Beijing is a city of a long history, which leaves behind many cute and precious antique wares. Where to find them? Here are some places. 

Liulichang
A good place to find a wide selection of antiques is at Liulichang. Liulichang is a street in Xuanwumen, and many of the stores are quite old. This area has everything from scrolls, to jade articles to decadesold cigarette ad posters. There are definitely treasures to be found here,but it is hard to tell genuine antiques from dirty fakes. Real antiques are supposed to bear a red official seal that proves their authenticity, but sometimes real ones don't have it and fake ones do. The best attitude to have is: if you like it and you can bargain down to a price you can accept, just go for it. Small jade articles and silver trinkets make great presents for people at home and they are easy to take on the plane.

Location: Liulichang Street, Xuanwu District;
How to get there
Subway: Go to Hepingmen Station;
Bus: No.s 6, 14, 15, 25, 50, 53, 57, 102 and 105.

Panjiayuan Antiques Market
Another large antiques market is the Antiques City at Panjiayuan. This is a multi-story building which is full of antiques and general kitsch. The same rules apply here as in Liulichang: if you like it , get it. Don't worry if it is fake or not. Many of the things are not real antiques, but on the other hand, recently a 50,000-year-old fossil was confiscated from one of the sellers there. The fossil was on sale for about US$150, so you never know.

Location: West of Panjiayuan Qiao, Dongsanhuan Nan Lu, Chao Yang District
Tel: 010-67752405

Beijing Curio City
Beijing Curio City, gathering more than 250 curio shops under one roof, is China's largest trade center for antiques and fold art works. Many of the dealers are themselves connoisseurs and curio collectors. Antiques that date before 1795 are forbidden for sale or export. Those dated between 1796 and 1949* should bear a small red seal and a Certificate for Relics Export from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau(BCRB), to allow them to be taken out of Chin. The seal also proves the genuineness of the items. A word of caution: keep receipts which should indicate the name and age of the antiques if these items are bought in BCRB designated stores.

Location: 21 Dongsanhuan Nan Lu(at Panjiayuan Bridge), Chao Yang District
Tel: 010-67747711/67736021