Sanyuanli Fresh Market



my favorite market stall at Sanyuanli no 101

It is one of the best fresh markets in Beijing - quality and cleanness wise. From the main street - you will see a big sign in roman letters "Sanyuanli" over the entrance. The market stretches in one long corridor. It starts with the fruit section. Then some stalls selling tea on the left.

Chinese tea at the market

On the right you can buy some yummy fresh pastry and bread, Chinese style. It smells so good! Further on, you will find some shops selling can food, special spices and sauces in bottles, and then small household items.

In the middle section, you might not want to look too close. This is the wet section. This is why these markets are also called wet markets. There are a few butchers that cut entire veal legs on wooden blocks - right in front of you. They have cheep heads on display and all other parts of animals that are eatable - Chinese way. There is also all kind of seafood on ice. Or it still swims in containers. The ice melts slowly, and drips on the market hall floor. You do not want your pants dipping in the puddles of the wet middle section.

When you made it through the middle section - that is indeed interesting and serves for great photo shoots - you will be in the third and last section selling all vegetables you can think of. They even have those veggies usually not available at Jenny Lou or even Carrefour, not in large quantities though and slightly higher in price.

I have chosen my vegetable stall some years ago by looking at the vendors face - their products are mainly the same, so the quality and the price.  So it was the vendors smile and her stall no. 101 that I thought makes the difference.

Now, I was shopping here again at Sanyuanli, after 3 1/2 years of absence. And guess what? All the vendors I used to buy from, recognised me!

They smiled and waved and greeted. I was very touched! My veggie lady was very happy (see her smile above 1st pic) and the fruit vendor sprang up from his seat and gave my and my friends 3 big red strawberries to taste. They were very sweet and tasty indeed. Not like the other Chinese strawberries that are pale pink and even green from the outside, and white from the inside, and tasting like sugar water - because these strawberries during their growth were injected with sugar water.

fruit section at Sanyuanli market

Sanyuanli is my favourite market. Shopping their is fun. Vendors are friendly and beside the floor of the wet section, that is probably not dirty, but just wet, it is very clean. Prices are up in comparison to my last stay, but no wonder with the yuan being up 10% every year!

Adress:

Sanyuanli Market (三源里市场)
Shunyuan Jie, Chaoyang District (朝阳区东三环顺源街), North of Sanlitun
Open: daily 5am – 7pm

Active Expat Ladies in Beijing - or Selfmade Entrepreneurs

click to enlarge

I admire these active expat ladies !

Another bazar is coming up, this time on Wednesday, November 17 at East Lake Villas! In Sanlitun, Beijing, my old home! - And look at the flyer they made ! It is send out via email and probably hangs out at expat compounds, condos and supermarkets.

I love their "label" names : Shanghai Trio, Mandarine Coco, Tang' Roulou ... - and the money they have to pay for their bazar stand goes to charity. What a clever concept.

The products you can buy at these kind of bazaars that go round in the community are mainly designed by these active expat ladies and produced by Chinese workers or factories that they found suitable. Some other ladies import products you otherwise would not find in Beijing. And so they keep them self busy and try out entrepreneur's life. Some of the ladies are so successful that they have their own shops yet.

Take Shanghai Trio, they just opened a  shop at the new North Village in Sanlitun. They have already boutiques in Shanghai and Paris, but in Beijing they tried only bazars for a long time, or on appointment at home.

While in Beijing, my friend and I went to their shop and bought small bags in shiny red waterproofed material. Shanghai Trio is one of my favorites and I hope they survive the probably very high rental fees at North Village.

And long before Constance de Toldi, the organiser of the above "So French" bazar, started with her cashmere business, my friend Ira Walendy was already doing her private Cashmere Parties. Now, more ladies try their luck, also with kid's cashmere collections. Ira meanwhile concentrates on her 0813 spa collection , where she and her friend aim more at hotel shops to become customers.

Since this is a unpaid advertising post for all active expat ladies in Beijing, I want to name some more - also as inspiration for "still dreaming" expats - like me.

Some other successful entrepreneur ladies in Beijing :

Kathrin von Rechenberg : "tea silk" fashion made in China. Kathrin, originally from Munich, married to a Chinese, shows her collections at fashion shows at The Orchard Restaurant, shoes up at bazaars (preferred the Embassy house) and has her own shop in Sanlitun (near Embassy house) were she works and lives.

Rouge Baiser Elise  : home embroidered linen by Parisian Elise de St. Guilhem. After a successful shop in Shanghai, she opened one more boutique in Sanlitun, Beijing. This is run by some French ladies taking turns in the shop.

If home made necklaces or cashmere from the wool spinning city are not enough handcraft for you, I have two more examples of successful entrepreneurs: Take the French butcher Michel or the German bakery "Cafe Constance" (Konztanz). That's real business.

But I still dream small. Online sales, paypal payment... just don't have the product yet.

Find more inspiration via nicely made in China, a portal for quality products made in China aiming at export. You can browse by categories like DESIGN, FASHION, HANDMADE, CRAFTS. You will find the stories behind Shanghai Trio, Kathrin von Rechenberg and many more active expats that became entrepreneurs !

