Showing 1-14 of 14 results
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Chine Antiques
This is one of the glossiest antique stores, with prices at the higher end of the spectrum. This branch is at the Liu Haisu Art Gallery and there's a warehouse on the western outskirts. A small branch office in the Old Town (38 Liuhekou Rd) just off Dongtai Rd, can direct you to another warehouse a couple of minutes' walk away.
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Fuyou Antique Market
There's a permanent antique market here on the 1st and 2nd floors, but the place really gets humming for the 'ghost market' on Sunday at dawn, when sellers from the countryside fill up all four floors and then some. The range is good, but there's a lot of junk, so you need a shrewd eye if you don't want to pay too much over the odds.
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Guyi Antique Furniture
There aren't many genuine antiques here, but there are a lot of good-quality reproductions and it's especially strong on screens, cabinets and desks. They speak English and have two other branches nearby.
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Henry Antique Warehouse
This enormous showroom, with more than 2000 high-quality antique pieces, both large and small, is a good first stop for antique hunters. It's down a lane off Hongzhong Rd in a not-so-obvious location; look for the signs. The Traditional Furniture research department of Tongji University is based here.
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International Artists' Factory
Despite the grandiose name, this place, which is located in the hip and happening Taikang Rd Art Centre in Lane 210, is really a design and art centre with a handful of fashion boutiques. Shops worth a lazy meander include Jooi Design (Room 201) for cool bags, cushions and Japanese-style asymmetrical shirts (from around Y800 ) and L'Atelier Mandarine (Room 318) for kiddies clothes.
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Jingdezhen Porcelain Artware
This is one of the best places for traditional Chinese porcelain. Blue and white vases, plates, teapots and cups are some of the many choices available. Credit cards are accepted, and shipping overseas can be arranged.
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Old Town Gods Temple Antique Market
The basement of the Huabao Building, slap bang in the centre of the bazaar, houses a collection of established antique shops. These are the kind of antique stalls that accept all major credit cards and there's a real mish-mash of stuff here, from old mah-jong sets and watches to porcelain and pottery, as well as the opium pipes found in every Chinese antique market. The sales staff are a bit pushy here and you need to haggle.
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Propaganda Poster Art Centre
If socialist art is your thing, check out this gallery which houses a huge collection of propaganda posters. Increasingly prized by collectors, some of them are very rare now and prices are correspondingly high. The cheapest start at around Y1000 . But there are also lots of cartoons and memorabilia, which are more affordable. Mr Yang, who runs the place, speaks good English and will show you around.
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Shanghai Antique & Curio Store
A long-established government-run store that takes up an entire block and offers some interesting curios. You'll find porcelain, jade, jewellery, cloisonné and embroidered silk. Designated tourist shops like this are expensive alternatives to the markets. Their range is good, but you need a shrewd eye.
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Skylight
Sneak into this lovely little incense- perfumed nook opposite the Iranian Consulate for its small haul of hand-crafted Tibetan jewellery, antiques and furniture. There are also a few exquisite thangka - sacred Buddhist paintings on silk - and colour photographs taken by the owner during his voyages across the Tibetan plateau.
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Spin
Chinese porcelain hasn't developed artistically since at least the Qing dynasty. Fortunately, a new generation of designers has started picking up the slack, trying to restore artistic integrity to Jǐngdézhèn ceramics. Spin does an excellent job of vaulting China into the 21st century with their oblong tea cups and twisted sake sets. The prices are surprisingly reasonable.
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Taikang Rd Art Centre
Burrow into the lǐlòng off the main drag of this art centre for a rewarding haul of cafés and shops, from hip jewellery shops to small lǐlòng houses selling Tibetan sacred objects.
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Zhang's Textiles
The Shanghai Centre address means this top-end shop caters to flush expats, offering a sublime collection of antique and framed embroidery, dragon robes and shoes for bound feet. Strangely enough, Bill Clinton prefers the Běijīng branch, but everyone has the right to be different.
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Zhōngzhōng Jiāyuán Gōngsī
There are more pieces, including hundreds of wooden screens, under one roof here than anyone can take the time for. Ask to see all the rooms (about 15!), including the unrestored pieces in the warehouse, but only if you have a spare day or two. The sales staff are slicker and prices slightly higher than some other places in town, but if you're looking for something specific, they might just have it.
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
