Travel China and Beyond

Buying Murano Style Glass Jewelry in the Silk Street Market in Beijing

When I was in the Silk Street Market in Beijing last month buying some stock for my online jewelry store, Chinafinds, I noticed that there were a number of stalls selling beautiful Murano / Venetian style glass jewelry. There was no attempt to pass it off as ‘genuine Murano glass’ or ‘authentic Venetian glass’ as it was very clearly made in China. It would be hard to imagine importing the genuine art glass from Italy and selling it in a Beijing market anyway!

At any rate, the quality of many of the items that I saw was quite good and the prices were much, much lower than those of the real Italian Murano glass items that I have seen. I had seen Chinese Murano style glass jewelry in the markets in previous years, but the amount was smaller and the quality was not nearly as good. Clearly, the Chinese manufacturers are perfecting their techniques.

Buying Cloisonne Jewelry at Hongqiao Pearl Market in Beijing

Still on Day 2 of my recent trip to Beijing—my daughter and I headed back to Hongqiao Pearl Market after lunch and a bathroom break at the hotel (for those of you who have never had the pleasure of visiting Beijing, a visit to the hotel bathroom is generally infinitely preferable to using the (un)sanitary facilities when one is out and about!). This time, we were in search of cloisonné jewelry. Like cinnabar, cloisonné is an ancient Chinese decorative art. To create cloisonné, wires are first arranged on the item to be decorated in the desired design and then the spaces in between are filled with successive layers of colored enamel. Finally, the item is fired and polished. Cloisonne can be used to create decorative plates, bowls and ornaments as well as jewelry, but today we were only interested in its jewelry applications.

The large central area of the third floor of the Hongqiao Pearl Market is devoted to pearls and to get to the place where cloisonné, cinnabar and other traditional handicrafts are sold, you have to go to the far back reaches of the floor. There you will find a multitude of items other than cinnabar and cloisonne—wood carvings, rugs, stone carvings, Christmas ornaments, Chinese seals (chops), decorative boxes, glass spheres with carvings inside them, hairpins, writing pens, writing brushes, ink sticks, wall hangings and more! Bargaining is, of course, essential. We finally found a few places selling good quality cloisonné bracelets. One of the vendors, who was selling cloisonné of higher quality than those in the neighboring stalls, was particularly informative about the different quality levels of cloisonné. She showed us the difference between cloisonné items that were lighter weight and had a rougher texture and those that were heavier and had a smoother, more polished texture. From what I understood of her explanation in Chinese, the former used a less expensive four-step process in its manufacture and the latter used a lengthier and pricier six-step process. I may not have understood her all that clearly, but I was impressed with the quality of the items I purchased from her. There was clearly a difference between the two types of cloisonné and the six-step process simply produced a higher quality product. We purchased both cloisonné bangle bracelets and hand-knotted cloisonné bead necklaces from her and then returned back to the hotel to collapse in our comfortable room.

Buying Cinnabar Jewelry at the Hongqiao Pearl Market in Beijing

On Day 2 of my recent trip to Beijing, I rose early from my comfortable bed at the Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven, urged on by my nine year old daughter who was worried that we would miss out on all the good stuff at the complimentary breakfast buffet if we didn’t arrive sufficiently early. After quick showers and a long breakfast (the breakfast buffet really was quite tasty and all the good stuff wasn’t gone!), my daughter and I got into a taxi and headed over to the Hongqiao Pearl Market.

The market is located right beside the beautiful Temple of Heaven, so it is quite convenient to do both of them in one day. However, we had already had several pleasant outings at the Temple of Heaven in the past, and today only shopping was on our agenda. We entered the Hongqiao Pearl Market through a side entrance as it appears to be undergoing some sort of construction facelift, leaving the front entrance not easily accessible, and went straight to the jewelry section. To do this, we had to march determinedly past the first floor vendors selling scarves and knickknacks and electronic equipment, evade the second floor vendors as they tried to sell us shoes, clothing, luggage and purses, and go right up to the third floor where all the jewelry is. This morning, our objective was jewelry made from carved cinnabar. Cinnabar jewelry has an interesting history; originally, it was made from a tree sap lacquer that was colored by the beautiful but toxic mineral cinnabar (otherwise known as mercury sulfide). The resulting red lacquer was painted onto an item in multiple coats, letting the item dry between each coat, and then the resulting layers of lacquer were carved by artisans in decorative patterns. Obviously it wasn’t known at the time that the mineral cinnabar was dangerous and any poisoning that resulted was probably low level enough never to be noticed. Today, Chinese cinnabar products contain no actual cinnabar—the classic red color associated with cinnabar is provided by a harmless red dye.

