Authentic pearl shop in Beijing

Close to the Temple of Heaven lies a well-known pearl market. Every day it attracts many visitors from home and abroad. Recently I visited it on my way back to the Beijing GuoHong Hotel and was impressed with the Fanghua Pearl and Jewel store. If you want to find a beautiful pearl necklace, don’t miss this shop.

This big shop is really a supermarket of pearls. Hundreds of pearl necklaces were displayed in showcases. They had many colors: golden yellow, pink, milk white, and black.

As the No.1 retailer of high-quality peals in Beijing, Fanghua has been in the business for twenty years. According to the shop manager, the main categories of pearls here are fresh water pearls, sea water pearls, and South Sea pearls.

Many people fear buying fake pearls. But Ms. Carries explained to me how to distinguish real pearls from fake ones. There’s a rule for distinguishing fine pearls: the rounder and shinier, the better.

Photos on the wall showed foreign dignitaries visiting the shop. I saw Margaret Thatcher, Putin’s wife, the Queen of Spain, and the Queen of Belgium. The photos are proof of the charm of the Oriental pearls.

An antique shop worth your visit

Last week I visited Chengtian Antique City, which is very close to the Guangxi Hotel Beijing. I found a shop that carried Chinese antiques, jade jewelry, and other kinds of art. They were great decorations.

The first thing I saw was a collection of antique porcelain wares, including vases, bowls, and plates. Some of them were made in the Qing dynasty.

Mr. Tang showed me a porcelain statue, Empress Dowager Cixi (1835 – 1908), a female ruler of the Qing dynasty. She sat on a stone bench with a big dog. She was wearing a big black hat and a button-down robe of yellow, red, and blue. Peonies and butterflies were embroidered on the robe. In China, the peony represents wealth and status.

He also showed me some jade jewelry items, including pendants and bracelets. They were white, and looked glossy. Jade symbolizes virtue and is thought to bring good health.

Besides jade and porcelain, there are also some Chinese paintings, calligraphy work, and wood carvings in the shop. They are all traditional Chinese art forms. So be sure to come here while staying at your hotel in Beijing.