What started as a backwater market allowed to be opened for the public in the glory days of Deng Xiaoping's market reforms in the late 1980's and 1990's has quickly developed to become Beijing's leading antiques market, a place of the people, yet found special and representative enough for all of China to become part of the schedule of visiting diplomats and heads of State.
Most informed tourists now know how to find the place and today's Panjiayuan Market is no longer a real flea market but a modernized facility and even an official "Institute". Since 1994 officially accepted and designated as a "Beijing Folk Market", Panjiayuan is by far the "biggest bazaar" in Beijing, a rare place which offers more than 3.000 stalls inside a 48.500 meter wall enclosed space.
It is said that salesmen from all 24
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Provinces as well as some of the territories offer their wares at the market and therefor just about anything which is Chinese can be seen, found and when so desired even bought here.
That is, only on the weekends however. As has been the tradition from its very early beginnings, apart from the daily opening of "antiques" and "speciality" shops nothing much goes on at Panjiayuan on a normal weekday. It is on the weekends, that most of the "dirt trading" is done and this is also when the "arts and crafts warehouse" opens to display the treasure trove of all things Chinese, traditional or modern. To meet the minorities and take sample of their wares, come on weekends only and find their designated section in the main hall of the extensive market grounds.
A view along the a street of stalls at the current Panjiayuan Market. A large section of the available space has been built into a collection of miniature traditional streets, complete with stone carved roof linings and colorful decorations. In contrast the entire market is surrounded by solemn and identical modern highrises (Photo: November 2007).
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Although there is definitely too much to see and the market and its vendors change too often to describe all of them, among the more permanent speciality stores are some noteworthy shops that deserve some further attention. First among them is the unique outlet of the Da Kang Photo-studio, for years a popular address for black & white photo prints and nostalgia of the ancient Imperial City and its many splendors.
To make your passage through the antiquated books section a little more interesting, while browsing you may wonder about the origins of all these books.
Interestingly, most of the books sold at Panjiayuan Market in the first 15 years of its existence, were "recycled" books. That is, as China raced ahead in its modernization, many social changes have taken place. As the nation and the city of Beijing modernized at break-neck speed, so have its people and their tastes.
As is natural in any city, but especially in the modernizing city of Beijing, with the changing of tastes, and the moving about of people, many "old books" were simply found redundant. Whether they had become non-interesting, old fashioned, or were just generally
PanJiaYuan Flea Market (潘家园旧货市场)
Layout of PanjiaYuan Market -
Upon your arrival at Panjiayuan Market, either via the main north gate or via the convenient parking lot on the south side, you will find that the market grounds are large enough to loose your way, especially when the place is packed with people. Luckily however, you will also find the market divided into separate sections, each dedicated to its own category of products.
In short; The market grounds are rectangular in shape and divided into six parts.
ROCK ART AND STONE SCULPTURES - After entering through the northern main gate, those in search of large stone sculptures, stone
Views of the Arts and Crafts Warehouse section which is empty on weekdays but is the most crowded and popular part of the market during the weekends and filled to the brim with goods and people. (Photo: November 2007).
cuttings and other kinds of large sized rock art, can turn immediately to the right and go on to enter the especially designated area for these products. Here heavy Stone Sculptures and other large pieces are sold directly off the trucks that transported them to market and thus, mostly for safety reasons, the area is separated from the main crowds. Also in this western part of the Panjiayuan market, situated right
next to the open air large sculptures section, is a two-storied building that houses both modern and traditional furniture.
The rest of the Market Grounds, are found when turning left upon entering through the northern main gate. Here the main feature is a huge open hall structure taking up most of the surprising amount of space, with set alongside of it a variety of what appear to be small traditional Chinese styled shops. This is the main part of the market, and the enormous hall is only in use on weekends when most of the business takes place.
SPECIALIZED STORES - Taking the Hall as the central point, you will find that the stores along its northern side sell a variety of wares. Although on first glance they appear to be little different from the other modernized
The small shops found along the northern side of the main central hall of Panjiayuan Market with a view back at the main entrance and the entrance to the seperate section for large stone sculptures and cuttings. (Photo: November 2007).
traditional Chinese tourist type stores found in the heart of the City, these shops however are quite different, being reserved to sell the highest-class antiques and more rare, exotic, exquisite and higher quality handicrafts. To find the really good stuff, browse around these stores
and in the shops found along the eastern section of the market.
ANCIENT CHINESE ARTS & CRAFTS -
Carry on past these stores to the far eastern end of the Huge Hall to find the special section reserved for ancient Chinese Arts and Crafts. This of course is the section where one can find Chinese Ceramics, Bronze Work, Jade Cuttings, Calligraphy, Cloisonnet wares and the like. For anyone still not satisfied, a range of other ancient arts and artifacts freshly carted in from the countryside are on sale at stalls in the eastern part of the market in a big yard.
