Closing of the Yabaolu market in Beijing. Will Chinese investment come to the ports of the Far East?

The symbol of trade for foreigners in Beijing - Yabaolu - is ending its existence. Presumably, the market will stop working in November.

In connection with the closure of the Yabaolu market, a whole history of mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of wholesale and retail sales is ending. It was a 20-year history of Soviet and Russian shopping tours and fur coat tours.

Everyone has their own history of interaction with Yabaolu: the market helped some people get back on their feet in business, made some people millionaires, maybe some people went bankrupt... some people were able to buy a good fur coat for pennies.

There is no need to be upset, there is a new era ahead to which you just need to adapt!

Why did Yabaolu market close? There are several reasons...

will be liquidated, and in its place a number of “high-end industrial projects” will appear.

Source: http://ekd.me/2016/01/yabaolu/

1 reason. Convenient place for the location of the High-Tech Industry Center.

Yabaolu Street, with all its shops, is conveniently located on the second ring of the central part of the city in the Chaoyang district.

Back in 2013, Chaoyang District was chosen to carry out an important and powerful project for the capital - creating a world center for political, cultural, economic and financial exchange.

And since 2014, there has been a gradual closure of Yabaolu shopping centers. Today, the last areas and buildings included in the Yaboulu wholesale and retail market are being closed and vacated.

Already in 2017, reconstruction and construction of new modern buildings will begin according to the approved plan.

Reason 2. Relieving traffic in the city.

Another reason for the closure of the Yabaolu market is the excessive congestion of the city center with cars. According to city officials, moving retail sites to the outskirts will help reduce this problem.

Reason 3. "Made in China" is the best! New era quality of goods from China.

Launched new program China to transform consumer attitudes towards “Made in China” products from consumer goods of dubious quality to a product/service of decent quality.

Since the Yabaolu market was initially attractive as a place for the cheapest goods, and often due to cost savings in the market, especially recently, it was possible to buy low-quality goods, which in turn negatively affected the image of goods made in China. .

Where will the new Yabaolu Market be?

All wholesale and retail markets will be moved outside the capital as planned.

Wholesale center in the sixth ring area in the province Hubei are already being prepared.

An alternative wholesale trade center will be located near the city Tianjin and in Baoding. Plans for the near future include introducing high speed trains, to ensure good transport links to these points.

The most hot news For Russian entrepreneurs in Beijing today, this means the closure of shopping centers in the “Russian district” of Yabaolu. The Yabaolu market - once the most famous Chinese-Russian trading base, the largest wholesale center - will no longer delight traders and tourists flying in from all over the CIS and other countries. The symbol of trade for foreigners in Beijing will end its existence in the near future. China is moving forward, the economy is not standing still, and the Yabaolu market, opened in the 80s, is already a relic of the past.

Very soon, in place of numerous shopping centers, boutiques, stalls and markets, only the offices of logistics companies will remain.

But before, life was in full swing here and records were set: the fastest transactions, the largest number of foreign businessmen, the most expensive rent. Over the course of 20 years, 13 shopping centers were opened in Yabaolu: Zhitan World Trade Center, Tianya, Jili, Yabao, Goya, whole rows of furs and leather... the list goes on. Beijing Vice Mayor Chen Gang said that Beijing will gradually remove shopping facilities located in the city center that do not generate the necessary income. “Perestroika” will not greatly affect logistics facilities, but the “settlement” of trade will begin very soon. According to the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, one study showed that 11.6% of Beijing's population are employed in trade and trade. retail.

The work schedule for closing markets has already been clearly outlined. By the end of 2014, the largest of those that closed will be the Yabao shopping center and the Tianya shopping center. The work will be fully completed by 2016.

The relocation of wholesale and retail markets from the Chaoyang area has attracted great attention from Hebei Province, Baoding City and Tianjin. Baoding city in the sphere industrial production, development, resource provision and other obvious advantages, is a good addition to Beijing. The Chaoyang District Administration has expressed interest in cooperation with the city of Baoding and is due to visit soon to discuss cooperation on a regional scale.

Chaoyang District Secretary Cheng Lianyuan noted that the district's future work is to create a world center for political, cultural, economic and financial exchange. The current activities in the Chaoyang district do not correspond to the further development plans of the city as a whole, therefore the district administration is absolutely unchanged regarding the transfer of this site. Chaoyang District will become the main center of the high-tech industry in the future, so Cheng Lianyuan expressed his desire to negotiate with the head of Baoding on this matter.

Thus, all kinds of agreements have been signed, decrees have been issued, and in the near future Beijing promises to be transformed beyond recognition. Whether this is good or bad - time will tell, but for now all we can do is watch the decline of a grandiose place of concentration of business and trade, which for many Russian-speaking residents of the northern capital has become a part of life...

