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By Tina
August 17, 2026

Shopping in China is something you just have to do... We all know that, and Beijing is one of those places where you might end up heading home with quite a bit more than you bargained for.
One of the classics is the Pearl Market in Beijing, which is a huge market located next to the Temple of Heaven. In this market, pearls are just the beginning. Across its floors, you will find jewellery, silk, clothing, accessories and all kinds of souvenirs, haggling included.
In this Trip.com guide, we’ll tell you what’s worth buying, how much to pay, how to get there, and share some tips for navigating the Hongqiao Market without ending up buying the first thing you see.
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The Beijing Pearl Market is at 9 Tiantan Road, Dongcheng District, just to the east of the Temple of Heaven. In other words, it's very easy to combine both visits into the same morning or afternoon. If you're looking for how to get to the Beijing Pearl Market, the metro is usually the most convenient option, although you can also hop in a taxi or use Didi (China's equivalent to Uber).
🚇 Getting here / transport | 📍 How to get there | ⏱️ Approx. time |
🚇 Metro | Take Line 5 to Tiantan Dongmen (天坛东门). From there, the market is just a few minutes' walk away. | 5-10 min walk from the station |
Exit through the east gate and cross over towards Tiantan Road. | 5-10 min walk | |
🛍️ Wangfujing | Metro with a connection to line 5, getting off at Tiantan Dongmen. | 25-35 mins |
🏮 Qianmen | Metro with a transfer to line 5. | 25-35 mins |
Walk to a nearby station and continue by metro to Tiantan Dongmen. | 35-45 mins | |
🚕 Taxi / Didi | Set Hongqiao Market (红桥市场) as your destination. It’s the most convenient option if you’re carrying bags or travelling in a group. | 15-30 min from the centre |
📍 Beijing Pearl Market address: 9 Tiantan Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing

The Beijing Pearl Market has quite long opening hours, so there's no need to plan your whole day around it. Even so, choosing the right time makes a big difference, especially if you want to browse the stalls and haggle without so many people around.
Pearls and jewellery are the star buys at the Beijing Pearl Market. However, the Hongqiao Market is much bigger than it looks from the outside, and you will also find silk, clothing, bags, jade, tea sets and practically any souvenir you can imagine. It’s all about knowing where it’s worth stopping.

This is the part that makes it worth coming. The upper floors are home to many of the shops specialising in freshwater and saltwater pearls, with pieces ranging from simple earrings to much higher-quality necklaces.
Among the things you can find:

Another quite entertaining part of this market is the textile and accessories stalls. Here, you really need to take a good look before buying, as the quality can vary significantly from one shop to the next.
🛍️ Product | 💴 Approximate price | 💷 Approximately |
🧣 Simple scarf | ¥30-80 | £3-7 |
🪡 Higher quality silk scarf | ¥100-300+ | £10-28+ |
👘 Traditional-style garment | ¥100-400 | £10-36 |
👕 Clothing and t-shirts | ¥40-150 | £4-14 |
👜 Bags and accessories | ¥80-300+ | £8-28+ |
Silk scarves are probably the most interesting purchase in this category: they’re lightweight, fit into any corner of your suitcase, and make for a great gift. Mind you, always ask about the composition. Just because something looks silky doesn’t necessarily mean it’s 100% silk.
It’s a similar story with clothes, bags and suitcases. There’s plenty to choose from, but these are products that are easy to find in other markets and shopping centres in Beijing, so there’s no need to buy them here at all costs.

Got room left in your suitcase? If so, this part can be dangerous. The market is full of little Beijing souvenirs that start off costing very little and end up turning into five different gifts.
Some practical purchases include:

Haggling at the Pearl Market in Beijing is quite common. Don't automatically accept the first price: look at the same product in several stalls, make a counter-offer and negotiate calmly. There's also no such thing as always offering a specific percentage, because the margin changes depending on the shop and what you are buying.
And don't be afraid to walk away if the price isn't right for you. It's all part of the game, and in fact, the seller might just make you one last offer before you leave.

When buying pearls in Beijing, pay particular attention to the lustre, surface, and shape. Pieces with an intense reflection, few imperfections, and a round shape usually have a higher value. For necklaces, it is also worth checking that the pearls are uniform in size and colour.
Mind you, these tips aren't enough to prove that a pearl is genuine. For expensive purchases in this market, compare several jewellers, ask whether they are freshwater or saltwater, and request a certificate where appropriate.

To pay at the Pearl Market in Beijing, the most practical option is to have Alipay set up on your phone. Tourists can link certain international cards to the app and pay by scanning the vendor's QR code, just like in most of China.
WeChat Pay is another widely used option that also allows you to link compatible international cards. Even so, it's worth carrying some cash in yuan (RMB) just in case a small stall prefers it.
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Both are among the best-known Beijing markets for tourists, but it’s not worth treating them as if they were exactly the same. The Pearl Market wins for jewellery and gifts, while the Beijing Silk Market offers more variety for those who simply want to spend a few hours shopping.
🛍️ Appearance | 💎 Pearl Market | 🧣 Silk Market |
⭐ Speciality | Pearls and jewellery | Clothing and accessories |
🎁 Souvenirs | Lots of variety | Lots of variety |
🧣 Silk | Available | Greater prominence |
🤝 Haggling | A common sight at many stalls | A common sight at many stalls |
📍 Nearby | Temple of Heaven | Jianguomen |
🛍️ Perfect for | Jewellery, pearls and gifts | Clothing and varied shopping |
Although both always appear among the best markets in Beijing for shopping, each one has its own speciality.

One of the great advantages of the Beijing Pearl Market is its location, right next to the Temple of Heaven. So it makes little sense to do both visits separately.
The most practical approach is to visit the Temple of Heaven in the morning, when there are fewer crowds and the temperatures are usually more pleasant. Afterwards, head out via the East Gate area and you'll be at the Pearl Market in just a 5-10 minute walk. You can allow about 2-3 hours for the Temple of Heaven and another 1-2 hours for the Pearl Market.
Yes, especially if you're already planning to visit the Temple of Heaven. It's so close that it's worth setting aside an hour to pop in, have a look around, and pick up a souvenir from Beijing.
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Pearl Market in Beijing