Silk Street Pearl Market

There is no way for you to miss Silk Street Pearl Market if you come to Beijing. It is the most well known Chinese international tourism and shopping market, in terms of tourism in Beijing, perhaps as famous as the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Note this place has a few aliases including Silk Market, Silk Street Market or Xiushui Market, but they are all the same thing.

As the earliest free market and most famous business brand, Silk Street has more than 30 years history. There are nearly 2,000 stalls spread over the six floors selling goods such as silk, pearls, porcelain, tea, handicrafts, jewelry, toys, curios, traditional crafts, and of course, clothes.

Ruifuixiang Silk, Wuyutai Teashop, Tongrentang, Qianxiangyi Silk, Sheng Xifu Headwear and others togethering 19 old and famous shops settled in, making Silk Street the most traditional culture featured market.

Hundreds of foreign dignitaries star, such as Former U.S. president George Bush, Madame Roger, President of Finland, President of Bulgaria, and countless international sports, such as Phelps, Isinbayeva, Scola, Ginobili has already visited the Silk Street.

The mall has a reputation for a knock-off, copy and counterfeit goods and over the years both the government and the trademark holders have tried to crack down on this. Regardless it still popular with those looking to buy designer copy clothes and shoes. In recent times the mall has undergone some changes, now featuring more higher value items and fewer copy goods. Perhaps losing some of its original character and becoming more like a mall.

Also remember, you need to haggle. You might be shocked that the first price you get quoted can actually be more than you would pay in the west, so haggle your way down to below half that! The trick with haggling is to always keep good-humored, ignore the stall owner when the try to play angry or upset and just always keep smiling and haggling, and walking away as when you walk away is when they’ll often become more agreeable.

Also, note its cash only, nobody accepts cards although there are ATM’s here.

Also, for some, this market can be stressful as the stall owners are quite pro-active in their sales approach. It’s impossible to walk past a store without being hearing ‘looking, looking, what you want…?’ or even getting friendly pulled into the stall by the elbow. Don’t take any of it too seriously, just keep smiling and laughing.

The big attraction here is the variety, all in one easy location. And, if you can haggle, you’ll probably get something you like at a price that you’ll be surely telling your friends about. If you enjoy shopping you could easily spend half a day here.

Floor Guide

What can you get there:  jewelry, cosmetics, household goods, fashion clothes, watches, office supplies, electronic goods and much more.

Open Hours: Daily 9 am – 9 pm

Nearby Hotel Pick: The top hotel near the Silk Market is the four-star Jianguo Hotel

How to get there: About 200 meters away from Yong’anli Station on Line 1 (take exit A1 or B)

Chinese Name: 新秀水街商厦

Address:  Num 8, Xiushui East Street, Chaoyang District. 地址: 朝阳区秀水东街8号

Map – inc. the top hotels near Silk Market Beijing