Guangzhou Shopping

Ever wonder where Chinese antique dealers really get their merchandise? They like to say that it comes from China's countryside and that whatever you like in their shop just happened to come in 10 days ago from some village in Henan province where a poor rural family sold off their precious heirlooms or some farmer accidently dug it up in a field . Well I'm here to tell you that this is all a bunch of bamboo shoots (Chinese B.S.).

I stumbled across a wholesale market of replica antiques in area of Guangzhou seldom visited by foreign tourists. That's right, I said "wholesale"...as in tons of replica antiques made to order. Rows upon rows of quality replica bronzes that look like a thief looted the Shaanxi Provincial Museum after an earthquake; armies of Tang San Cai (tri-color glazed pottery) horses and princesses standing in lots; all fake and all made somewhere nearby though none of the shopowners would divulge the factory's location.

It's really an incredible sight, and an enlightening experience if you have ever thought about buying antiques in China. Once you've convinced them that you're on to the game, the wholesalers become retailers and give you cheap bargains. I couldn't believe it when I bought what looked like a Qing dynasty copy of a 1 meter tall Tang princess statue for only 300 RMB. I imagine the price on Hong Kong's Hollywood Road would be 3000 Hong Kong dollars and at an "Oriental Antique" shop in Seattle it might be 600 US dollars or more.

Ancient porcelain is much more difficult to copy and so the fakes are easier to identify. Therefore the market for high quality copies of bronze and clay antiques is developing rapidly. Only trained experts can really spot the difference among authentic Tang San Cai from the Tang dynasty, Qing dynasty copies of Tang San Cai, and modern replicas made in Guangzhou.
Ordinary buyers would find it challenging to differentiate between the latter two examples.

Replica ancient bronzes (including Sanxingdui copies), replica Tang San Cai (tri-colour glazed statues), replica Jun ware pottery, authentic ornate wood carvings, authentic Jingdezhen porcelain

Most high quality replicas can be purchased for 200-300 RMB if you are a savvy shopper. You should not pay more than 400 RMB for any replica items. Authentic Jingdezhen porcelain will be priced higher for certain extraordinary items, but I don't believe that you're going to find a real Ming vase.

Guangzhou Hotels

Guangzhou Shopping

Visiting Guangzhou?

Visiting Guangzhou?

Guangzhou Hotels