Visit the Panjiayuan district for its enormous antique market with all types of traditional artifacts and old trinkets. The zone’s many hotels, restaurants and office blocks run east from the South Moat.
Browse countless stalls in the Panjiayuan Antique Market. Appreciate the sheer size of the enormous bazaar, its stalls and piles of antiques lined up in rows beneath a high roof. Chat with the vendors to get a sense of the local culture. Old-fashioned telephones and musical instruments are lined up beside pots and vases from yesteryear. Consider the toys and games from bygone eras and purchase decorative features and works of art, including paintings and sculptures. Calligraphy pieces, ivory carving, porcelain and antique furniture add to the mix.
Among the highlights are bundles of coins and notes that signify outdated money. Some of the market’s most eccentric products, such as statues of Chairman Mao and posters serving as Communist propaganda, are sold here. Purchase jade stones for necklaces and bracelets.
The market opens from morning until early evening during the week and starts in the early hours of the morning on weekends. It has more than 3,000 stalls. Bring a magnifying glass to inspect items you believe might be counterfeit.
Relax with your goods by the lake of the neighboring Longtan Park and see the Yuan Dushi’s Temple. Head east through the district for its many bars and restaurants.
Panjiayuan is in the northern part of the Panjiayuannanli Community, a little southeast of central Beijing. It is just east of Longtan Park and the Temple of Heaven. Ride the metro to the Panjiayuan station and walk west through the district, which is also dotted with bus stops. Travel through the neighboring districts of Hongshansi, the Panjiayuan Residential District and the Jinsong Residential District.