When you ask for TWO and get EIGHT

Once, when my mother was visiting me in Beijing together with my mother-in-law, we went shopping. We always went shopping of course, but once we went shopping for tea. It was their last day of their stay in Beijing and the demand for different kind of green teas and jasmine teas in pretty little gift boxes was high. I was the tour guide and had to translate - but could not handle both mothers at the same time. So my mother, not shy, went ahead and ordered two more red boxes of a nice Dragon Well green tea. And to make sure the Chinese sales girl understood her right, she made the gesture with her two fingers - the Western way :

The Chinese sales girl got very excited and asked her collegue for help and they packed tea in boxes, and boxes and boxes ... meanwhile I turned around and saw my confused mother trying to stop the girls and behind the counter I saw happy busy working sales girls.

I understood right away, what had happened, when I heard my mother saying : No, TWO, TWO !

The Western gesture for TWO is the Chinese gesture for EIGHT !

You must know the following :
Chinese use one hand, five fingers only, to count to 10. And especially when shopping in the grocery markets they use their fingers.

And counting to ten the Chinese way goes like this:

Chinese figure gestures

Chinese characters for 1 to 10 and pinyin writing

Below alternative gestures for 10 :

So, my Mum had ordered EIGHT boxes of tea, thinking she had asked for only TWO. Well, she did ask for two, in her English - but with the Western gesture for two which is the Chinese gesture for eight.

Logo for Nanluogu Xiang

There is a NLGX Logo Design Competition!
NLGX stands for my favorite hutong: Nanluogu Xiang - and they want a logo for this hutong.

Today I received the latest newsletter 7 days in Beijing and found that apparently some Beijing city districts are designing their own logo. Sanlitun and the CBD (Central Business District) already have one and now Nanluogu Xiang wants to keep up with the trend and get its own logo. Local authorities have teamed up with imart to promote a competition to design a new logo for Nanluogu Xiang.
Competition closes on Oct 8.
E-mail entries to imartcc@gmail.com.

Visit the site, unfortunately only in Chinese, to get more information.

I am also surprised to see that the famous hutong Nanluogu Xiang also has a website!
So far also only in English.

I should have posted about the hutong long before. Alternatively I am just posting some pictures.

red lanterns in the wind

creative shop owner's business cards

Beijing: Furniture and Deco Shopping

Shop North of Silk Market

Where to shop for furniture and decorative items in Beijing, beside IKEA... in only a few days, I received this questions from three different readers. Two have just moved to Beijing, like Kata from Vilijonkka & tyttäret (WELCOME !) and want to decorate their new homes - and one is Suzy Annetta from Studio Annetta, an interior designer from Hong Kong who will come to Beijing to decorate show room apartments, meaning that she can shop with her customer's money. How nice!

I am happy to hear that my blog is "extremely helpful" ! And hope that list below will make you even more happy - it includes some of my favourite shops, I have seen them all (in Beijing, you might find the addresses of these shops in Chinese language in the Insider's Guide to Beijing or in urbane magazine):


Western Style:

- COFCO, different shops downstairs, including Bo Concept (Denmark), Ligne Roset (French), and Zizaohshe Design (interesting elegant Chinese)
- Easy Home, many big blue mall style outlets that including many brands of everything from flooring, toilets to furniture
- Boloni Lifestyle Museum, modern Italian style including curtains (also at Easy Home)
- Leslie's Fidelity Interior, modern furniture tailor made (moved to 4th ring)
- Dara (now at Dashanzi)
- QM Furniture (Danish design, Chinese prices)
- Fontainbleau, fabric for upholstery and furniture to order, e.g. Louis XV chairs (small shop, in walkging distance North of Silk Market) <-- exist="" not="" p="" still="" sure="" they="">- Muxiyuan Fabric market for more fabric including cotton, linen, silk, cashmere, fur ... all for your own designed cushions, upholstery, blinds...
- SPIN, hip ceramic (from Melbourne) made in Chinese traditional way (Lido area)
- Kartell, having a sale right now because they are closing (?) - just opposite SPIN in Lido - they also do copies of some designer furniture, but nor of Kartell
and of course
- IKEA for some good designed affordable furniture and accessories
- Ilinoi Home, some good accessories, cheaper than IKEA

East meets West ceramics by SPIN

China Style:

- Chaowai 'Antique' Furniture Market (I bought my daybed, picture below, at Cathay 2nd floor - others like Lilly's Shop, same floor opposite side)
- Gaobeidian (many 'antique' shops in the South of Beijing)
- Zizaohshe Design, contemporary elegant Chinese (COFCO)
- Radiance, 'antique', has two shops now, one specialised in Shanghai Art Deco (in Shunyi)
- Karolina Lehmann, lamps, silk screens, wallpaper, ceramics (Latai Flower market)
- Latai Flower market, downstairs many Chinese ceramics, lamps and more
- Liangma Flower market, ceramic, (also Western style), glass, artificial flowers upstairs
- Emperor, silk cushions, table runners
- Shanghai Tang, classy expensive China Style accessories
- Panjiayuan, week end flea market for decorative items like posters, paintings, brushes, vases, but for furniture not that great
- George, for lamp shades in silk (he can make a lamp out of everything), difficult to find in Shunyi
...