Cinnabar jewelry, our objective of the morning, comes in many forms. One of the most common is the cinnabar bangle bracelet. Carved with a variety of traditional Chinese designs, these bracelets come in various widths and sizes. Some aren’t even red—I encountered pure black cinnabar bracelets on this visit for the first time. There are also cinnabar bead necklaces, cinnabar pendant necklaces, and cinnabar earrings. My daughter and I managed to buy a good quantity of each type of cinnabar jewelry and came back to the hotel laden with loot. Our next objective would be cloisonné, but that could wait until after lunch!

A Visit to the Malian Dao Tea Street Market in Beijing

On the first day of my recent trip to Beijing, I decided to take the afternoon and visit the Malian Dao Tea Street Market in the southwest corner of Beijing.   This fascinating market stocks a dizzying array of Chinese tea and tea accessories and is a cultural experience in itself.  There are a large number of stores in this area, but the one that my daughter and I went to was a four story edifice that houses a multitude of small vendors.  The first floor is crammed with hundreds of small tea stalls, primarily selling loose leaf tea but also stocking teapots, tea leaf storage canisters, tea cups, etc.  The second and third floors replicate the more crowded first floor, although the price seems to go up as you ascend to the upper levels.  (The fourth floor doesn’t appear to sell tea at all, but has unrelated stores and perhaps a restaurant—I’m not sure!) On this visit, I concentrated on the first floor and ended up buying 6 pounds of loose leaf tea—four pounds of jasmine tea and two of green tea.  The tea was remarkably reasonably priced at about $8.50 per pound and it was very good quality.  Of course the initial selling price was around three times as much, but that is to be expected in a Chinese market.  The obligatory bargaining was good practice for my scheduled visit the next day to the Hongqiao Pearl Market to buy jewelry for my online store Chinafinds.

Information on one of the more established areas for expats in Beijing

I wanted to post a quick summary for those searching for information on places to live in Beijing…If you have a family with you and are looking for an area close to the WAB or ISB (International schools in Beijing), you may want to consider the area near by River Garden.  Included here is an image / map I prepared based on a Google Earth snapshot of the area:

In this area you can find not only River Garden (established community) and Eurovillage but also Capital Paradise (to the West of River Garden — not seen on the image here), and Leman Lake (next to River Garden — they share a wall, not seen on the image either).  All these developments are within 5-10 minutes by bus or bike from ISB and about 10-15 minutes from WAB (Western Academy of Beijing).  As you can see from the image above, this area also includes a fairly well established shopping plaza with the proverbial Jenny Lou’s supermarket as well as a bunch of restaurants — even a Domino pizza franchise outlet, services like a Vet clinic, medical office, a tailor, as well as some shops for clothing and shoes, and of course a golf driving range.
If you have questions on this area do not hesitate to drop me a line.

Interesting Initiative by the Beijing City Government

In the last couple of years I have observed multiple cities in Asia (e.g. Taipei, in Taiwan) and North America either deploying or planning wireless broadband networks for city-wide access.  Today I came across such an initiative by the Beijing City Government as well.  Here is a link (in English) to the form which was created to gather input from what it looks like mostly expats.

Of course until that city-wide broadband network is available, you may want to consider the hot-spots which are available across multiple bars, restaurants, etc. in Beijing.  I have been compiling those in a list from various sources and personal experience.

Here are some currently active spots for Free WiFi:

Cafe Niro - near Tong Li Studio just off Sanlitun

Fruity Mix - Pacific Place

John Bull Pub - 44 Guanghua Road

Man Pen Xiang Restaurant - Basement of Times Square (Shi Dai Shang Chang)

O’Farrell Coffee - SOHO Block C, ground floor

S.I.T. Cafe - Hairun International Condo No. 2, Jiangtai Road (and other locations too)

Sculpting in Time Cafe == No.1 Building 12 Hua qing jia yuan.Cheng fu lu.
Haidian District. (West of WuDaoKou train station.)
All Sages Bookstore == near South gate of Tsinghua University.

