Beijing Curio City is the first nationally supervised second-hand market in China, and the biggest Asian center of the curio trade.

With more than 250 curio shops under one roof, the market specializes in antique pottery, paintings from China and foreign countries, jadeware, bone carvings, antique furniture, antique carpets, antique timepieces, pearls and jade.

The hotels, meeting halls and dining halls at this site provide visitors with an ideal shopping, accommodation and office environment.

This city periodically organizes unique curio exhibitions, sales and seminars. Every January, May and October, a Folk Culture Festival, Auction Week, and Beijing Chinese Curio Fair are held.

Many of the dealers are themselves connoisseurs and curio collectors. Antiques that date to before 1795 are forbidden for sale or export from China. Those dated between 1796 and 1949 should bear a small red seal and a Relics Export certificate from the Beijing Culture Relics Bureau (BCRB), to allow them to be taken out of China. The seal also proves the genuineness of the items. A word of caution: keep receipts, which should indicate the name, the age of the antiques, and whether these items were bought in BCRB designated stores.