When visitors arrive in Beijing, the itinerary is clear: A visit
to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and roast duck at Quanjude
are amongst the more common stops on the tourist circuit. However,
when my guests arrived, I was more than a little surprised at their
requests. "I don't care where you take us really," my aunt said.
"As long as we can go to the Cat Shop."
The cat shop is a rather small, inconspicuous boutique on Gulou
Dongdajie, sandwiched between a couple of grungy guitar stores.
Most visitors tend to sweep past it as they search earnestly for
the north entrance to Nanluogu Xiang, that well-known haven for
Western backpackers searching for tasteful trinkets from "the real
China." However, after ogling the feline-inspired fancies that I
had brought back home for various friends and family, the cat shop
seems to be the first place my guests want to go.
The store specializes in ornaments and accessories embellished
with all things cat-like. The left-hand side of the petite boutique
displays porcelain ornaments of cutesy, rotund cats, but the goods
hanging on the opposite wall are even more charming.
Made from silk imported from Japan and Taiwan (but crafted in
the Chinese mainland to keep prices low), the bags and purses are
simply irresistible. Coin purses start from RMB 25, and pencil
cases retail for RMB 30. Not only are they adorable, they're also
very well made, making for purr-fect stocking fillers. These prices
may appear affordable at first, but be warned: A shopping spree
here can become pricey since one item is never enough. The good
news though is that the more you spend, the more of a discount
you'll receive.
(that's Beijing December 27, 2007)