Chinese craftsmanship at its best
Anyone interested in the masters of Chinese craftsmanship should definitely pay a visit to the Chinese Arts & Crafts gallery in Wan Chai, a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned enterprise.
There you can admire the work of leading artisans while receiving expertly detailed explanations of each piece of art from the gallery’s friendly and helpful professional staff.
Info
Address 2/F, Causeway Centre, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai | Public Transport MTR Island line (blue), Wan Chai, A2; Bus 905, bus stop Harbour Road, Causeway Centre | Hours Daily: 10.30am-7.30pm| Tip Just about a half mile away at Happy Valley you will find The Hong Kong Racing Museum, 2/F Happy Valley Stand, open daily 12 noon to 7.00pm. It tells the fascinating history of this famous racecourse.
In each craft speciality – silk and traditional cheongsams, delicate porcelain, woodcarvings, amazingly expensive yet plain-looking teapots, snuff bottles, and netsuke – you’ll be carried away by the extraordinary quality of objects for sale.
In the ivory section, the staff guarantees that all the tusks come from the remains of extinct woolly mammoths, not living elephants. But only experts can distinguish the ivory of woolly mammoths by the different patterns of “Schreger lines” seen on the cut face of a tusk. The global demand for ivory, be it woolly mammoth or elephant, has led to pervasive black market fraud. At some point in 2016, the Chinese government plans to ban the ivory trade entirely.
Safer, then, to visit the jade department instead. In the street markets, you can also find what looks like jade, and at bargain prices. But there is a high risk of returning home with cheap, artificially coloured stones. When these often bright green objects are exposed to sunlight, the colour soon reverts to a dull grey – clear proof that it’s not the real thing.
At Chinese Arts & Crafts, it’s obvious what the real jade is from the price tags alone, because you simply can’t get gemstones for nothing. They’re rare. Even HK$10 million for a modest bangle seems like a bargain compared with the asking prices for necklaces! But even if you can’t afford such luxuries, you’ll be entranced by the colours, which range from light, icy green over pink and purple to deepest green. Real jade is truly magnificent.
Nearby
Back
To the online map