Panjiayuan is a covered market in Chaoyang district, a short walk from Panjiayuan station on Metro Line 10. It has been running since 1992 and fills several halls plus an open yard. On any morning you will find ceramics, jade, carved wooden screens, Tibetan brass, old books, propaganda posters, snuff bottles and furniture that needs two people to lift.
What is actually old
Assume that anything sold cheaply is new. Most of the jade is recently cut, most of the "Qing" furniture is deliberately aged, and most of the porcelain is a copy. That is fine - as craft and decoration it is often good value. Real antiques do exist here, usually in the locked shops around the edges of the yard, where dealers know exactly what they are selling and price accordingly.
An important legal point
China restricts the export of genuine cultural relics. If an item is genuinely pre-1949 and of cultural value, exporting it legally requires a permit from the cultural relics authority, and airport customs do take this seriously. If a dealer tells you a piece is genuinely antique, ask for documentation, and be aware that you may not be able to take it home. Modern reproductions and craft items have no such restriction.
How to bargain
Prices on the open stalls are negotiable and the first number is a starting point. Ask the price, look somewhere else, come back, and offer roughly a third of the opening figure. Walking away quietly is the strongest move you have. Bring small notes and a phone with a translation app; the most experienced dealers work out numbers on a calculator and turn it to face you.
Timing
The market opens early and the good material moves before 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday are the busiest and the most interesting, with the biggest spread of sellers. Weekday mornings are calm and easier if you dislike crowds. Allow two hours minimum, and bring a bag - you will buy something.
