The specialists guide to Chinese antiques

Hunting for treasures in Beijing’s Antique furniture markets

This past weekend, ACF China and The Hutong organized a field trip for local expats here in Beijing to visit an genuine outdoor wholesale antique market, where peasants from the countryside bring un-restored antique furniture and other curios to sell to wholesalers, collectors and restorers. The trip proved a success, allowing attendees a fascinating peek directly into the hidden corners of the antiques industry. A bit dusty, a bit dirty, and situated on the far outskirts of Beijing, this market exists solely through word of mouth and is not found on any map or guidebook. Chris Buckley, owner of Torana Carpets and author of the book “Tibetan Furniture” accompanied us on our excursion and his own post about our tip on his RugDogBlog sums up our trip much better then I can:

“In years gone by furniture vendors from the countryside came right into the city to sell their furniture, but these days with increasing ground rents and lack of space in the city the trade is conducted much further out from the city, in this case about 45 minutes drive from Guo Mao. This spot is strictly a wholesale market, with unrestored items piled high in the warehouses of individual sellers from different parts of China.

In a couple of hours we were only able to scratch the surface of what is a very large market. We visited several vendors from north China (Shanxi and Inner Mongolia), though apparently there are sellers at the market from most regions. It’s been a long time since I have looked at wholesale furniture like this (the last time I looked at it seriously was back in the mid-90s) and it was reassuring to see that there is still old furniture out there! Vendors are now going a lot further afield for their old furniture than in the ’90s and many are bringing in furniture from the border regions versus the central China styles that were more common in previous years. “

Though this particular trip was not a buying trip, we will organize future excursions, buying trips and longer outings, so check back here regularly and/or on The Hutong ‘s Website for upcoming dates. Thanks to Chris Buckley for tagging along and for providing the wonderful group photos shown here.

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Beijing Field trip: Outdoor Wholesale Chinese Antique Market Tour

ACF China and the The Hutong will be co-organizing a field trip this Saturday morning to visit a outdoor wholesale market where peasants from the countryside bring antique furniture to sell to wholesalers, specialists and restorers. This is an extremely rare opportunity to see where antique furniture comes from and what it looks like in its original un-restored form. 100% wholesale only, this market exists only through word of mouth and cannot be found in any guidebook or map. ACF’s Roger Schwendeman will be accompanying the group as a specialists and guide as well as to answer questions about styles, origins and history.

Estimated time (including travel) will be approximately 2.5 hours total (including 20 minutes each direction of travel time). The group will meet in front of the China World Trade Center (in front of Starbucks across from HSBC) at 10 AM sharp.
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Space is limited for this trip and we can accommodate up to ten people only which means you MUST pre-register. Cost will include transportation. Please wear comfortable clothing which can get dirty as this market is extremely dusty.

Antiques Shopping on Hollywood Road in Hong Kong

Over the years, having spent a fair amount of time in and out of Hong Kong, it suddenly dawned on me that (up until now), this famous Hong Kong antiques street in Central, has yet to be mentioned here. Adding insult to injury, is that fact that for many years, upon my arrival in Hong Kong, I would make a beeline for this street – usually within the first day or so. For those unfamiliar with Hollywood Road (easily reached via the Central-Mid-levels escalator), this long, narrow winding street initially gained its reputation as an antiques market over a hundred or so years prior, when sailors and traders began to sell antiques and artifacts here which were collected during trips into the mainland China. Today, Hollywood Road (and the streets branching off from it) is littered with small galleries, boutiques and shops selling trinkets, antiques, Chinese reproduction furniture and even contemporary Chinese art. Its even reputed to be a gateway for smuggled antiquities from China. Though these days, I frequent the street less and less, I still find myself drawn to it from time to time, if only just to appreciate the wide variety of items on display here, often in very attractive surroundings.
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Many of the shops here seem focused on porcelain, pottery and terra cotta – with furniture coming in a close second in the remaining boutiques. Finally, a few smaller nooks and crannies deal in the range of tourist trinkets from calligraphy brushes to Maoist memorabilia, to imitation jade figurines. Thick lacquers, glossy finishes and a distinctly southern Chinese red, black and gold themes are everywhere. Table lamps made from deep sea green ceramics are if anything both stylish and contemporary. Shop owners are a mix of feigned politeness to genuinely interesting to locals who seemed to pride themselves on rudeness. Surprisingly often the most interesting and pleasant conversations can be had not with shop owners but basic employees who, free from the pressure of having to “make a sale” chat freely about what little they may or may not know about the item and or its history.

A bit of ancient, a bit of old, and plenty of “just made yesterday.”

As is throughout much of this industry, “old” is a term used freely, and taken with a grain of salt, this may mean anything from “just made yesterday” to hundreds of years old. Some are forthright, though unfortunately, some sellers can be downright unscrupulous. When asked “how to tell if its old or not” one seller of “authentic Tibetan antiques” smiled and gave me the following response:

“If you study these things and understand the product and the industry you will know just by looking at the piece. But if not, then you really need to just trust me on this. See if the piece “speaks to you or not” and go with what your true feelings tell you.

Uh huh…

Now this is starting to sound all too familiar. There were some pieces in the shop that were indeed antique, but having sold the same reproduction Tibetan sideboard many times over right down to the same coloration and motif, this piece was definately talking to me and it was screaming “bullsh*t!” Nevertheless, this line must work for them, as a two 40ish western women were in the process of deciding which cabinet they would purchase for their home (at a mere bargain price of 80,000 Hong Kong dollars!!!). If it were me, I would definitely do a bit of reading first before I plunked down my eighty thousand… And that’s not to say that every shop on the street is this way. But be aware – there will always be some with loose ethics.

This might also explain why some sellers become visibly nervous the moment I start inspecting undersides, opening doors and rubbing my hands over edges and joinery. One shop keeper immediately asked me if I was from “such and such society in London!” From this, I have learned that if I want to pose as a tourist, I better act like one!

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