Beijing zoo wholesale market closes down after 18 years of operation

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Zhonghe wholesale clothing market at the iconic Beijing Zoo area is closing down on Sunday, after 18 years of operation.

Occupying 8,800 square meters with more than 600 stalls and about 2,000 vendors and staffers, the market is famous for selling Korean style clothes.

Photo from China News Service

Big sales were seen at the market days before its official closing on July 30.

The massive wholesale market in downtown Beijing used to be comprised of 12 markets, a famous place to buy cheap clothes and enjoy the pleasure of bargain at the same time.

Photo from Beijing News

However, in the wake of Beijing’s plan to cut population and upgrade its urban amenities in recent years, big wholesale markets around the city have been a target.

Only three markets are still existing at the Beijing Zoo area, which are expected to permanently shut down by the end of this year.

Photo from people.cn

Parts of the vendors, mainly migrants from across the country, are relocated to neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province.

According to reports, some of the empty buildings will be renovated as tech business incubators.

Photo from Beijing Evening News

The Chinese capital has unleashed a series of measures to curb population increase in recent years.

Home to around 21.7 million people in 2016, Beijing plans to cap population at 23 million as of 2020, an increase of roughly 5.5 percent in five years.

At the same time, two million people in the city center are expected to be moved to suburban districts, along with government organs, companies, and large logistic bases.

Beijing is also on track to be highly integrated with neighboring cities and provinces for coordinated development.