We're going to Yabaolu! On November 26, the opening of the Beijing Yabaolu Shopping Center took place in Wulanchab City, Inner Mongolia, Jining District, China. (Here is an approximate technical translation of an article from the Wulanchabu Daily newspaper) Yabaolu Shopping Center, a brilliant debut in Jining (Wulanchabu City District) Beijing Yabaolu International Trading Company is the largest and most professional company engaged in the export of clothing market in China, with more than 5000 operating enterprises, mainly deals with fur and leather products. Footwear, clothing, daily necessities and other categories of goods are exported to more than 30 countries. To meet the Yabalu integration trend, Beijing has promoted market transformation and upgrading. The city of Jining, (Ulanchab) has an excellent opportunity to host Yabaolu International Company, for this purpose all possibilities are taken into account in the market. Executive Vice President of Beijing Yabaolu International Trading Company, said that Ulanchab has unique advantages of location and transportation, leather industry, foreign trade and other aspects environment, to organize the Yaobaolu industrial market. The city is located in Inner Mongolia, at the junction of Shanxi and Hebei provinces, 300 kilometers from Beijing, 350 kilometers from the port of Tianjin, 300 kilometers from Erenhot (Erlian) station. The city is “on the path” of China’s development strategy; it is a bridgehead to the north, which is the starting point of the Silk Road, connecting the northern, northeastern, northwestern transport hub, east and west of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. highways, railways, aviation, everything connects here. Trains also pass here in the direction of Mongolia, Russia, Poland, Germany, Belgium and other EU countries. In terms of industrial development, the city has a developed leather industry, with products exported to many countries and regions. At present, the city has more than 300 leather processing enterprises and more than 20,000 processing workers, which have laid the foundation for the stable development of the leather industry. It was these unique advantages that attracted Beijing Yaobaolu International Trading Company. At the same time, the development of comprehensive policies, including rent reduction, subsidies, etc., provision of transportation, logistics and subsidies, assistance in fast customs returns, customs warehousing, marketing, etc., helps to provide domestic and foreign operators with a tangible interest in development Beijing Yabaolu market in Ulanchab (Jining). Total area of Beijing Yaobaolu 520000 square meters. Jining city covers an area of 300 hectares, a construction area of 250,000 square meters, can accommodate more than 2,000 tanneries and will help with the organization of storage, catering, office maintenance, etc., of all representative offices and enterprises of the country, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Wo Inner Mongolia, nearly 200 million consumer groups. The new Jining Mall is the largest in northern China, and is set to strongly develop its international sales radius, with an estimated annual traffic of 200 million people, with an annual sales volume of about 20 billion yuan.

“If there was no Yabaolu (Russian City) in Beijing, how would we live?” For many businessmen involved in trade between Russia and China, Yabaolu Street in Beijing is where many Russians who have moved to Beijing live. When Russian tourists or businessmen come to this street, it seems as if they are back in Russia. Yabaolu Street is also popular as Beijing's main Tiananmen Square, even though Yabaolu is just a wholesale street market. In 1980, a street was organized trading platform, which annually hosted buyers and businessmen from more than 30 countries. Gradually, for foreign businessmen, Yabaolu became Beijing's window into outside world, Russian-Chinese trade especially flourished. However, with the onset of the financial crisis, Yabaolu's thriving trade began to fade. Over the past 30 years, Yabaolu Street has not only left a lot of stories and legends about itself, but has also witnessed the development of Russian-Chinese trade relations.

There are fewer Russian speculators

For the last 20 years, Yabaolu Street has attracted foreign tourists from the CIS countries and businessmen like a magnet. The Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta thus described the attractive power of Yabaolu Street. The name "Russiatown" or "Russian City" appears in many foreign media. Businessmen come here to earn money, Russian students studying in China come here to feel at home. Student Andrey came to Beijing six years ago to get higher education in China. Andrey wrote an article in which he said that in Yabaolu you can try real Russian cuisine, there are Russian clubs, and on weekends meetings of Russians living in Beijing are held here; There are Russian people everywhere, in general the Russian atmosphere is felt throughout the entire street. Andrey wrote: “Yabaolu Street in Beijing is, in fact, little Russia. For Russians living in Beijing, this is one of the most important places in the city.”

However, a Huangqiu Shibao reporter recently visited Yabaolu Street in Beijing. It seemed to him that the street and the shops on it looked quite deserted. Fur shop owner Ms. Zhao said sales are now down sharply. She owns a fairly high-end store and sells fur coats starting at $800. She said: “Now, due to the crisis and the depreciation of the ruble, the purchasing power of Russians has greatly decreased.” Moreover, a Huangqiu Shibao reporter noticed that construction work is currently underway in one of the large shopping centers. He asked the workers why they were rebuilding the new shopping center. To which the worker replied that the shopping center was being converted into an office building, and added that all the hotels in which Russians previously liked to stay on Yabaolu would be converted into administrative buildings.

