Beijing Baigongfang

"Baigongfang or Bai Gong Fang" literally means "100 Handicraftsmen Workshop". It was set up by Beijing Municipal and Chongwen District (now merged into Dongcheng District), and opened to the public in 2003 aimed at preserving and developing Chinese traditional handicrafts.

"Baigong, or Bai Gong" originated from the book named "Kaogongji", an official record of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period ( 722-481 BC ) and the Warring States Period (403-221 BC). "Baigong"literally means "one hundred craftsmen", a general expression for all the craftmen who made imperial arts and crafts for emperors and noblemen in ancient times. "Fang" means "workshop" in Chinese. "Baigongfang" (One Hundred Craftsmen Workshop) is such named in order to show that it is the place where masters of numerous handicrafts meet and research for inheriting the ancient arts and crafts.

Baigongfang (100 Handicraftsmen Workshop) is composed of 30 studios including Cloisonne Studio, Carved Lacquer Studio, Inside-Bottle Painting Studio, Pearl Studio and Clay Studio etc. It is now a place both for making palace arts and crasfts, but also producing common handicrafts popular in ordinary life.

In these handicraftsmen studios, you are able to experience the most famous "Eight Unique Skills of Yanjing (Today's Beijing)", the palace handicrafts including Engraved Lacquer, Ivory Carving, Cloisonne, Jade Sculpture, inlaid filigree, inlaid gold lacuqer, palace hand made carpets and palace embroidery. Besides, there are major studios making the ordinary Chinese including paper-cutting, glassware, dough figurine, clay figurine and more.

On the third floor there is a DIY clasroom, 120 square metere, 40 double desks and 80 chairs. The classroom is brightly lit,air-conditioned, equippped with a wide range of audio visual equipment including projector Screens. On the four walls of the classroom are hung up with the photos of the visitors practicing to make handicrafts and the over-100 masters of handicrafts at work, making it an ideal place to be immersed in Chinese traditional handicrafts.

In the classroom, you are taught by the masters how to make paper-cut, learn to write Chinese brush writing, make paper flowers, make clay figurines, paint facial masks, make dough figureines, Chinese knots and more.

Beijing Baigongfang is a living museum of the Chinese traditional handicrafts. On your short Beijing tour, just spare some and come here to see and feel the China traditional culture flowing under this fast developing and restless world.

Opening hours: 9:00 – 17:00 everyday

Add: B12, Guangming Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing

( 1km to the east of the east gate of Temple of Heaven)

Tel: 67111381, 67112480, 67140179

Email: jcbaigongfang@126.com

Attend a DIY class for learning the ABC of Chinese traditional handicrafts