Are you already feeling a little bit panicky about everything you’re supposed to do before the holidays? Is the stress of sourcing unique Beijing gifts for expectant friends and family weighing on you like the third sofa on an overloaded flatbed rickshaw? Well we’ve just the list for you! Read on for a few ideas…
For a stocking that needs filling (Part I):
Hip coasters
Whether your friend suffers from a Monica Geller-esque fear of water rings on their coffee table or just wants to look especially cool when they have friends over, we think these colorful coasters are ace. This City Art’s designs draw inspiration from all of Beijing’s quirkiest features – then make them pop.
30RMB/coaster (choose from over 38 designs to make a pack). Available from Plastered (see below for address) or TCA’s WeiDian store.
For the foodie:
A voucher for TRB
What’s that? You’re looking for a basically flawless evening of food, wine and petit fours to thank someone for being awesome? Perhaps you’ve a friend who’s become a little too used to Beijing zhajiang noodles and deserves a bit of fancy in their life. It’s hard not to impress with a meal at TRB, so go ahead and give an experience they’ll really thank you for.
TRB Bites gift vouchers are available in denominations of 50RMB and 100RMB, or 1,100RMB for a set dinner for 4 people (bargain!), while at TRB you can load on as much cash as you’d like. Just email [email protected] or call 8400 2232 to buy.
For closet history geeks:
A wooden Beijing Postcards puzzle
Remember the satisfaction of finishing puzzles when you were a kid? Beijing Postcards’ ever-popular historical maps now come in puzzle form! This 520-piece reproduction of a Chinese map from a 1944 edition of Junior Red Cross magazine makes the perfect gift for older parents or kids, we think you’ll agree.
Puzzle costs 280RMB. Email [email protected] or call Xiao Pan on 186 1244 215.
For the grown-up hipster:
A Yak wool hot water bottle
If a Tibetan Yak and a Cashmere Goat got in a fight, let’s be honest, the yak would triumph. When it comes to their wool, the same rule applies. Yak = winning. It’s just as soft as cashmere but more breathable. What’s more, when you buy from Norhla, you’ll be doing something good for the local Tibetan nomad communities that process the fibres from their own yak herds to produce them. The brand has a whole range of Yak wool items, from iPad cases to scarves.
The Yak wool hot water bottle is 350RMB. Buy it online at norlha.cn.
For the kitchen snob:
A proper kitchen knife
If you’re still in business after 400 years you’re probably doing something right. Yes, Beijing’s ‘time honoured’ brand Wang Mazi was founded in the Ming Dynasty and has been making supreme quality cleavers and scissors ever since. So if you’ve a friend who sniffs at your set of IKEA knives every time they come round for dinner, this is the gift for them.
Around 380RMB for a high quality cleaver. 88-1 Meishi Jie, Dongcheng district (Tel: 6336 5740).
For those who like a drink:
A bottle of boutique booze
Simple, yet effective. A really good bottle of boutique gin or whiskey is sure to (quite literally) go down a treat with those who enjoy a tipple with a little extra sass. The gorgeous bottle will look great on their shelves too.
Try the Arran Machrie Moor Single Malt Scotch Whisky (540RMB) or Dodd’s Gin (520RMB) – both available from XIX Spirit . Email [email protected] to order or to see the full collection. Oh, and if you mention Bespoke they’ll give you a 10% discount!
For the distinguished Sinophile:
Artisanal Chinese slippers
You may never be able to have Zhou Enlai’s enviable eyebrows, but you can have his shoes. Gift a friend a pair of handmade Chinese slippers from Neiliansheng (founded in 1853) and they’ll look stylish and have warm feet. What more could a modern gentleman need? Our top tip? Head to the original Dashilan store to see them being made on site and for the largest selection of cloths and sizes.
Traditional cotton bu xie slippers cost around 150RMB. Find them at No.34 Dashilan Jie, Xuanwu district (Tel: 6301 4863)
For a joke:
Something personalized…
Would your sister secretly love her dog’s face on a tote bag? Do you and your best friend have a saying that only you find funny? Happily, getting private jokes printed on t-shirts in China is a cinch. Even easier if you use WeChat Secretary to help source someone who can do it! All you need to do is add this brilliant service on WeChat (ID: ‘WeChat Secretary’) and they add a fee of 10% of the value of whatever you purchase. Alternatively, try the helpful folks at Jing Jing Printing, they also speak English.([email protected]).
