Stallholders bid farewell to capital

Closure of popular zoo markets aims to reduce traffic, improve regional integration

A once popular market area near the Beijing Zoo closes on Thursday, bringing an end to the must-go destination.

Jinkai Lide International Garment Market, accommodating 2,600 businesses in a building of 38,000 square meters, followed six other markets relocated to ease traffic congestion in the notoriously crowded area near the zoo.

The shops stopped selling goods on Wednesday and customers swarmed to buy items in clearance sales. Signs such as “10 yuan for a pair of shoes” were everywhere.

During the last week, store owners made every possible effort to reduce losses by selling goods at very low prices. Some shoppers even carried suitcases on their shopping spree.

Shop owners were compensated depending on the size of their shop. Xicheng district has been working with Tianjin and Hebei province to find shop owners a better place that offers favorable policies on rent, taxes and education for children.

“I will see if it’s possible to earn a profit in Tianjin because a new market needs at least three years to mature,” said an owner who asked to be named as Xiao Li.

The markets near the zoo also symbolize a time before online shopping gained overwhelming popularity across the country, said Jiang Yue, a 31-year-old human resources employee in Beijing, who graduated from Peking University six years ago.

Jinkai Lide once attracted thousands of college students from around the capital, wanting to dig out reasonably priced but fashionable clothes and shoes.

“Back in college, my roommates and I found lots of cheap stuff that we could afford. Smart shoppers could find pretty items at a low cost,” said Jiang, who didn’t hesitate to go to the market for the appropriate shirts, coats and suits before taking job interviews. She pretended to be a wholesaler by carrying a black plastic bag, resembling real wholesalers, to get a better price.

“The bag would mislead store owners into giving the minimum price for wholesalers. If you want only one or two pieces, the price would double or triple,” said Jiang.

For residents and small businesses, the markets offered good deals too.

Wang Xiaoliang, 56, runs a store in Chaoyang district and made her third visit to the market on Wednesday to buy bed linen for 60 yuan ($9.25) each that she can sell for at least 150 yuan at her store.

“I had to buy more items for my store every day. Even though the traffic was challenging my patience, the prices were always attractive,” Wang said.

Regarded as the largest trading center for clothes and shoes in North China, the market area near the Beijing Zoo contributed more than 60 million yuan in taxes annually for the district government.

However, the district had to spend at least 100 million yuan on upgrading amenities, and the large number of visitors caused problems such as traffic jams.

In February last year, a massive plan was released to relocate the markets to Tianjin and Hebei for an integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, supported by the country’s top leadership.

The number of visitors to the area was reduced to about 10,000 per day last year from 50,000 per day in 2014, apparently easing traffic jams after six markets were closed.

By the end of this year, the last two markets, Shiji Tianle and Dongding Shangcheng, will be closed, meaning an end to all markets in the area.

By then, 30,000 people engaged in the industry will also have moved out of town and the market area will only be a memory.

PHOTOS BY FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY Above: A vendor (center) at the Jinkai Lide International Garment Market sells his goods at very low prices on Tuesday. Left: Stragglers prepare to leave the market, which closes on Thursday.