Be There or Be Square Café == Beijing Oriental Plaza, No. 1 East Chang An Avenue , Dong cheng district.
Bar Blue == Tongli Studios, Sanlitun bei lu, Sanlitun bar area, Chaoyang District.
The Drum and Bell cafe == Located at the corner of the plaza between the Drum and Bell towers.  41 Zhong Lou Wan Hu Tong, East District, Beijing
Grandma’s Kitchen == Level B, Jianwai SOHO, Dong Sanhuan Zhong Lu, Chaoyang District

Steak & Eggs == 5, 6 Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai, Chaoyang District (favourite with the expat crowd for Sunday brunches)
Top Club & Lounge == 4th Floor of Tongli Studios (South Entrance), Sanlitun.
www.topclubbeijing.com.

Cafe de Niro == 1 st floor Tongli Studios, Sanlitun north bar street, Chaoyang District.
The Den == Expat bar and club == 4A Gongti Donglu (next to City Hotel)
Fruity Juice == 107 PCCW Building, Gongti bei lu,Chaoyang District .
John Bull Pub == 44 Guang hua lu, Chaoyang District.
Mrs Shanen’s Bakery and Café == 5 Kaifajie, Xibaixinzhuang, Shunyi. (near River Garden and Capital Paradise housing developments)
Fishnation == 31 Nanluoguxiang, Sanlitun Area (the little alley between Poacher’s bar and Kai)

Man Pen Xiang Restaurant == Basement of Times Square (Shi Dai Shang Chang).

O’Farrell Coffee == SOHO, Block C, ground floor.

Le Petit Gourmand == South Bldg., 10 Sanlitun lu (North Bar Street), in alley just west of Skyline Bar)

SPR Coffee == Hairun International Condo No. 2. (near Lidu in DaShanZi area)
The Bookworm == Building 4, Nan sanlitun lu, Chaoyang District.
Touch Bar == 8 Qianhai Beiyan, Houhai Area, Xi cheng District.
Salud Cafe/Restaurant == 66 Nan Luogu Xiang.
There Cafe Salon & Restaurant == 97 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng.
Gustomenta
The (new) Bookworm == Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District.
Saveurs de Corée == Swish Korean bistro with free WiFi
Chazhenxiang Tea and Coffee House == Zhongguancun Nan Dajie, next to a KFC
Kerry Centre Hotel == No. 1 Guanghua Road,Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100020,
China World Hotel, Beijing == No. 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Beijing 100004, China
(The place itself is really nice, aside from the free WiFi –  enjoy    )
Cafe Pause == 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu
The Pavillion == Opposite Workers’ Stadium’s West Gate
Sequoia Cafe == 44 Guanghua Lu (beside John Bull Pub)
Stone Boat Bar == Ritan Park, southwest corner
Browns == Sanlitun South, Chaoyang District (above The Loft)

Travel to Hangzhou - sites, shopping, places to see

I have travelled to Hangzhou on numerous occasions over the past 19 years.  My first trip there was in 1988 (while I was a student in Shanghai).  Friends of mine were studying in the Hangzhou Fine Arts Institute.  At that time the city was a very nice escape from the overcrowding and smog of Shanghai.  Plus you could not miss the beautiful hills and tea growing areas.

Over the years Hangzhou has changed as the rest of China.  It has grown and become modernized.

The famous sites remain pretty much the same though:

•  The West Lake — with many scenic pagodas and temples as well as the natural beauty of the surrounding hills  (I used to love the beer made in Hangzhou with the same name XiHu PiJiu)
• The Buddhist carvings at the Feilai Feng Caves
• Multiple Tea plantations

If you like Tea, Hangzhou is the place to enjoy fresh picked tea — the famous Long Jing (Dragon Well) variety of green tea.

In the early Spring (April timeframe) you can visit some of the small restaurants on the outskirts of Hangzhou in the hills and both have very nice dinner or lunch as well as enjoy some very aromatic tea and also see and smell the freshly picked tea.

At that time of the year you will find tea leaves drying in woven baskets everywhere infront of the houses in the hills.

Shopping related:
Tea -  You can also purchase the fresh green tea at a very reasonable prices — read Cheap…

 The famous Long Jing teas are:
  XiHu Long Jing
  Lion Xi Hu Long Jing
  Emperor Long Jing  / Emperor Lung Ching
Silk Umbrellas
  Hangzhou silk and Zhejiang Bamboo
  Hangzhou is also famous for silk — the other famous silk city in China is Suzhou.

