In 1985, a spontaneous antique market appeared on Xianglai Street on the west side of Xuanwumen. Since buying and selling antiques was illegal at the time, the cultural relics department frequently inspected them. It was raided as soon as it formed a large scale, and the market moved to several places. Around 1989, the market settled in Panjiayuan.
At that time, Panjiayuan was still a demolition site with an area the size of three football fields. The ground is flat, but construction hasn't started yet. Vendors set up street stalls every Saturday and Sunday morning. The sellers mainly come from Hebei Province, Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding districts and counties. Those who buy antiques include those who have shops in Liulichang and those who buy and sell them serially. In addition, there are also a few collectors.
At first, the market was not large, with only a hundred stalls. There were only a hundred and eighty people buying antiques, and they basically all knew each other or were semi-familiar with each other. Later, it gradually expanded to two to three hundred stalls, and the market began to extend westward.
There is a large dirt slope to the west of the market. A few people from Shanxi, Henan and other regions began to set up stalls here, which was naturally separated from the folk scattered antiques sold under the dirt slope. Dozens of stalls began selling unearthed porcelain and small bronze items on the slope.
At that time, the demolition site was still a large open space with no fences around it. At the same time, it was full of temporary "wild" stalls. Whenever the cultural relics department inspected the market, there were too few law enforcement personnel to form a tight seal. As soon as the vendors find something going on outside, all the people setting up stalls will immediately pack up their things and run away.
Because the market for antiques was relatively good at that time, some vendors could sell them for two to three hundred yuan in half a day. If the items were copied, it would be a waste of time, so the vendors ran very fast. At that time, street stalls did not sell large antiques, but mostly jade pieces, snuff bottles, small porcelain plates, small bowls, rosewood, red sandalwood, mahogany and other small objects. This is mainly to prevent inspection at any time. These small items can be collected quickly and easily escaped.
This kind of guerrilla market lasted for more than a year. Finally, the cultural relics department coordinated with relevant departments, and around 1991, the Panjiayuan flea market was finally fixed.
Extended information:
The ghost market is a mysterious place for laymen. For people who go shopping in Chang Pan’s home, if they want to find the fun of Taobao, the place to go is the Ghost Market. Panjiayuan has such a ghost market two days a week - Saturday and Sunday. The ghost market on Saturday is particularly popular. At 4 o'clock in the morning, the door of Panjiayuan was already full of people. At 4:30, as soon as the door opened, people poured in and quickly took their places.
Currently, the ghost market is mainly wholesale. Merchants scattered all over the weekend need to get up early to purchase goods so as not to delay the opening of the day. Therefore, all kinds of beads, jade, etc. in the ghost market in Panjiayuan are also available. Most of them are wholesale prices, so it’s certainly a good time to pick up the missing items.
Every weekend is the busiest time in Panjiayuan Market, and it is also the time that most collectors must come every week. There is a large flow of customers on weekends, and merchants’ goods are updated quickly. Book-hunting enthusiasts can find periodicals, classics, ancient books, foreign books, etc. in the bookstall area; there are blockbusters such as seal stones, ceramics, Bodhisattva, Nanhong, etc. Regional distribution, centralized selection.
Since most of the merchants in Panjiayuan Market come from all over the country, they prepare to go home before the Chinese New Year every year. Therefore, the month before the Chinese New Year is also a time for merchants to intensively reduce prices. During this time period, the weather is colder, and there are fewer people visiting stalls than in other seasons. Therefore, merchants want to capture every customer who comes to Panjiayuan. This time is also a good time to pick up leaks.
People’s Daily Online—How it was formed and how it got its name: Gossip about the origin of Panjiayuan Market