Handicrafts
Birdcages
The Chinese are renowned for their love of songbirds and their tendency to show such birds off in splendidly decorated cages at public parks. Antique cages cost from 100 to 700 yuan; newer ones can be bought at the Bird Market, located at the Dongfeng Lu entrance of Liuhua Park.
Mao Memorabilia
The Daihe Lu antique market has a reasonable variety of Mao artifacts, while the Friendship Stores sell 24-Carat, diamond-studded medals. For badges, the stamp market in People's Park has the best pieces. Prices can be steep.
Paper Cuts
The Renshou Temple in Foshan, previously famous for its paper cuts of scenes from the Cultural Revolution, has remained the major production center for this delicate craft. However, its production nowadays focuses on farm scenes.
Seals
you can have your name engraved in Chinese characters on a seal, called a chop, at the basement floor of the White Swan Hotel. When selecting your Chinese name, limit yourself to two or three characters. If you need help, the staff at the shop will help you to choose the right combination. The material used can be hard wood, soapstone, crystal or agate. The shop also sells special red ink (hong yau) for the seal. Do not buy from side street sellers, as the seals they sell are made of bakelite and resin imitations of stone.