Chinese daybed in Chaowai Furniture Market

... long list... I have to go now and will update if I forgot something important. If you feel like I forgot something, let me know.

Happy Weekend ! Happy Shopping !

Boycotting - A new Sport ?

Last week my friend persuaded me to shop in Carrefour (speak: jia le fou in Chinese). We both hate to shop at Carrefour. In fact, all my expat friends hate to go to Carrefour. But still, last week, we went there - and we were the only foreigners. Only Chinese shop here. Foreigners don't like wasting time with the long drive through traffic jam, the hassle of finding the items of your shoping list in these large two story buildings, and then end up with much more than planned. If some friends buy products from Carrefour, then online. But it is so much easier to go to Jenny Lou around the corner for the daily grocery and milk. They have everything you need, you always meet someone you know and it was even cheaper then Carrefour! - WAS! - Was cheaper!

My friend said: "Lets go to Carrefour, I am boycotting Jenny Lou. (remark: seems like "boycotting" is a new sport these days.) Jenny Lou is exaggerating with its price increases!"

It is true! It is not only the yearly 10% price inflation... many things are 20% up and even more expensive at Jenny Lou lately.

I myself had already started to buy more and more with April Gourmet. The other very friendly and well stocked little chain for foreign brands. Some items I regularly buy are 10% cheaper at April Gourmet in comparison to Jenny Lou.

And to finish the story about my latest shopping experience in Carrefour: the prices really are better now at Carrefour - but I still will go to April Gourmet.

So that day we boycotted Jenny Lou.

And now Chinese want to boycott French Carrefour because of the things that happened in Paris?

This is totally crazy, because most of the products at Carrefour are Chinese - and all workers are Chinese - I have never ever seen any French guy, otherwise I would have told them, how much I am disappointed about the Carrefour outlets in Beijing. The worst Carrefour I have seen in Asia are in Beijing. However, Chinese love to shop there.

BTW demonstrations are allowed in China - at least against French goods.

Read more
Carrefour boycott, by China.org.cn including photos
Chinese netizens urge Carrefour boycott after torch relay incident, by China View
Kitty Shelley versus France, by ESWN including translations of the Chinese Internet discussion

Photo: Boycott sign against Carrefour circulating in the Internet to organise a boycott on May 1st

Decorating with Chinese Furniture

Let me share with those who have not access to the Beijing based urbane magazine (left: March cover) my latest article about Chinese furniture. There is a brief introduction to Ming and Qing style and how ancient Chinese furnishing could be used to decorate modern homes. Next month an article about 'Shanghai Glam' will be published.





Read my version prior to editing:

China Decor goes Global

While lots of young Chinese turn towards IKEA or Boloni to decorate their modern homes with western style furniture, China style is popular in the West more than ever.

The history of Chinese furniture dates back over 2000 years. The ancient Chinese knelt or sat cross-legged upon woven mats surrounded by various furnishings including low tables, screens, and armrests.

The development from sitting on the floor towards high seating was influenced by foreign customs and the migration of Buddhism. Chairs and raised platforms began to appear as the status enhancing seats of great masters. In the 12th century the use of stools and chairs was widely spread in China.

The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was considered as the golden age of Chinese furniture. Most Ming furniture feature clean lines and have a system of assembly without the use of nails. The timeless simplicity and perfect proportions of the Ming style allow these pieces to fit even today in contemporary homes around the world.

Later, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) more ornate carvings, bright lacquering and inlay work become common. Traders exported along the Silk Road blue and white Ming porcelain, Qing furniture and textile to Europe. European craftsmen soon caught on the exotic motifs, which movement was called Chinoiserie in the 18th century. This is also when Chinese hand painted wallpaper and screens became popular.

In the same century the influence of Chinese furniture and porcelain spread over Southeast Asia, due to Chinese merchants travelling and settling in the region. In the 18th century in Thailand was a vogue for all things Chinese. Courtiers wore Chinese slippers and jackets, Chinese furniture found its way into noble mansions and temples.

The blending of artistic form with practical functionality can be seen as a common thread running throughout the long history of Chinese furniture and is the reason why it is still popular today. For everyday life, you can convert the original function of Chinese furniture and adopt it to your home needs. An altar tables can serve as console table behind a sofa. A small opium bed can be used as coffee table. A wedding cabinet might store a TV while a pharmacy cabinet can store CDs and wooden rice measure containers serve as magazine stands. And finally, accessorize your home with some blue and white ginger jars. Or hang framed hand painted wallpaper panels in your living room. This is a less expensive and flexible alternative to wallpaper a whole wall or room as you can move with your wallpaper.

Another very decorative style developed in the glamorous 1930s in Shanghai. A fusion of Eastern and Western styles including both Chinese bright colors and Western Art Deco elements created the famous so called 'China Chic' or 'Shanghai Chic' (1930s) style.