For the couple that has everything:
Monogrammed bathrobes
Imagine two bunnies snuggling on a giant blanket next to a log fire. While watching Narcos on Netflix. (What, you think pets don’t enjoy your TV shows as much as you do?) Now imagine a gift so oversized, soft and warm that it affords the recipient the same level of contentment. Are we overdoing it? No sir. Your writer has one of these very bathrobes and basically thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Get it monogrammed with your recipients’ names for an extra 100RMB (just give 1 week’s notice) and they’ll be wearing it for many winters to come, thanking you under their breath every time they dig it out again.
Ritz Carlton Waffle Monogrammed Bathrobe, 1,380RMB. Available from the boutique at the Ritz Carlton Financial Street Spa, 1 Jingchengfang Dongjie, Xicheng district (6601 6666)
For that friend with the stylish pad:
PilingPalang geometric tea jar
Objects of desire – bought for no other reason than that they look mighty pretty on a sideboard – are perfectly acceptable. So if you know someone with a lovely home, who would appreciate this gorgeous ceramic tea caddy, then we encourage you to get to B.N.C to snap one up. PilingPalang is also one of our favourite brands from Shanghai, founded by Deng Bingbing, the Tianjin design marvel behind the always-delightful M Diary.
Tea Caddy, 398RMB from B.N.C. NLG 09a Tai Koo Li North, 11 Bei Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang district (6416 9045), or go online to pilingpalang.cn/en
For a stocking that needs filling (Part II):
Some cheeky socks
Cheeky, because we all know what a barber’s pole actually signifies in China. And because we like the idea of seeing these poking out from beneath a sensible suit, loudly and unapologetically declaring their Beijingness to all who see them.
Beijing barbershop socks cost 38RMB and are from (the always good for presents) Plastered T-Shirts at 61 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng district (6407 8425).
For the design fiend:
Spin ‘Lantern Show’ candle stand
Elegant, shapely – and an all round Chinese classic. No we’re not talking about Gong Li, but these rather lovely porcelain tea lights (1,200RMB) from ceramics wundershop Spin. Not only are they Limited Edition and made in Jingdezhen (the home of Chinese pottery since 200 A.D.) but impressively translucent to allow a soft glow to emanate from within when you place tea lights inside. Even better, their New York store just opened with prices 4 times higher than Beijing, so you can rest assured you’re getting a bargain while the recipient can feel thoroughly spoiled.
Spin, 6 Fangyuan Xi Lu, Chaoyang district (6347 8639)
For the person who needs a break:
A Beijing spa voucher
If you know someone who doesn’t love being massaged and pampered, stop being friends with them right now. They’re obviously weird. If they’re like most human beings and do love a bit of TLC, however, it’s going to be hard for them not to love you forever when you present them with a spa voucher for one of the best places in the city. In our book that’s The Peninsula Spa (8 Jingyu Hutong, Dongcheng district, Tel: 6510 6090) and Kocoon (No.106, Taiyue Suites, Sanlitun Nan Lu, Chaoyang district, Tel: 132 4169 6021).
For the intellectual:
A good China book
When is a book not just a book? When it’s more of a collector’s item of course! And we think these latest Penguin books are just that. Bespoke’s incredible Great Wall expert William Lindesay has just published his most accessible tome yet – The Great Wall in 50 Objects: A beautiful and insightful book illustrated with photos of 50 items that tell the hidden history of the Wall and is packed full of incredible facts. Meanwhile, the new range of Penguin Specials, including Bethoven in China: How the Great Composer Became an Icon in the People’s Republic by Jindong Cai and Sheila Melvin are just as delightful.
Buy them all at The Bookworm, Courtyard 4, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang district (Tel: 6586 9507; www.beijingbookworm.com)
For the woman who knows how to accessorize: Jewellery
Small in size but – if chosen well – long treasured, a piece of jewellery makes a great gift for someone who regularly wears it. We love the China-centric pieces by Antonia Sampson jewellery, like these earrings. Spin (listed above) and Ubi Gallery (Yangmeizhu Xiejie, Xicheng district;http://www.ubigallery.com) also have great ranges.
Pictured earrings, 550RMB. Email [email protected] to buy.
For the smartest, bestest person you know: A gift voucher for a Bespoke Signature Experience
We saved the best till last, of course. So if you know someone who is curious about life and the world in general; who loves learning about new cultures and engaging with a city’s more authentic side, what better way to thank them than by offering them an experience they’ll remember for a long time to come. All of Bespoke’s Signature Experiences (in both Beijing and Shanghai) are available as Gift Vouchers – from tailored cocktail experiences and xiaolongbao making classes in Shanghai to street snack safaris and the chance to meet a cray cray cricket trainer in Beijing. So what are you waiting for? Check our Signature Experience menus here and then go buy someone one. If only to thank us for this wonderfully useful article.
Need more shopping help? We have a tour for that!