The photo of Perfume Bottles are actually Snuff Bottles.

The market that Chris is referring to is not The Silk Street Market ,it’s The ‘Pearl’ Market, an indoor multi level market consisting of fresh fish in the basement,a cheap Electronics/watches level, a Clothing/shoes/baggage level and a Semi-precious stone/Pearl/Amber/jewelry and China ware level.
This is the market where Bush,Clinton and other famous people and myself purchase their Pearls.
The Pearl Market is well known for the best quality and prices for pearls in Beijing.
The Silk Road/Street Market is an open outdoor market consisting of several rows of tent like permanent booths,very crowded and a good place to freeze your buns off while shopping in the winter !
I hated the extremely cold winters but loved the people,experience and wealth of history while living in Beijing.

M.

I’ve never been there tho. And I only knew it as “秀水街(Xiu Shui Street)”, and heard a lot about it from some of my foreign friends in Beijing, and learnt the English version “Silk Street” from you. Interesting that foreigners in Beijing all speak better Mandarin than I do!?

It’s the right place, I assume, for those that enjoy “vogue” at a much lower cost, bargaining with shop keepers(NOT the employees). Then with some careful study of the article you look for; with an eye wide open but the other half closed; through “contests of wits”, you succeed! Oh yes, you have to speak English or Mandarin. Almost everyone there can speak two foreign languages.

I think someone do enjoy shopping that way, that’s probably why a lot westerners choose to visit it second to Wangfujing, where the Oriental Plaza is totally a different place.