To achieve a bit of this style and vivid atmosphere in your home you can paint your walls in bright lime green or lemon yellow like it was chic at that time. Shocking pink and lime green silk cushions freshen up dark Qing dynasty chairs in Hong Kong’s private China Club. It comes in handy that the man behind the China Club, David Tang founded Shanghai Tang, an exquisite shop for China Chic where you can find some matching accessories.(more about Shanghai Chic in urbane's April edition and here on my blog)

In the 21st century China style is hotter than ever! Today, you do not even have to travel to Asia to get Chinese decorative items. Interior Design shops around the globe offer Chinese lamps, vases, wallpaper or the famous wedding cabinets. But not only interior designer are focusing on China Style. Hollywood celebrities are wearing qipao, form-fitting Chinese silk dresses. Chinese modern artists are best sellers. Stylish Chinese restaurants, bars and courtyard houses are en vogue among foreigners and Chinese.

And if you feel your Chinese furniture look 'too Chinese' give them a contemporary face lift! You could lacquer a chair or cabinet in clean white or colors like bright orange, pine green, lemon yellow and Prussian blue. You can add cushions with a cotton print or striped pattern to a Chinese daybed instead of using silk. Combine pieces of Chinese furniture with contemporary Western furniture and colorful Western oil paintings for an eclectic mix.

---------------

Photo Caption: In Rome, not far from the Spanish stairs, in a beautiful park of palm and lemon trees lives Mafalda Princess of Hessen with her family in a red colored villa. This villa has a Chinese Salon decorated with an impressing over 100 years old Chinese hand painted wallpaper. The construction of the villa was influenced by the taste of the Nobles of the 18th century. This was when Chinese Salons were en vogue. ‘Such a room used to express that you were well-educated and widely travelled’, tells the Princess.

other photo Caption: Take a look into today's interior design magazines. Pictures of beautiful modern houses with blue and white ginger jar on a chimney or a horse shoe shaped Chinese chair in a hallway are never missing.

Treasure Hunt: In Beijing you find lots of treasures by exploring Panjiayuan Antique Market, Gaobeidian Village, Chaowai Furniture Warehouse, Liangma Antique Market or some local decorating shops like Dara or Zizaoshe. Others more pricey: Radiance, Shanghai Tang (Remark: These and more addresses can be found in "urbane" magazine and “Insider’s Guide to Beijing”.)

Beijing: Fake Money

For the first time in my life I hold fake money in my hands! Counterfeit money, funny money, bad money, bogus money, false money... whatever it is called.
Where is it coming from? - From my purse! I don't know who dared to give it to me! To the naive laowai who cannot tell the difference. - Now I can!

Can you tell the difference? One is real, one is fake.
It is the 50 yuan bank note (equal to 5 Euro).

But how did I find out? In jail?
No, no. Not that dramatic.
I left it for my ayi today, because we were waiting for the water to be delivered (two barrels of drinking water). When I came home I saw the change - but my 50 yuan bank note was still there. And before I could ask, ayi was telling the story: The guy from Jenny Lou, the supermarket that delivers the water, did not accept my money. It is fake. - What? While our driver was examining the bank note I took out another 50 yuan from my purse to see the difference. Now you see the two together, scanned for this post.

Since this afternoon I am more careful. I never watched out for fake money although everybody checks my 100 yuan notes wherever I pay. Probably because I only get 100 yuan bank notes from the ATM machines. The highest value of a Chinese bank note is 100 yuan (10 Euro). But the 50 yuan bank note comes back to you with change. And among the real ones might be the counterfeit ones.

So if you are in China and want to pay attention to the change given to you (according to our driver only 100 and 50 yuan notes are counterfeit), here is a quick lesson about how to recognize a false yuan bank note:



It is easy. Just remember point 1, 2 and 3 !
The other points show differences you only see when you compare the false note with a real one - and of course depend on the source.

1
The '50' is shiny golden on both notes, but only the real one turns green when moving (the 100 on the 100 yuan note changes to blue color)

2
The real bank note has a water sign of another '50' (or 100). My fake does not - but others might have.

3
The silver stripe looks almost real on both sides of the fake money. But when you hold the note against the light, only the real one has one dark non-stop stripe, while the fake one is interrupted.

4
Here is a water sign with Chairman Mao's face. Even on the fake one (that's why I think that they might even be able to do the 50 or the 100 of point 2) - the face looks slightly different, but if you have not another real one to compare with, you cannot tell. - Also the paper feels different.

5 and 6
The colours on the fake one are too bright and too much contrast between the colors.

7
The silver stripe is a bit too much on the left and a very slightly too fat.

So be careful, it might happen to you too.

I wonder if I should use my false note in some market to pay some nasty vendor... I could play the naive laowai... naughty... (and illegal, I guess).

Beijing and a soft touch

I was asked to do a research for an article about fabrics to use in interior decoration.

Here is the article:


And here are a few addresses in Beijing for fabrics (click on pic to enlarge):



Of course, one of my favorite markets, the gigantic Muxiyuan Fabric Market needs to be mentioned as well. It is located in the South of Beijing, in the Fengtai District (check "Insider's Guide to Beijing" for address in Chinese). It offers an enormous choice of cotton fabrics, silk, cashmere, furs and accessories like buttons, zips, applications etc. (see photo above, cotton fabrics with cute Chinese pattern).

