On another day in Beijing, we went a-questing for knickknacks, gewgaws, and other baubles at one of the largest open-air markets in Beijing. From pottery to brass figurines to teasets to souvenir soldiers, this place crams it all in under a single sprawling covered square.

Here are a few pictures of the market as a whole:

Lining this square are various shops and such, which typically carry more expensive items of the sort that a collector might be interested in. We visited one such shop that sells shutter frames salvaged from wooden screens and friezes. These shutters, as you will see, are typically hand carved jobs, over which gold paint, gold leaf, or any of a number of different varnishes and stains are applied.

The shutters and the shop:

It may appear, Gentle Reader, that all we did was shop. Never fear: though we certainly did a lot of that, we did do other things, as you will soon see. Also, because we hit the big tourist sites during our last visit, you won't see any pics of the Great Wall, The Forbidden City, or Tianenmen Square here. But stay tuned for pics of our tour of the hutongs, my love affair with Chinese street food, and our trip to lovely Shanghai.