A Trip Back In Time At Panjiayuan Antique Market

Beijing Diary By Samantha Tan Chiew Ting Bernama's correspondent in Beijing Samantha Tan Chiew Ting shares her take on China. This week she takes readers to the Panjiayuan antique market that evokes a feel of ancient China. BEIJING, March 16 (Bernama) -- "It is like going back in time", perhaps this is the best expression to describe Panjiayuan Market. It reminded me of Malaysia's Penang's Lorong Kulit (flea market), which is only a fraction of the Panjiayuan market when comes to size. Moreover, the Pangjiayuan Market is well-known not only to the locals but to the foreigners as well who take the trouble to travel far just to get a feel of the ancient trading environment. My first impression about this place is that it appeared like a museum selling colourful stones and antiques, arts to calligraphy, terracotta figurines to ceramics and even old books. The museum is actually made up of shops that neatly displayed their colourful items row by row. The place is more like finding souvenirs or gifts from A to Z under one roof. DEEMED AS FAMOUS ANTIQUE MARKET This place is among others deemed as "The Most Popular Antique Market in China", "Most Complete Collection In China", and the "largest collection and distributing center of folk handicraft in China". Easily accessible via subway station of Pangjiayuan, the market covers an area of over 48,000 sq meters with a maze of more than 4,000 shops and about 10,000 dealers. The peak period is weekends where all shops are open for business. This is also the place where sellers and traders gather to exchange views, goods and knowledge. Sellers were also allowed to sell their collections for sale, whether involving cash or barter trade. Opened daily from 8.30 am to 6.00 pm but the best time to visit this place is on weekends where all traders open for business with bargains starting as early as 4.30am. Visitor number could easily reach at least 30,000 per day. Wang Jing, 58, a stone trader at Pangjiayuan for over 10 years, said this place has its own unique characteristics, giving an ancient feel not only to visitors but for Wang himself. "It feels like in the olden days when traders just placed a piece of cloth on the ground and displayed their goods on it. All of us here are like good old friends," he added. MORE THAN JUST A FLEA MARKET Tourist Allen Bips, 28, from the United Kingdom, said the flea market is like seeing part of China's history and it would be the best place for someone who loves antiques. "This is my third time here and I am never bored with this place. Whenever my friends plan to come Beijing, I always recommend the flea market to them. I can spend my whole day here because there is too many things to see. "This flea market is just like a hidden treasure," he said. He said antiques offered in Pangjiayuan is not only from Beijing but from all over China, adding that it's great to see the colourful and vibrant Chinese ethnic heritage in terms of clothing, rugs, embroidery and accessories. Samer Kumar, 38, from Haryana, India, said this was his first time to Pangjiayuan Antique Market and it was unbelievable to see so much antiques, colourful stones and goods of historical value. "I read about the market on a tourist blog and it really attracted me to come here. We don't find such place in India although it is full of history. It is good to gather all ancient things at one place," he said. USED TO BE KNOWN AS DIRT MARKET However, surprisingly, Panjiayuan's history is in fact relatively new. According to Wikipedia it came into being in 1992 as a roadside market. As trade in folk antiques and handiwork grew, by 2002 it became a large flea market spreading folk culture. Many Chinese antique collectors started their collection in Panjiayuan. In 2004, at the prize-awarding ceremony of the first Annual Top Ten Lists of Collection in China, the market was chosen as one of the top ten antique markets in China. Time.com said the flea market used to known as "dirt market" because peasants would cart in objects they supposedly unearthed themselves, squat in the market's open field and hawk their wares. There are no peasants now, and the market grounds are no longer just an open field, but there are still plenty of merchants selling almost everything from the Middle Kingdom. Whether you are an antique collector, looking for special souvenirs or go for sightseeing, Pangjiayuan market is worth a visit. This market will have something to offer for everyone from all walks of life. -- BERNAMA