For the article I got inspired by lots of blogs: Absolutely Beautiful, Decor8, Design*Sponge, Girl Meets Glamour, The Style Files ... The magazine's designer choose a picture of a lampshade by Black & Spiro (Absolutely Beautiful Things), a pic from Elle Decor that I found via Girl Meets Glamour and a pic with tea towels by Skinny laMinx that I discovered via The Style Files. And merci to my French neighbours who introduced me to two of the shops I mention in the article (Fontainebleu and George).

The magazine I am writing for changed the name in January. Until December 2007 it was the well-known Tbjhome and was distributed together with That's Beijing. The magazine's new name is urbane. The people and the layout are the same. But urbane's 44,000 free monthly copies are distributed separately now. In future they want to cover not only Beijing but also Shanghai and other big Chinese cities.

Beijing: Fake more Expensive then Original

In Beijing it can happen even to an experienced shopper to buy a fake that is more expensive than the original!

In my case I bought a fake (I guess so) I am not a Plastic bag by British designer Anya Hindmarch. I had no idea about the original prize, 5 GBP (or 7,50 Euro) and all the hype behind this bag. The salesgirl asked for an initial price of 230 kwai (about 23 Euro). I thought about what I would like to spend and offered her 50 kwai. But I saw that there is no way I could get it for that price. As I did not want to play around too long we made the deal at 80 kwai, about 8 Euro. This was at Beijing's Silk Market.

The same day at home I found an article about my new bag in some local magazine. Due to the unprecedented demand in South East Asia and the concerns for customers safety the launches at the stores: Anya Hindmarch Beijing, On Pedder in Shanghai and On Pedder in Jakarta have been cancelled.

A few days later, hanging out with my new bag at lunch, I met a British friend that stared at my bag and asked me where I got it. She could not believe that I found it at the Silk Market. She has tried to get in in London, but no chance, all sold out. It was then, I found out, that I had payed (slightly) more than the original sells for. Maybe, after all, it was not such a bad deal. I had not to queue or to fight for the bag. And maybe, after all, I got a 'special edition' as the letters of 'I am not a plastic bag' are stitched on my bag, not just printed.

I am happy with my new shopping bag. It is simple, comfy and stylish. And I am definitely saving on plastic bags that are given away for free at supermarkets here in Beijing. If you are coming to Beijing, check out the markets. The I am not a plastic bag is available in all kind of colours for about 4 Euro and up - depending on the quality and your negotiation skills.

Update:
No more free plastic bags at supermarkets - by law - starting June 2008
Update:
I bought another "I am not a plastic bag", for 50 kuai at the Silkmarket. That is the price for the ones without the stiching. I think it was then when the friendly vendor gave me for my 100 kuai a fake 50 kuai bank note as change. - So again! Fake more expensive then original!!

Beijing and What to Do with your Time

You are a local, an expat, an expat spouse or a visitor with no tight 3-day-sightseeing-schedule and have been there and done it all.

So what you do with your free time?

Here is my little BRAINSTORM - so no judgement, just more ideas please:

Learning and practicing
* ... Chinese (two to there time per week is recommended)
* ... Tai Chi / Tai Qi
* ... painting (traditional Chinese Style: ink and wash)
* ... calligraphy
* ... photography (to document the fading beauty)
* ... yoga
* ... mahjong (to get a feeling for decadent but fun gambling)
* ... acupuncture (you might practice after you have your certificate)

Hearing lectures about
* ... Traditional Chinese Medicine / TCM
* ... Feng Shui (not that popular in Beijing)

* Reading books about China, Chinese Culture and history

* Massage (traditional Chinese Foot Massage or Body Massage, no oil - at Tai Pan, Bhodi or Dragonfly)

* Pedicure and Manicure (cheaper than in the West)

* Writing about your impressions for the media back home, local media or on your blog

Meeting people with
* Chinese Culture Club (weekly activities, lectures and trips)
* INN - International Newcomer's Network (monthly meeting, lectures)
* Deutsche Patengruppe (monthly get-together and trips)
* British Club
* several kids groups
* several interest groups that advertise in the local magazines

The different shopping:
* Shopping at the local food market (e.g. San Yuan Le market hall in Sanlitun)
* Shopping at Jiayi cloth market, opposite Kunlun Hotel (stressless than Yashow)
* Shopping at Ritan Office Building (building at the South-East of Ritan Park - in every former little office room is a little boutique with lots of real finds). After shopping stroll a bit through Ritan Park and have a drink at the Stone Boat Bar (at the West end of the park).

The different 'sight seeing':
* Riding the bicycle around the city (between first and third ring road)
* Strolling the hutongs around the Houhai area; rent a boat, bike or rikshaw
* spending hours at Chaoyang Park where children can go on merry-go-rounds and some old fashion fair rides, just walk around the greenery, have a picnic, rent a boat, tent or 'golf cart' (Chaoyang), observe locals working out ...
* ride a boat through the 800 year old canal between Forbidden City and Summer Palace. The tour usually includes stops at the Purple Bamboo Garden and a couple of temples (book e.g. with Chinese Culture Club about twice a month)
* go on a daytrip outside Beijing with the Beijing Excursion Guide by Immersion Guides

...

