Unusual Gifts: Ya Xuan Handicrafts from Beijing
Sep 3rd, 2008 by Roselah Varde
The Forbidden City is surrounded with shops selling Chinese handicrafts. Not all shops were created equal though, so travelers have to many to find those which truly offer articles of great value.
When you have spent some time in Beijing, and you have seen a great number of these shops, it become easier and easier to recognize if their offer is attractive - both in terms of quality and prices - or if the owners try to make a quick buck on your back.
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 good thing about this kind of shops is that though they are not specialized in any region in particular, they bring to Beijing a whiff of what’s so special about the Chinese ethnic minorities.
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.
The Chinese people love symbols, and are die-hard buyers of objects which symbolize luck, prosperity, wealth, happiness, and other such good fortune-bringing decoration items.
Among the other decorative objects offered by the shop, you can’t but notice the braided pendants. Shaped as fish and Chinese zodiac animals, or Chinese characters such as ‘Luck’ and ‘Love’, these red pendants are great handmade gifts.
I noticed a beautiful series of painted clay figurines representing old Chinese people sitting or standing at the doors of the old Beijing homes called ‘courtyards’. You can still see a few of these houses in the hutongs (the old alleyways). They tend to disappear though, to leave room for new construction projects.
The clay figurines reproduce with great accuracy the time-worn doorsteps of these courtyards. The artist even added a super realistic touch: the weeds which adorn the walls and tiles of many a courtyard home.
Truly good examples of naive art which would make a cool gift for collectors and children alike.
