Beijing Zoo Wholesale Market to be relocated by 2016

A part of the Beijing Zoo wholesale market. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Beijing will relocate a number of large-scale markets, including the iconic Beijing Zoo Wholesale Market, from its downtown area amid efforts to focus on the city's role as capital and integration with neighboring regions.

The Beijing Zoo Wholesale Market will be relocated by the end of next year to help reduce traffic congestion and population density, Beijing Times reported.

An agreement has been reached with Hebei authorities for the market to move to a location inside the province, which surrounds Beijing, according to the Xicheng district government.

In terms of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei industrial development strategies, Hebei province, as a national commerce logistics base, will become a zone for developed commodity markets.

The Beijing Zoo market was built in the mid-1980s and is a popular shopping hub, attracting nearly 100,000 customers daily.

Xicheng's district government said a directorate will be established to arrange for the relocation of stalls and to appoint primary units responsible for the move.

More than 60 percent of stalls at the Beijing Zoo market will be closed by the end of 2015, authorities said.

Other wholesale markets, including the ones at Wantong and Tianyi, are also expected to move out of central Beijing by 2017.

Tianhaocheng has became the first market to shut its doors. The empty building will now be renovated into a space for tech business incubators, according to officials.

A work unit will be created to take care of markets across Beijing and provide on-site consultation regarding policies and legal issues.

Experts said the rapid development of e-commerce has impacted the traditional clothing and small commodity wholesale markets, which need to move to lower-tier cities outside Beijing.