This is about how busy you could get as an expat spouse !

Links:
Deutsche Patengruppe
International Newcomer's Network
Chinese Culture Club
A Matter of Chi (pricy Feng Shui lecture)
Oriental Tai Pan (massage)
Bodhi (massage)
Dragonfly (massage)
City Weekend (events)
That's Beijing (7 Days in Beijing, events)
Beijing Excursion Guide

Beijing: When the Salesman yells at you ...

This is a sign at Yashow Market in Beijing greeting all visitors.

If the booth of our market force you to buy anything or pull and yell at you
Originally uploaded by xiaming

Beijing: Shopping - Where and How - your bargain guide

Shopping is one of the top five things to do while in Beijing.

Please, follow me:

Hongqiao or Pearl market, Xiushui or Silk market or Silk street, Yashow (Ya Xiu), Jia Yi and Yueshow are selling about all the same stuff. The Pearl market is probably the oldest market. The fish market below has disappeared, so no more smell. Silk market is newer, bigger, brighter and cleaner. And they sell at least as many pearls as at the pearl market. Yueshow is the newest, but has not the widest product range. However the best sorted Olympic 2008 souvenir shop at the ground floor. Yashow is my personal favorite as I can go there by bike in a few minutes.

The price depends on the product quality, the time of the day or the mood of the salesperson but I feel it is easier to get lowest prices at Silk market as the competition there is quite strong. Here you find the most aggressive salesperson that yell at you and grab you.

However, if you know a price (e.g. your last best bargain) you can get it somewhere else for the same price. But how to know the price? That is the most difficult and time consuming part - for some also the most fun part. If you shop a lot and repeatedly in Beijing, make sure to note down the prices. Too confusing to remember. And next time you try a little lower.

And here are the rules: cut 70% off the price they tell you, and you get an idea for what they would sell. So quote a price about 80% off to have room for further negotiation. The problem is, the salesperson meanwhile know that the tourist know... that means sometimes you even have to cut off more. Most important, you have to feel comfortable and not ripped off. Walk away (they might come after you) and check the stand around the corner. Here you try lower. Don't feel bad, it takes time to get used to the gap between first and last price. I only feel bad thinking of children work involved. However, remember they would never sell if they loose money.

To finish this shopping post, I give you some examples to have an idea about prices. And you might get them even cheaper, but I am fine with that:

- 10 kuai for a 'silk' tie (fake Ermeneguildo Zegna, Burberry, Boss ...)
- 20-30 kuai for children T-Shirts (no brand)
- up to 80 kuai for XL T-shirts (even for originals from Esprit, Gant or Ralph Lauren)
- 10 kuai for one 'silk' cushion cover
- 30 kuai for a 'pashmina' of fair quality
...

If you are interested in fashion - copies and also a lot of real original labels - Ritan Office Building, South of Ritan Park is a great address.

The addresses of the markets are available in every guide book, taxi book or at the concierge of the hotel - you need them in Chinese for the taxi driver.

10 kuai (yuan or reminbi) are about 1 Euro or 1.20 USD (please check currency converter for actual exchange rate).

Beijing: Cashmere Fashion by Walendy

Ira Walendy is a young fashion designer specialized in cashmere who has launched her own label 'Walendy' here in Beijing.

Ira is born in Germany and studied fashion design in Trier. She worked for international labels such as C&A, Esprit and Prada. In 2005, she has moved with her family, including her son, 8 and her daughter, 6 to Beijing. Since her arrival in China she searches all the markets back and forward week after week to find interesting material, pattern, borders and buttons to design clothes for her kids, husband and herself. Her kids basically do not know 'pret-a-porter' fashion except from their school uniforms. Everything they wear is a unicum designed by their creative mum.

She travels to the markets and tailors about two, three times a week to supervise the progress of her orders. Meanwhile fluent in Mandarin, she works close together with several small local knitting factories. Some of them are the same factories that deliver high quality material to well reputable European fashion brands such as 'Loro Piana" or 'Mulberry'.

End of 2006, Ira was ready to launch her first own label under her maiden name 'Walendy'. She offers custom made knitwear for the whole family: men's sweaters and shirts, ladies' jumpers / sweaters, cardigans, shirts and tops. But kids clothes are still her favorites. Her materials come in a wide range form light weight summer cashmere until eight threat yarn hand knitted winter cardigans with lots of precious details such as tonal embroideries or beautiful cable patterns.

She successfully presented her kid's cashmere collection to upper market children boutiques based in Dusseldorf and Munich, Germany, where they will be on sale this autumn.


Beijingers looking for some stylish, pretty neat knitwear can contact Ira by email to be included on her mailing list for her next 'Cashmere Party' at her home at Lanebridge. Her second party, presenting her summer Cashmere collection, just took place in May.

