Běijīng Shopping

Hongqiao (Pearl) Market

#60 of 516 things to do in Běijīng

#158 of 2812 shopping in Asia

2 reviews | Write a review

Good for: clothes, haggling

Not good for: Calm

  • Address
    • 36 Hongqiao Lu
  • Transport
    • Tiantandongmen
  • Phone
    • 010 6711 7429
  • Hours
    • 9am-7pm

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Lonely Planet review for Hongqiao (Pearl) Market

Besides a cosmos of clutter (shoes, clothing, electronics and lots and lots of handbags), Hongqiao is home to more pearls than the South Sea. The range is huge – freshwater, seawater, white and black pearls – and prices vary incredibly depending on quality. The 3rd floor has the cheaper ones, mostly sourced from Zhèjiāng province, as well as standard jewellery. The better-quality, more pricy pearls can be found on the 4th and 5th floors, where there’s a roof terrace that offers a view of the Temple of Heaven. Prices are generally high, while the vendors, who often speak some English, are canny bargainers. If you have kids, don’t miss the Kids Toys Market in the building behind, stuffed to the gills with soft toys, cars, model kits, Wii sets, Playstations and computer games.

 

Traveller reviews for Hongqiao (Pearl) Market (2)

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    Possibly my favourite market in Beijing!

    raisunshine recommends this,

    I was at Hongqiao about a month and a half ago- and while i was also grabbed by a somewhat aggressive handbag sales girl, thats just how it is sometimes to be a foriegner in these places. Rather than being intimidated firmly tell them "buyao"(dont want), or "bu wo bu yao" (no, i dont want it) and walk on. The more Chinese you speak the better off you are =) and in regards to the quality of goods, its important to inspect what you are purchasing before handing over the money: i.e check zippers, stitiching, buttons etc.

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    The shopkeepers kind of ruined it.

    alh728 does not recommend this,

    There were several stories, each of which all sold certain types of things. All the shopkeepers, though, were extremely aggressive. Not only yelling at you and trying to shove things in your face, but also physically grabbing you and trying to pull you into their shop. You can't just look at stuff yourself. The whole time it's "Do you like this? How about this? Want to try this on? How about another one?". And then of course you have to haggle. Besides obviously pearl, the other common products were fake Ugg boots, tee shirts, and scarves. It was kind of overwhelming and frustrating but someone who enjoys the atmosphere of markets like this and thinks haggling is fun would have a good time. Also, my roommate bought a wallet there and it broke before we even left. They let her exchange, but still- know that a lot of the products are very very cheaply made.

    Good for: clothes, haggling

    Not good for: Calm

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