Beijing Hongqiao Market is located in the south central area of Beijing city, just to the east of the Temple of Heaven. It is an indoor mall with a seafood market in the basement and measures 3 stories tall.

Hongqiao Market is the largest collection and distribution center of pearls in Northern China, therefore, foreign visitors have coined it the “Pearl Market”. It is definitely a “must see” for pearl lovers while in Beijing.

Pearls are mainly sold on the third floor in this multi-story building. Here, you can talk and bargain with the vendors in English. Hongqiao Market is filled mainly with cheap electronic goods like portable CD players, VCD players, camcorders, batteries, sunglasses, electronics and household phones.

Even thermos flasks and tea jars can be found here. Our advice is to consider alternative markets for certain items and do not expect quality. If you are planning to buy something like a camcorder, it is better to buy at Wangfujing and Xidan shopping street. If you are only looking for a CD player or camera, cheap MP3 player, boom box, electronic dictionary and clocks, Hong Qiao is not a bad option.

The items for sale at Hongqiao Market are geared towards non-name brand-loving shoppers and tend to be from real “no-name” Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai companies. The quality does not look good but at the prices they’re selling for, does it matter if it lasts just 6 months?

You could often buy 10 of the items in question for the price of one real name brand in a Hongqiao department store.

Beijing Hongqiao Market Shopping Guide

Hongqiao Market Floor 1: Electronics (like watches, MP3, Cameras, Razors)

Hongqiao Market Floor 2: Clothes, Hats and Bags.

Hongqiao Market Floor 3: Antiques, Posters and Pearls. Hongqiao Market Floor 4 & 5: Pearls.

Address: No.46, Tiantan Dong Lu, Chongwen District

Traffic: By bus: 6, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 43, 60, 106, 116, 723, 743, 821 (get off at Fahuasi Stop)