Ira is my friend since we first met in autumn 2005 at the Italian Embassy, where we both drop our kids on Saturdays for Italian school. I am very pleased and exited to introduce her on my blog today. We had lots of fun 'shooting' her collection at her house and garden. Actually Ira's private home was designed by the same interior designer who did the two 'Green T. House'. One more reason to visit Ira. Sign up here for her next info mail.

click for larger image
The pink cashmere 'cache coeur' starts from 590 RMB (about 65 USD) for children, but can be ordered in bigger sizes. The green cotton lady shirt costs 410 RMB (about 45 USD).

Remark: After the summer holidays will be the right time to place orders for Christmas!

Photos by -Suzie-

5 Things To Do when in Beijing

1. Great Wall in Mutianyu
Visiting the Great Wall is a must and the most impressing sight in China. From Beijing downtown to Mutianyu it is about 1.5 hours to drive. It is not the closest part of the wall, but the best if you want to be away from the crowd. You can take the gondola / cable car (which Bill Clinton has taken). On top of the wall walk to the left, where you are almost for yourself.

If you walk to the right, there might be more people and it is a more steep way down. But at the end you can go on a fun sleigh ride back to the parking area. - Toilets near the parking are okay.

Remark: A great alternative to Mutianyu is the "Commune at the Great Wall" for its architectural expo of houses that are actually for rent from the Hotel. They have private access to the Great Wall. Follow a hidden path through a forest up hill and enjoy about 1 km of not restored wall. Ask at the reception for directions. For special occasion (pack a bottle of Champagne in your backpack). 
www.commune.com.cn


2. Forbidden City
You can spend here several days or just 1.5 hours to get an overview. Enter from the South Gate (north of Tiananmen) and walk to the North Gate. Make sure you enter at least 2 hours before they close. At the moment a major part is under renovation for the Summer Olympics in 2008. Workers and bamboo scaffold might appear in your pictures.


3. Further sightseeing can include 5 more spots:
--> Drum Tower and Houtongs around here and around Houhai Lake (Hutong tour by bike or rikshaw is a nice experience)
--> Summer Palace (partly under renovation)
--> Lama Temple (the Confucius Temple opposite is still closed for renovation)
--> Temple of Heaven with its park (across the Pearlmarket...)
and on a weekend
--> Panjiayuan Antique market (I know, this could belong to number 4 'shopping' but it is sightseeing as well!), see also my other post


4. Shopping
I love Beijing for its shopping adventures. Shopping here is just so different from the western world. Of course nowadays, new malls with international labels open up every month. But still, it can be an adventure browsing the markets. It is amazing what you get for little money. Of course the very cheap shirts, pearls, bags, watches etc. lack quality. So you have to take a very close look on what you buy. I really mean close: turn the sweater inside out and check the sewing, check for spots, holes. Try the zip twice of jackets and bags. Turn the JL Coultre watch around for surprises. - Pull it, knock it, cut or bite it (pearls) - You can find original brand stuff, but remember that it might be in the market because it is faulty. The Chinese do quality control. But the good quality is exported abroad. The bad quality is sold off in the markets in China. Or the clothes are from old collections from years ago. Or it is from over-production. And even sometimes things can be 'fallen from the truck'. Anyway, the patient hunter can find real good things. Check my shopping & bargain guide.


By now you might be hungry and we come to point 5.

5. Eating experience
As in every capital in the world, Beijing offers a wide range of international restaurants. But to impress visitors, I would take them to:
- Whampoa Club ($$$$), Nouvelle Beijing Cuisine in courtyard house, modern Chinese decor, cosy bar, private dining possible
- Green t. house ($$$), fantastic decor and creative menu
- The Courtyard ($$$$), window seats with view on the Forbidden City (no yard)
- Made in China ($$$), unique restaurant in the Hyat Hotel for Beijing Duck, book a table by the open kitchen
- Duck King ($), for Beijing Duck
- Bellagio ($), spicy Taiwanese food and great mango deserts, fast service, late dining, no reservation, a bit hectic
- Source ($$), set menu in a renovated Courtyard house, nice sitting in the yard
- Red Capital Club ($$$), renovated Courtyard house, waitresses in Mao-style uniforms
- Lan Restaurant ($$$), Philippe Starck's latest creativity outburst
- Hatsune ($$), best fusion Japanese (American Style) restaurant in town

I can recommend these as I like them myself. I will post address and telephone numbers later.

Was this post helpful? Do you want to know more about Beijing? Come visit this blog again. (updated September 2007)

Photo by musicmuse

Beijing: Panjiayuan Antique Market

This Must visit antique market is known under many names: weekend market, Sunday market, antique market, flea market and some call it the 'dirt market'. The Chinese name is Panjiayuan market and it is not only on Sundays, even not only on weekends and it is not dirty at all. Last Saturday morning when our son went to school, we had that desire to browse once again that huge market of thousands of treasures (on about 45 thousand sqm).
I have taken my new 'toy' and made some pictures to share:

Porcelain and Shanghai poster girl in front of an antique shop

Chairman Mao and military stuff (I hope the hand grenades are fake)

Brushes for Chinese calligraphy and painting

Chinese cyclist in traffic jam from sheet metal

Browsing is part of the fun

'The difference between crap and treasure is luck, hard work and arriving early.', says the Beijing LUXE city guide.

Find more pictures and map and an American Journalist about Beijing's Dirt (cheap) Market.