BOOKS & SCRIPTURES:
Yet another part of the market can be found in the south of its grounds, beyond the main Hall.
Behind the main hall sits a narrow strip of land which is taken up by small
Security Personel assigned to Panjiayuan Market marching through the lane between the main hall and the northern line of shops and stores. (Photo: November 2007).
"hutong lanes" which are dedicated to the rich and very longstanding Chinese Literary Tradition. In this section, which has also been dubbed the "old town", one can browse with delight between piles of secondhand books, antique books and old magazines, periodicals, newspapers and often antiquated maps. For the real collectors ancient scrolls, letters and correspondence are also sold. Again, find whatever you need or fancy, although of course especially in this section an intimate knowledge of the mandarin language is required or at least highly desirable. Needless to say, one may find few foreigners lingering in this section.
One of the many shops found along the northern border of the Market. This one focusses on contemporary paintings with a traditional style as well as reproductions. (Photo: November 2007).
MAIN CENTRAL HALL & TRADING AREA - According to the Market Administrators designations Zone 1 is found in the south-east corner of the main central hall. In this part, you will find a dizzying array of inexpensive traditional style Chinese paintings. Zone One is also home to a number of stalls selling innumerous varieties of necklaces and beads. Anything can be found, glass, jade, coral and even ivory. There are however no pearls.
The northeastern section of the giant central hall is known as Zone 2 and is filled with a variety of things Chinese, such as the still very popular Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong Era memorabilia, buttons, stamps, statues and posters. Also in zone 2 are the commonly found Chinese items such as bronze vessels and statuettes, yet more necklaces, bracelets and beads, as well as a variety of various style ceramic vases, mostly modern and low quality stuff.
Zone Three, found in the southwestern corner, is entirely reserved for the arts and crafts of the ethnic indigenous people of the Peoples Republic of China. Naturally, this section is very popular among visiting tourists and expats, and a number of ethnic groups are permanently represented. Among them, the Miao People from the far south, and a large
Tibetan section offering goods from small and old, to the large and brandnew. As Beijing citizens proudly advertise, not realizing the deeper implications, a larger variety of Tibetan Goods are on offer at Panjiayuan than at any market in Tibet or the Tibetan area's. Judging from what can be found on site, this could very well be true.
Apart from the ethnic groups of the Peoples Republic itself, some stalls have been occupied by traders from the Central Asian State of Afghanistan. Other Central Asian nations may yet join in the frey as China expands its economy and influence westward and southward.
Finally, Zone Four, found in the northwestern section is the reserved space for the more refined and high quality ceramics. Where Zone 2 has some entirely modern ceramics, Zone Four concentrates on old traditional styles and often the peddlers purport to sell true antiques. Naturally, this would be highly unlikely to be true, but excellent copies of mostly Ming and Qing Era Styles of Porcelain are on offer for anyone with a liking.
The part of the "Old Town" that has not been taken up by the Books and Scriptures Section features quite the additional number of "village stores" that offer a variety of antiques, modern art, hand crafted goods, fine jewelry, traditional furniture, wood cuttings, unique trinkets and more. Many of these stores are open during weekdays as well.
The wares on offer are again too many to mention. From the usual junk items to unusual crafts such as fans or peking opera masks. It is all there but one has to take the time to look for it for sure. Range about between old furniture and terracotta soldiers in order to find your personal treasure. Everyone has one, even if they did not realize it before. The best thing is just to browse around and see what one comes across.
In your excitement, do not forget to visit
Browse around the more peaceful parts of Panjiayuan Market in the "Old Town" Sections. Even on weekdays there are plenty of things to find inside the little shops here, including ivory, temple statues, furniture, Mao Zedong memorabilia and of course a lot of just crazy stuff. (Photo: November 2007).
the second floors of the "Old Town" for you will miss out on about half of what is there. The upper floors
YouTube Video: Panjiayuan Shopping Experience by Sheila of Travels with Sheila.com
"in the way" during the moving of a family household to a new location, many books and other scripts simply wound up at the cities landfill.
Where normally, they would end up being destroyed, not so in Beijing, a city flooded with migrant workers moving in from the countryside in search of a better job and a better life in the city.
Not everyone could make their dream come true, and as a result, at the landfill sites on the north-eastern edge of the city, a legion of jobless migrant workers and other less well-off citizens toiled about all day trying to find items of often little value, which they could then sell and make a meager living off.
Most of the things found could only be resold at a pittance, however as some of the landfill dwellers soon realized, among the hidden treasures of the dump site were the seemingly useless old books and scripts. As they dug about the rubbish, they had found many books, and after a while it was found that many of them were sellable. Most of the books almost naturally wound up at the Dirt Market, where soon a considerable trade flowered adding another aspect to this emerging market.
Although many people found the books useless, as the cities living standard improved and times changed again, as many others seemed to have found a renewed interest in the things of old. They craved the books and flocked to Panjiayuan regularly in the hope of founding that rare, much wanted specimen which seemed not to be had elsewhere. At Panjiayuan one could strike gold.
