Liulichang

    A good place to find a wide selection of antiques is at Liulichang. Liulichang is a street in Xuanwumen, and many of the stores are quite old. This area has everything from scrolls, to jade articles to decadesold cigarette ad posters. There are definitely treasures to be found here,but it is hard to tell genuine antiques from dirty fakes. Real antiques are supposed to bear a red official seal that proves their authenticity, but sometimes real ones don't have it and fake ones do. The best attitude to have is: if you like it and you can bargain down to a price you can accept, just go for it. Small jade articles and silver trinkets make great presents for people at home and they are easy to take on the plane. 

    How to get there: 15 minutes walk south of Hepingmen Subway Station. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - some stores open extended hours.

Panjiayuan

    Another large antiques market is the Antiques City at Panjiayuan. This is a multi-story building which is full of antiques and general kitsch. The same rules apply here as in Liulichang: if you like it , get it. Don't worry if it is fake or not. Many of the things are not real antiques, but on the other hand, recently a 50,000-year-old fossil was confiscated from one of the sellers there. The fossil was on sale for about US$150, so you never know.

    How to get there: 100 metres west of the Panjiayuan Bridge on the Third Ring Road. Approx. 10-yuan (US$1.21) taxi ride from Guomao Subway Station (China World Trade Center). Open daily from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Beijing Curio City

   Beijing Curio City, gathering more than 250 curio shops under one roof, is China's largest trade center for antiques and fold art works. Many of the dealers are themselves connoisseurs and curio collectors. Antiques that date before 1795 are forbidden for sale or export. Those dated between 1796 and 1949* should bear a small red seal and a Certificate for Relics Export from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau(BCRB), to allow them to be taken out of Chin. The seal also proves the genuineness of the items. A word of caution: keep receipts which should indicate the name and age of the antiques if these items are bought in BCRB designated stores.

    How to get there: Just off the East Third Ring Road (to the west), about 15 minutes taxi ride south of Guomao Subway Station (China World Trade Center). Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hong Qiao - Pearl Market

    Also known as "Hard Bargain House," Hong Qiao is neatly arranged into sections on the various floors, and after its mid-1990s renovation is a place you can buy almost anything.

    Originally mostly a fresh-food and household items market, both the basement and ground floor still largely serve their original functions, which adds a neat possibility to a Hong Qiao visit: the wet market downstairs from the entrance is fascinating, especially if you've never seen one "Chinese style" before.

    On the ground floor just about everything you could imagine in the category "everyday items" is for sale. Pomade to pumps, hairnets to watch straps, it's all here. On the second floor you'll find a huge selection of what we might euphemistically refer to as "reproductions." The third floor is the famed Pearl Market, which shares namespace with the whole complex.

    How to get there: Immediately north of the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven. A 10-yuan (US$1.21) taxi ride from Chongwenmen Subway Station. Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.