Life

Gifts from the hutong

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-23 11:09

Foreigners are drawn to Beijing's rich, layered history and to its distinctive culture, characterized by hutong neighborhoods and courtyard homes.

But whenever the Christmas season comes around, and it's time to shop for presents, the city's foreign residents usually make a beeline for wholesale markets or shopping malls. Left in the dust are stores that specialize in traditional Beijing handicrafts such as figurines and mechanical toys.

"There's no big difference" in sales to foreign customers in December and the rest of the year, says Tang Yuhua, whose family owns Bannerman Tang's Toys and Crafts on Guozijian street. The Tangs say their family got into the handicrafts trade in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), five generations ago, but that the store has now become more of a "family hobby" rather than their main source of income.

The 700-year-old Guozijian street, home to the Confucian Temple and the Imperial Academy and named in 2009 as one of China's 10 "history and culture streets" - is a good place to start hunting for uniquely Beijing presents. Besides Bannerman Tang's, there is also Jingcheng Baixing, a shop established in 2007 by Lin Bo, a self-taught Beijing artist and art teacher.

Maohou, a kind of glass-encased miniature art work, shows slices of life in ancient Beijing, with monkeys made of pussy willow buds and cicada shells as stand-ins for humans.

The variety and complexity of the scenes range from two friends playing chess to a wedding procession complete with sedan chair carriers and a marching band. The art has evolved with the times to depict a three-man basketball game, a hurdler like Liu Xiang, and a woman holding up a sign saying, "Marry me!" Their price ranges from 40 yuan ($6) to thousands of yuan, depending on their intricacy.

It is said the first maohou (furry monkey) was created during the Qing Dynasty by a medicine shop apprentice, who was mad at his master. The boy apparently tried to get back at the shop owner by portraying him as a monkey. But instead of getting angry when he saw the miniature figures, the owner saw the money-making potential and decided to incorporate them into his business.

Tu yeye, or Grandpa Rabbit, dresses in splendid robes and is typically shown riding a tiger. It became a revered figure in ancient times for supposedly helping people get rid of a plague. According to legend, the rabbit came down from the moon, where it served as a companion to Chang'e, the Lady of the Moon, to come to the aid of humanity.

But first it disguised itself as a person because nobody would accept the help of a mere rabbit. The figurines were traditionally given as presents to denote health, happiness and peace, says Tang Yuhua.

Contemporary versions of the figurine give it a cartoon look. It is sometimes produced as a man-woman pair, as a symbol of good luck in love. It is available from 20 yuan to thousands of yuan per piece.

At Jingcheng Baixing store, you can make your own tuye by painting clay figurines molded by Lin Bo and his assistants.

The ready-made and do-it-yourself versions cost the same, from 20 to 300 yuan, depending on their size.

Like the maohou, figures of 360 professions depict scenes from life in ancient Beijing. But unlike the maohou, they focus only on traditional trades of Beijing like kite makers, vegetable sellers, shoe repairmen and street performers with their animal assistants.

Each piece costs 300 yuan at Bannerman Tang's. Ask for it in Chinese as "360 hang (professions)".

A string-pulled mouse, a two-wheeled toy made from papier mache and which moves whenever you pull on a wound-up string, was invented for children in the Qing Dynasty, says Tang Yuhua.

Although it is called a "mouse" in a generic sense, the toy also comes in the form of a tiger, frog and a variety of insects. Each piece costs 10 to 30 yuan.

All these will make great gifts for they are not only very novel items, they also capture a bit of Beijing history as well.

China Daily