Part of the market is open every day, but the real thing happens on Saturdays and Sundays from about 7am to 5pm at the 3rd ring road East. Every taxi in town knows the market.

Remark:
Ask your concierge to write the destination in Chinese language for the taxi driver. And even more important: make sure you have the address of your accommodation in Chinese language otherwise you might not find your way back.

Photo Source: all mine !

Chinese Furniture in Modern Life

While Chinese people run to IKEA to decorate their modern homes with western style furniture, China style is popular in the West.

Furniture in Asia has Chinese roots. Thais as other Asians used to live on the floor (sleeping, eating, sitting). While in China in the 12th century the use of stools and chairs was widely spread. The Ming period (1368-1644) was considered as the golden age of Chinese furniture. Timeless simplicity and perfect proportions of Ming furniture allow these pieces to fit even today in the most modern homes around the world. Later, heavy ornate carvings were the style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Take a look into today's interior design magazines. Pictures of beautiful modern houses with blue and white ginger jars on the chimney or a horse shoe shaped Chinese chair in the hallway are never missing.

A piece of Chinese furniture can make you dream of far away countries and can be functional at the same time. Chinese altar tables serving as console tables, opium bed serving as coffee tables, wedding cabinets serving as TV storage, pharmacy cabinets serving as CD storage, wooden rice container serving as magazine stand… the list is long.

Living in Beijing and exploring Panjiayuan Antique Market, Gaobeidian Village or Chaowai Furniture Warehouse I can find lots of examples. I will keep you posted!

And if the Chinese furniture looks 'too Chinese' lacquer them in white colour!

Remark: Funny, the nicest Chinese furniture we saw was in Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong and not in Beijing.

Photos: from different magazines showing from top left clockwise: white lacquered daybed, bedroom with two wedding cabinets in pastel colour, bedroom with wedding cabinet Ming Style, bedroom with storage boxes and Chinese door serving as paravent.

Beijing: You Want Fake Ferrero ?

If you are craving for chocolate, maybe specifically for ‘golden pralines’ from Ferrero, you have to watch out at your local supermarket! Don’t put the box too fast in your shopping cart as you might have got a fake in your hands.
- Fake Ferrero? Yes! Not fake Rolex or fake Gucci. Fake Ferrero.

Ferrero S.p.A., the Italian chocolate producer won a court case early in 2006 against a Chinese company (Montresor) that counterfeit Ferrero Rocher pralines. Montresor even had to pay 87.000 Euro for compensation. But this seems to not have changed anything.

Look at the pictures, can you tell the difference? - Okay, the name is different. The fake is called ‘Trésor Doré’ or 'Montrésor'. But everything else, the logo, the golden wrapping, the brown paper cases, the differently shaped plastic boxes, all details are perfectly copied. But when you unfold them, you see the difference. The fake one looks like someone has licked it….yucky. However the taste is not too bad, but it’s different. It tastes more from roughly cut hazelnuts while the real one tastes creamier and more from chocolate. So do not try to cheat your loved ones by eating up all their Ferrero Rocher pralines and replacing them with fakes. I made the test with my husband. When the fake one is unwrapped you get caught. Of course quality has a higher price. The fake one is about 30% cheaper.

Driven by my curiosity I followed up the information printed on the back of the packing including manufacturing address, telephone and fax numbers as well as e-mail. In case someone from Italy want to contact them: ‘Trésor Doré’ is manufactured by the Foreign Trade Shanghai Shengang Foodstuff Factory in 9 Zhenxing Rd., Zhangjiagang Economic Development Zone. It is the same company that was sued by Ferrero under the name 'Montresor'.

I googled and found this website which is advertising their excellent chocolate products that have won ‘prices on ministry level, a silver medal of international fair and the fame of gifts for state guests’ (if I translated well the following: ‘the honos of excellent product psize of Ministry level, silues medal of intenational fais and the fame of gibt for state gnests’).

I would guess any other effort of Ferrero to win the case is a waste of money and time. It is better just to continue producing the best ‘chocolate hazelnut praline’ since 1982 and people will continue to pay more for the quality. The perfect mix of the ingredients (hazelnuts, Nutella, waffles and chocolate) makes Ferrero’s recipe unique.


Check this link for the real Italian Ferrero.

Beijing Shopping: DARA

DARA is offering elegant Asian and Western home decor. It runs its business since 1998 and has now three stores and an art gallery in Beijing. The product range inculdes chinese and western style furniture, 'antique' accessories, dishware, cushions, lamps, lush fabrics, mirrors, pottery and more. The art gallery in Dashanzi Art Zone 798 shows contempory art. It hosts as well the DARA club, a unique showroom space. DARA is appreciated by chinese and foreign customers. In their high glossy brochure they claim Hollywood director Oliver Stone to be one of their customers. Not only have they private customers but also real estate projects asked them to furnish their showrooms. DARA products are pricy in comparison to the home decor price level in Beijing. However they have been cultivating their brand when brand consciousness was not formed yet in China - and now they belong to the top addresses when it comes to interior decoration in Beijing.



Unfortunately the website is only for Chinese customers in chinese language and taste: see DARA.com.cn