Shanghai 2009
Friday, 17 July 2009 03:07
Written by Kathryn Pauli

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Shopping for antiques in Shanghai can easily become a hobby for expatriates, even for those who did not have an interest before they arrived -- and why not?  It’s relatively easy to fill a home with beautiful furniture and objects at a fraction of the cost in the West.

Before you start, it is worth gaining some elementary education about classic Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) furniture by dropping by the Shanghai Museum, where the furniture gallery includes many simple and elegant Ming chairs, tables, beds and screens, as well as heavier Qing furniture with more elaborate carving and inlaid decoration. You can also see samples and descriptions of the kinds of wood that were typically used. 

Antique shops abound in Shanghai. But much of what is now sold as ‘antique’ is actually reproduction, often of good quality, so it is difficult to tell the difference. Buyers who are not bothered by this issue can enjoy the shops around Dongtai Lu and Fangbang Lu (‘Old Street’) near Yu Garden, or in many local neighborhoods -- and haggle for all they’re worth. 

 

Those who wish to know more about the provenance of a piece can shop at one of the established and reputable dealers in town. While such well-known establishments typically charge more for the furniture they carry, the quality of the restoration is excellent so customers know what they are getting.

Marybelle Hu, of Hu & Hu Antiques maintains that the furniture will hold its price and can be purchased for just a sixth to an eighth of the price it fetches in the US.  Her store is one of the best-known among a number of antique dealers situated in the Wuzhong Lu area, not far from Hongqiao Airport. Hu & Hu has a showroom of restored furniture from all over China, including Tibet, as well as a warehouse with unrestored furniture constantly arriving, all made of solid wood and mostly about 80-100 years old. Pieces can be restored (or altered) to your taste. 

Henry’s Studio & Antiques 上海汉瑞古典家具有限公司, run by Henry Wang who teaches furniture design to university students, has a large and well-lit showroom filled with beautifully restored and interesting pieces from all over China, as well as new pieces of his own design that complement the old.

A popular Pudong store is Angel and Tony’s Antique Furniture Store, where prices are highly competitive with those in Puxi. (Both Tony and Angel speak English.) 

Those with high-end tastes can try Hong Merchant, where Jean Philippe Weber’s collection includes precious art pieces and antique furniture spanning 2,000 years, housed in a beautiful lane house in the former French concession.  

Torana House specializes in high-quality Tibetan antique furniture and rugs. Owner Chris Buckley has written a book on the subject and his collection in the shop includes many lovely (and expensive) pieces, especially Tibetan and contemporary Chinese carpets.

Shanghai Art Deco pieces (from the late 1920s and ‘30s) offer another collecting opportunity, with international Art Deco elements inflected by Chinese aspects (and generally slightly smaller). The excellent photographs and descriptions of furniture and objects in Shanghai Art Deco make a good introduction. Pieces can be found in the dusty hole-in-the-wall shops of the former French concession, on the side streets near Xujiahui and around Hongkou, especially near Duolun Lu. On a weekend morning, objects are spread out in the multi-story building at 457 Fangbang Lu. Since Old Shanghai glamor has become fashionable again, some of these items have become pricey, so shop around and bargain hard.

One caveat:  Much of the antique furniture available here was made for the humid climate, with separations between boards to allow for expansions during the rainy season. Those who do not like such constructions should look for single-board pieces -- and expect to pay more. Buyers should also expect cracks to develop in furniture if it is moved into a dry home, unless it is moisturized and kept away from direct heat sources. This is definitely an issue to discuss with a dealer.

One final word:  Exporting your antiques is subject to the approval of the Antique Inspection Shanghai Museum Bureau. Inspection is usually arranged by your moving company. The magic date is 1795; later pieces are all exportable. With regard to avoiding import duties into the destination country, common wisdom holds that furniture purchased more than a year earlier will not be subject to tax in most countries. So it’s advisable to get going and buy that antique furniture more than a year before you return home – and get and keep invoices, including descriptions of the pieces.

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