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.