More Than Just a Market: Modern Art Exhibition Marks Turning Point for Liangmaqiao Market

With more than 400 vendors selling everything from Chinese and international antiques to tea sets, cloisonné, and diamonds, plus an expansive flower market just next door, Liangma International Jewel and Antique Market is already a destination for all things beautiful and decorative. But now, with the opening of a new modern art exhibition, it looks to be a destination for all things cultural, too. 

Titled Ode to Joy, the exhibition brings together some of China and Asia’s best contemporary artists, including Dai Ze, Hu Ran, and Takashi Murakami, featuring a range of statues, paintings, and installations. As the title of the exhibition suggests, the works are connected by their sense of whimsy, from Jia Xiaoou's Alice in Wonderland-inspired pastel sculptures to Takashi Murakami's complex, colorful canvases. Look out for Hua Qing's giant inflatable gorilla, which hangs high above the atrium. 

This is the first time Liangma International Jewel and Antique Market has presented an exhibition of modern art pieces and, in many ways, represents the final part of a transformation the shopping destination has been undergoing for several years. “The market first opened in 1992 and in the nearly three decades since, it has gone through a lot of changes,” deputy general manager Mr. Wang explains. “In the nineties, we were the top destination for antiques among foreigners in Beijing — tourists would come in and buy up entire shops — but since then we have changed the composition of the shops, such as adding jewelry, and moved towards a more holistic shopping experience.”

For Mr. Wang, this means actively working with each vendor to help them find their unique selling point and future development direction. “We want to encourage our vendors to move away from a ‘buy-sell’ mindset to being collectors and ambassadors of their chosen area of culture,” he says.

As a result, you can browse the market without fear of pushy sellers; many of the vendors will offer you tea and you may find yourself sitting and chatting for hours on end. The fact that most speak at least a little English helps, too. Even the market’s management is encouraged to expand their cultural horizons, studying skills such as flower arranging with the vendors in their spare time. 

In the future, Mr. Wang hopes to integrate modern art pieces such as the ones on display at the exhibition throughout the market, creating a unique shopping environment. He also plans to hold more exhibitions and events in cooperation with outside brands and vendors inside the market.  “We want to be more than a market; we want to be a cultural platform,” he concludes.

So whether you are shopping for gifts or simply want to soak up some culture, you can do both at Liangma International Jewel and Antique Market.

The Ode to Joy exhibition at Liangma International Jewel and Antique Market runs until Jan 21, from 10am-7pm daily. 

This post is paid for by Liangma International Jewel and Antique Market

Photos: Robynne Tindall, Uni You, courtesy of Liangma International Jewel and Antique Market