I had been wanting to visit Tuanjiehu Park which is fairly close to where I am staying in Beijing. Then I received a tip from the contact at the Beijing Guild that the Tuanjiehu Market might have a yarn booth or two. That’s all I needed to know so off I went. The day was rainy but I was determined. After taking a subway, I found the park entrance.
Nearby, I spotted this romantic bridge.
I took cover from the rain under some branches where I was able to observe local Beijingers enjoying the park. This young girl in a pink kimono and traditional wooden shoes walked across the park trying to stay dry.
A young couple kept dry under a large umbrella.
Locals sat out of the rain under the gazebo. A husband and wife enjoyed a game of cards. Every now and then you could hear the loud slap of the cards on the bench.
I was delighted when I encountered this woman crocheting by the lake. She was making a dainty cardigan-like top to wear over a blouse. I bought this amigurumi bunny for ¥50. I paid too much but I wasn’t going to haggle for a hand-made item.
Many families were enjoying their outing. Kids were feeding the fish in the lake. The paddle boats were all lined up waiting for a sunny day.
After walking through the park, I found Tuanjiehu Market. There are several buildings selling different items – one had fish and meats, another fresh fruits and vegetables, and a larger building had rows and rows of stalls. The stalls were mostly filled with a variety of household items – notepads, pens and pencils, shoes, some kitchen items. There were several fabric stalls with women sitting at old sewing machines working on pillow covers and bedspreads.
I found one yarn stall. A man sat next to it on a small stool playing with a Rubik’s Cube knock-off. I managed to ask him if he carried natural yarns and showed him the characters for camel and mohair. He laughed. I took that as a no. I did not buy any yarn. The selection was limited and I wasn’t impressed with the colors or textures. I did find some other goodies, though. I picked up these cute nail polishes. I couldn’t resist the bottles. I paid ¥10 for both, or about $1.50 USD. The bags were ¥10 each.
At one point, it occurred to me that I was the only non-Chinese person in the entire market. It seems the market caters to neighborhood residents. Some of the vendors spoke a word or two of English but not much. It was fun listening and communicating in Chinese. Overall, a good day, despite the yarn fail.
Agujas 
those small cases are cute, though…
Aren’t they? I’m using the one on the right. It has three zippered pockets. Perfect for cash, receipts, and plastic.
COOL!
it looks incredible there! I love the paddle boats!
I would want to ride in one of the GI Joe ones.
that place must be so inspiring in so many different ways!
It is very interesting. It’s like survival of the fittest every day. Rush to catch a cab before someone else beats you to it. Forget about staying in line to get on the subway. And if you’re pregnant or old or disabled, tough luck if you don’t grab a seat on the subway before the able-bodied. It sounds bad but actually there’s a lesson there. There are so many people that you have to fight to get ahead. No complacency here.
Thank you for your very interesting reply!
It’s a lifetime experience , with its good and its bad sides and it makes you reflect on many essential things. It’s an enormous enrichment to your life and it broadens up your view on people and life in general.
Enjoy this experience as much as you can, which I’m sure you do! Sorry if this all sounds too philosophical, didn’t mean it this way.
Cheers
I love reading through your posts, you use such lovely images I can almost imagine being there with you. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you enjoy them! I worry a little about making this an all about my time in China blog vs. a knitting blog. But I like being able to capture experiences with both words and pictures.
Super cute nail varnish! Shame that there wasn’t any yarn to be had. 🙂
Well, I have a surprise for you. I hit the jackpot at the next place I tried. Stay tuned!
I always found the yarn at Tuanjiehu rather poor quality (but there’s a good dumpling restaurant just south of the park’s east gate…). Have you looked in Guo Mao? There used to be a lovely store there.
When I last lived in Beijing (2009/2010) there was also a yarn / knitting market in the north west of Beijing (毛纺城批发市场). Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll dig up some more info for you 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I will go seek out this dumpling place. I haven’t tried Guomao but I am within walking distance so I will have to scope it out. I think I found the place you are referring to in NW Beijing. Stay tuned for a future post!!
Gorgeous!
It’s a man-made park but they certainly planned it well. They even have a small area with bumper cars and other rides for the kids.
What a fantastic trip! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you are enjoying the posts.
Love the pictures!
The place photographs well.