chopsticks in the Pearl Market and Silk Market. You will probably find handmade chopsticks in Nanluoguxiang Hutong.
4. Chinese Knots
China has long been known as a place where every item has a purpose and value. A perfect example of this approach is the Chinese knot, an intricate design that can be used as a decoration, as a gift, or a way to enhance a wardrobe.
Part of its appeal is that, if created correctly, it is built with a single length into an intricate and unique design. The Chinese knot is one of the top popular souvenirs in Beijing.
You can easily find Chinese knots in Silk Market, Pearl Market, or Wangfujing area.
5. Calligraphy
This formal writing style looks elegant, and some practitioners can spend hours or days trying to get one character or brush stroke perfect. Learning this skill well can also create wonderful artwork.
Liulichang Culture Street is heaven for calligraphy lovers. You can’t go wrong with buying calligraphy on Liulichang Culture Street.
6. Personalized Seal/Chop
Traditionally, people can utilize this item on envelopes or documents since it symbolizes uniqueness. Artists can carve a name or certain word or phrase into different products.
Chop stalls are everywhere in main tourist sites of Beijing like the Mutianyu Great Wall or the Forbidden City.
7. Paper cuts
We’re not talking about the tiny painful slices in your skin you may get from grabbing paper the wrong way, but elegant artwork made entirely out of paper. Chinese paper cutting is an ancient tradition, and past cultures used paper items as decorations.
Pingyao, Huxian County, and Beijing’s hutong are the best places to appreciate paper cuts. They can be found in either the Silk Market or Pearl Market in Beijing.
8. Little Red Book
When Mao Zedong was in power from 1949 to 1979, he encouraged all Chinese citizens to follow his teachings and issued a copy of his book containing quotations and inspiration.
You find these Red Books in the souvenir markets, not in used bookstores. Both Panjiayuan Market and Liulichang Culture Street are good places to shop for Red Book.
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When I’m not on the road or writing, I enjoy street photography, spending time with my wife and our 7-year-old son, Zack, or relaxing at home with our black-and-white cat, Sprite.
Hope my tips inspire your next adventure—happy travels!