Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SHOPPING
HÓNGQIÁO (PEARL) MARKET
( Hóngqiáo Shìchǎng; 6711 7429; 36 Hongqiao Lu, 9am-7pm; Tiantandongmen)
Besides a cosmos of
clutter (shoes, clothing, electronics and lots and lots of handbags), Hóngqiáo 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,
pricier pearls can be found on the far more hushed 4th and 5th floors, where there's a roof
terrace that offers an excellent view of the Temple of Heaven. Prices are generally high,
while the vendors, who all speak some English, are canny bargainers. If you have kids in
in the building behind, stuffed to the gills with soft toys, cars, model kits, Wii sets, PlaySta-
tions and computer games.
|MARKET
