Digging out ancient treasures

By Xie Fang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-08 09:22

The price in LAM is even lower than Gaobeidian's but wandering around it will tax your stamina.

Although most shops have more than 100-sq-m floor area, some are still not big enough to display all their furniture so that much is piled up or left outside.

Summer is definitely not the right time to visit LAM - the warehouse has no air conditioning and is hot and stuffy.

Having said that, though, a beautiful woodcarving or jewelry case more than makes up for it.

Putiange Antique Furniture

Putiange is a well-known antique shop among expatriates living in Houshayu, northeastern Beijing in Shunyi district, but will soon be on the move to Yangzhen, a 40-minute drive from the city.

Its 6,000-sq-m warehouse is an eye-opening experience for antique furniture lovers. There seems to be an infinite variety on offer. What's more, each piece is clean and has a fine sheen.

"I don't think antique furniture should be covered with dust and spider's web to prove its age," says the owner, Liu Haihong. "The main attraction of a piece of antique furniture is its style and 'Bao Jiang' (literally, treated with TLC and still looking great after all these years)."

According to Liu, the furniture is collected from around China, for example Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Fujian and Shanghai. About 80 percent of her clients are foreigners.

Putiange features folk articles, such as kang tables (a kind of small short-legged table for use on a heatable bed), bookshelves and cabinets.

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