Liulichang is a small street of Ming and Qing Dynasty shop facades with brightly painted doors and eaves and gracefully curved black-tiled-roofs. Scholars who once came to the capital to sit for the imperial examinations started this ancient market. Sometimes, they ran out of money and sold antiques, paintings and calligraphy to cover the costs of their journeys home. The market grew gradually throughout the Ming Dynasty (1644-1911).

The China Bookstore, Rongbaozhai, and Jiguge are the most famous antique stores in Liulichang. The China Bookstore, located in the courtyard of the northernmost complex, sells second-hand foreign language books. All the foreign-language materials are mixed together, English spine-to-spine with Russian and German, literature spine-to-spine with psychology and history. Some of the books are stamped with university library and church seals and are quite pricey. However, you may find good deals on Chinese books, if you are patient and know what you want.

Along the street, peddlers hawk snacks, groceries, toys, copper coins, all kinds of little trinkets. Merchants stand at their doors to welcome customers, looking for new ways to attract customers’ attention. Some offer free seal-carving services and they can even find a perfect Chinese name for you if you like. Some shop owners invite folk artists to their shops to work on their crafts for an audience.

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