Ever since, specialist landfill browsers have made their trade in the finding and reselling of old books, with most of them being sold through the Panjiayuan Market.
All varieties of books and scripts may be found at today's Panjiayuan, with many books still being recycled from the cities landfill, or from similar sites in the surrounding regions.
Whether or not what one finds at Panjiayuan at any given day is valuable or not, really depends on the taste of the prospective buyer. However, true treasures may yet be found today.
Some of the earlier Landfill "workers" now established their own "permanent" business at PanjiaYuan Market, running little networks for buying up books connected to those who still are working about at the Landfill, or -as business has expanded - are searching for books elsewhere in neighboring cities and towns.
Mind you, although in theory any type of book may, or may not be found at Panjiayuan - from rare books of the Cultural Revolution to true historical relics such as books printed during the Ming Dynasty Era (1368 A.D. - 1644 A.D.) and other ancient times - naturally, the market and pre'-market channels have organized and are populated with connoisseurs. As a result, the true and obvious gems have of course, already been diverted into the channels of an even more professional trade catering to more upscale markets. Particularly important and rare ancient books usually bypass Panjiayuan and show up on auction in Cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, or the most popular Hong Kong (S.A.R.).
feature several more speciality stores offering the best of what cannot be found in the general market of Panjiayuan.
But, of course one has to know one's way around before being able to fully appreciate this. A good tip would certainly be to visit more than once, and take your time finding your way around. If only it was not all so attractive and unusual. Understandably, for most visitors the urge to buy at least something is just overwhelming.
Be assured; no matter how big or volumous your purchases will get, there are always porters and taxi's available to help you lighten the stress of getting back to your home or hotel. Service, especially from the permanent speciality stores at Panjiayuan is excellent. Don't go and trust any of the "dirt sellers" though. They are in a
A speciality store dealing in decorative and more practical Chinese Fans with adjacent "hidden" staircaes leading up to the second floor. (Photo: November 2007).
Views of the Arts & Crafts section(s) along the northern border of the Market on a normal working-week day when most of market is closed. Even so, there is still plenty to browse in the speciality shops of the southern "Old Town" section.
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tough battle for survival and cannot afford to be overly helpful to everyone and may be more likely to "cheat" you in whatever way. In general though, these are often very hearty people, so the general rule is, the more you spend and buy, the better your service gets and the more popular you are.
Da Kang Studio Photographers have received awards in many photographic competitions and regularly hold Exhibitions in Cities and Towns around China.
The Shop or Store at PanJiaYuan has a large collection of Photos available and Photographers can be hired for specific jobs and purposes.
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM to 18:00 PM on Weekdays, 8:30 AM to 18:00 PM on Weekends.
Contact Persons: Tie Wang and Da Kang.
E-Mail: Bellyzy@Sina.com or ZhengYanBei@hotmail.com
Telephone: 0086-10-51204677
Da Kang Photo Studio -
What makes the Da Kang Photo studio so special is that it is attached to- and founded by members of the Beijing Photographers Club, who were previously a small group of old men who loved to spend their time photographing the fast disappearing legendary and historic spots of the city.
Apart from making their own photo-documentaries, many of the members spend considerable time collecting old photos and their negatives, a passion from which, eventually, the Da Kang Photo Studio emerged. At first, Da Kang was the place to switch, swap or trade old photos and negatives. Today, the little store remains one of the better addresses where to find these.
Thus, the Da Kang Artistic Photo Studio was founded by Professional Photographers in China. and could be one of their unofficial institutes. The majority of the photos on view and sale are in black-and-white Format, although increasingly color photography is used and available at the Store at PanjiaYuan Market.
Currently, most photos cover the city of Beijing itself, featuring Old Landmarks, Temples and sceneries as well as Stage Art and Folk Customs from Beijing and around China entire. Photos from other parts of China may also be found.
Exterior of Da Kang Photo-studio at Panjiayuan Market in Beijing. Old Photographs of city landmarks and lately more recent events dominate the sales . (Photo: November 2007).
YouTube Video: Products, Colors and people of Panjiayuan Folk Market in Beijing.
Interior and workspace at Da Kang Photo Studio. (Photo: November 2007).
Map of structures in south Chaoyang District including the location of Panjiayuan Market and the few other historic landmarks in this area of the City. Some 15 years ago still of semi-rural character, the entire zone beyond the Panjiayuan Market is now highly developed and entirely built full with apartments and the like.
Beijings Yi Zhuang district is a Part of Daxing District that was developped as a High Technology Development Zone. The Yi Zhuang Zone is located approximately 16.5 Km (10 miles) to the South-East of central Beijing and by now is home to about 20 more enterprises ranked among the worlds top 500. Factories of YiZhuang Zone include Nokia, Coca-Cola, GE, Mercedes-Benz, as well as Pharmaceutical and Medical.
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