Shopping street:
   Hubin street (near Hyatt)
   Qing Hefang Street   
   XuHu TianDi — a bar and restaurant / tea house street.  Does this remind you of the name sake in Shanghai ?
Some Museum sites:

• The China Tea Museum located in Shuangfeng, Longjing Road ,Hangzhou
• China Silk Museum (on bus number 38) - located at the bottom of YuHuang Hill near the West Lake.
• West Lake Museum — a nice place to relax and enjoy the scenery — located near XiHu Tiandi

Other places to visit:
  Chenghuang Temple
  Leifeng pagoda
  Dragon Well Village
  Su Causeway
  JingCi Temple
  Yue Temple

With regards to places to stay, here are some options:

• If you would like to be located at a really nice spot - near the West lake — essentially across the street from the paths around the lake — you should consider the Shangri-La hotel; Rates are around RMB1100
• The Radisson Plaza Hotel — also a nice one. Rates are in the range of RMB1000
• Hangzhou International Holiday Inn — you can get a nice room for about RMB600

In terms of getting to the city, you probably should consider travel via train to Shanghai. The train ride is very comfortable and relatively fast (make sure you get on an express train).  Otherwise if you are travelling by plane keep in mind that the airport is a good distance away from town and a taxi ride to the airport will run you around RMB120.

I have heard also about a new service of Air China.  If you are traveling via Air China and you need to get from Hangzhou to Pudong Int’l Airport you can use the Free Shuttle.  The bus leaves from Hangzhou Tourist Center and goes to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Well, this is a quick summary.  Enjoy your trip!

Chinese Tea

Living in China one must learn something at least about Chinese tea. This is a drink that is so prominent in everyday life here, that you just cannot avoid it, cannot miss it, and for sure will experience it in multiple forms. Tea, of course is part of almost all lunches and dinners you would most likely have while living and working, or even just visiting China.
Given the importance of the drink, I decided to put together some information on it and provide you with some links and references to resources on tea.

In summary form, Chinese tea can be classified in the following categories/types:

Green tea - this is tea which has been processed with very little or no fermentation thus the leaves actually retain their “green” color and the tea (liquid) itself has light green color. Good examples are the Longjing tea from Hangzhou area, Maofeng from the area of Huangshan in Anhui province.
Red tea — in the West this tea is known as Black tea, while in China it is Red tea (hong cha) is processed by first fermenting it then baking the leaves. HuHong tea (from Hunan province) is an example of red tea. Here is an example from Amazon.com Dragon Pearl Fresh Black Tea for those who do not have access to the tea markets in Beijing
WuLong (also spelled Oolong) tea - is sort of between green and red tea — it is a result of a partial fermentation process. Guandong and Fujian provinces (both in the South of China) are usual producers of WuLong teas. Here is a good example of this type of tea Dragon Pearl Ti Kwan Yin (Iron Goddess) Oolong Tea
Pressed tea — this is tea which is pressed into shapes — very hard ones. You would have to chip off a piece of tea and use it in a tea jar or pot. Pu Er tea is often sold in a pressed form. It is preserved for long periods (many years in some cases) and is easier to transport (at least that is what many tea merchants and manufacturers believe). In case you have not come across this type, you can read about it here:Imperial Pu-er Tea
If you reside in Beijing, a good place to buy both various teas as well as tea pots, cups or tea sets, strainers, etc. is the Tea Market located in the Southwest part of Beijing.

The Silk Street Market - Beijing

Many foreign visitors to Beijing end up visiting a market during their stay in Beijing. The Silk Street Market (XiuShui) is probably one of the most visited places to bargain in Beijing. Why…? Well, because of its location — if not necessarily because of the deals it offers.
The Old Silk Street market (prior to 2005) today’s Silk Street market

The Silk Street Market is located off JianGuo Road near the downtown Embassy area (and more specifically very near one of the US embassy campuses) on Xiushuidong Jie. Continue reading The Silk Street Market - Beijing…

Panjiayuan Dirt Market

Known variously as the Dirt Market, the Weekend Market, or by its correct title-Panjiayuan Market-this colorful market is one the true experiences of Beijing. Although it operates in some form during the week, it is on the weekend that Panjiayuan comes alive. Continue reading Panjiayuan Dirt Market…