Hi again - thought I would post these pics of the Hongqiao market pearl floor - I was there for 7 hours on one day - wish I had had a second day to visit!
There are 3 main aisles like this in the main section of the floor - then it goes around the corner a bit too! More "major" traders are around the perimeter in more permanent/high end looking shops. Each of these stalls looks like this - remember that all the cupboards and under the countertops are jam-packed with MORE PEARLS!
You definitely need as much time as you can possibly get! Most of the businesses have at least a few staff members with reasonable English - sometimes better, sometimes worse, but for the most part, you can manage to buy here quite comfortably without any need to speak Mandarin. Hopefully some more of the forum members may get the opportunity to visit sometime.