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Antique Chinese Furniture
For short-term China expats, furnishing apartments is usually a matter of arranging comfy cast-offs around the television, or slapping together IKEA products. For those of you who stay longer, and appreciate fine Chinese antique furnishings, Beijing’s Gujiaju Street awaits. Not to be confused with the old Gaobeidian furniture market north of the Jing Tong Highway, this one has recently been built with a faux-traditional feel, intended as China’s paradigm, easily two kilometers long, . Wholesalers the world over are already flocking there to pick up great deals and interesting pieces from licensed dealers, the only kind allowed on this latest government-sponsored economic project. Following is a collection I’d pick up in a heartbeat, after winning the Sports Lottery, that is.
This mid-Qing Dynasty bed is basically a living room for two, two with half a million kuai. Take a look at the detail, though; somebody put a lot of man-hours in with a tiny knife.
Here’s another Qing-era beauty, the ancient Chinese equivalent of a love seat:
The proprietor was offered 70,000 Yuan for this recently and refused. Why?
Again, it’s all in the details.
For those who find Qing a little too modern, how about this Ming side table, complete with ancient foot braziers-cum fire hazards? Yours for san wan (RMB 30,000)
This medicine chest is less than a century old, but a great conversation piece nonetheless, priced at 14,000 RMB.
All this wood calls for a little stone, and Gujiaju Street boasts plenty of statuary:
Care to guess the genuine antique? We’ll wait…
You’re right if you chose this Yuan Dynasty shi bei, a Buddhist totem placed in front of temples and cemeteries to channel blessedness. Cost to you – 45,000 kuai.
Not all the stone-work is priced in nose-bleed territory. These peaceful Buddha heads are in the 300-500 RMB range,
And these divinities sit contemplating the customer with one to three thousand RMB.
Here’s another Chinese four-poster, far cheaper than the first since it hails from the relatively contemporary Ming Guo, or Guomingtang Era. Yours for 35 K.
You may as well pick up a matching cupboard, same age, for another 17 grand.
Back to Buddha. This huge display cabinet was intentionally carved for displaying His Holiness. The cupboards are for incense. It’s a century old, but yours for only 10,000 RMB, as the wood is not rare and therefore not boast-worthy.
Pesky poltergeists are a thing of the past with this triple gong, designed specifically for scaring away evil spirits. You’re ghost-free for 1400 RMB.
Lastly, the find of the day, a hand-cranked paddle mill, used by pre-Republic farmers in Fujian to draw water up steep hill sides. At 700 RMB, it was a temptation not to take it home, but its 5 meter length and 300 kilos begged the question, “Where on earth would I put it?” “In a coffee shop,” the proprietor replied, without missing a beat.
How to get there: take the Jing Tong Expressway to the Gaobeidian Exit, then head south. Once over the river, it is half a kilometer to the street, which will be on your left, and distinguishable by the brightly-painted stores in an otherwise typically grey Beijing neighborhood.
Thanks as usual to Kerry Xie for her camera-dery.
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Woooo….nice
Glad you like the pieces, Karen. If you get a chance to come to Beijing, be sure to visit this furniture street. There are others, too, each more fun for a furniture lover than a trip to the Great Wall. Plus, you can have replicas for much less than the prices quoted above.
Interesting – very cool. Several of the photos were taken in Zhuyaunzhai.. The medicine cabinet with the Burlwood inlays is impressive. Have not seen any of those in a long time. Check out our blog about buying Chinese antiques in Beijing – there is a lot more information about Gaobeidian there…
Those are really stunning especially the designs in the woodwork are so intricate and gives a royal feeling. Too good!
Hi, Sir
Hello. How are you recently? How is your business now? Wish you and your business are both fine. We are “Riyuexing Chinese Antique Furniture Co.,Ltd” in Beijing, China. May you tell me if you have any plan to come to China lately? If yes, we hope you can pay a visit to our factory. You know there are three showrooms in our factory: one is for old restored pieces, another is for reproduction and the last one is for original and unrestored products. I think you will find what you want urgently from our warehouse after a visit. We will make efforts to provide the best quality antique furniture with the best prices for you in Beijing area. Warmly welcome you can visit our warehouse. Welcome to visit our website: http://www.ryxgd.com.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Wish you all the best.
Yours sincerely,
Jack
Interesting – very cool.These pieces of furniture are extraordinary.It is clear that China cultural environment is perfectly artistic oriented and these little furniture pieces lean to be creative.Particularly the designs in the woodwork are so complicated and give an imperial sensation.
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Those are really stunning especially the designs in the woodwork are so intricate and gives a royal feeling. Too good!
The sculptures are pretty awesome. I also have a huge collection of beautiful Designer Furniyure to share with you all.
Royal’s Antique Furniture
— occupy 500m2 square meter warehouse, focusing Chinese antique furniture, Make to Order furnitures, 1930 Shanghai Art Deco Furniture
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