Lilia came to Beijing 12 years ago to study Chinese. She says Beijing has become her home over the years. She opened her own store in Yabaolu, where she sells down jackets. 10 years ago I married a Chinese man, and a few years later they had a son. Liliya told our reporter in fluent Chinese: “I am very glad that in Beijing there is such a street as Yabaolu, a ‘Russian city’.” I can trade here and am in a very advantageous position. Although trade has decreased significantly over the past few years, I still intend to continue doing business, as I believe that trade relations between Russia and China will only flourish. Now, of course, there are small changes that need to be adjusted to at the right time.”

Mr. Yue, riding a three-wheeled rickshaw in Yabaolu, got tanned in the sun while waiting for a guest. Sometimes they even say hello in Russian. Yue told the Huangqiu Shibao reporter that he remembers the name of every Russian businessman who came to Yabaolu Street, and quite a few of them were good friends with Mr. Yue. This year it will be 20 years since Yue has lived on this street. His house is located in a hutong next to the “Russian City”. Mr. Yue said: “I remember from 1992 to the 2000s, Russian Town was at the peak of its prosperity. Yabaolu Street was filled with wholesalers from Russia. They hired workers to load the purchased goods. The entrance to the shopping arcades was crowded with cars helping them remove purchased utensils. I saw one Russian woman who bought 100 thousand pairs of slippers.” Then, in addition to the Russians, citizens of the CIS began to come to Yabaolu Street, Mr. Yue did not even have time to rest. Chinese businessmen and rickshaw drivers are accustomed to calling Russians “hairy,” and calling other foreigners “black-haired.” Speaking about trade over the past few years, Yue said: “My salary has dropped by 70%, so fewer and fewer Russians are coming here. In addition, businessmen from Ukraine, Azerbaijan and other countries also began to come to Russian City less often.”

During Yabaolu Street's most prosperous period, annual financial flows reached 30 billion yuan. At that time, each store had a Russian translator on staff. A university friend of the “Huangqiu Shibao” reporter worked as a Russian translator on Yabaolu Street in the 1990s, earned more than a million yuan in a year and immediately bought himself a large apartment. In 2008, the global financial crisis occurred, purchasing power in Russia decreased, so trade in the “Russian City” fell sharply. Singapore newspaper The Straits Times reported in 2009 that 30% of the shops on Yabaolu had gone bankrupt. Russian government banned “gray customs clearance”, closing the possibility of making money through Yabaolu Street.

A piece of Russia can be found in #Yabaolu, #Beijing"s #Russiatown, with numerous freight companies. #ylemaailmalla pic.twitter.com/dBQqruJzB1

If we talk about the reasons why there are fewer Russians in Yabaolu, Zhangsun, an employee of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as well as the secretary of the research center of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), told the Huangqiu Shibao reporter: “Now more and more Russian businessmen prefer to travel to where production directly, for example, in the province of Guangzhou and others, and not in Beijing, and buy goods through intermediaries.” In addition, preferential policies are being implemented at many northern customs points to stimulate Russian-Chinese trade. Because of this, many businessmen like to shop in border areas.

Yabaolu Street through the eyes of Russian media

On May 17, the Russian resource “Moscow-Beijing” published an article entitled “If there were no Yabaolu Street, how would we live?” This article tells the story of wholesale and retail trade in "Russian Town" in Beijing and how the street ceases to exist. The article says that Yabaolu Street is as recognizable as Tiananmen. Nowadays, on Yabaolu Street you are more likely to find tipsy Russians than businessmen carrying heavy bags of goods. Statistics show that in 2015, trade turnover in the “Russian City” reached 30 million yuan. On the Russian market Chinese goods occupy approximately 80%. The shopping arcades on Yabaolu Street will soon close, but experts believe online shopping will only flourish.

According to conservative estimates by Russian media, at the moment About 70 thousand Russians live in Beijing. Sun Zhuangzhi believes that mainly Russians live in China and study at higher education institutions. educational institutions, or those who do business with China. Russians prefer to settle in large cities such as Beijing. Shanghai, Harbin, Sanya and so on. Russian food, drinks and life are very different from Chinese ones. For example, Russians love alcohol, baths, and besides, Russian culture is very different from Chinese. In general, in Beijing and other cities, Russians, like other foreigners, keep themselves quite apart from the Chinese.

Russian media, due to the fact that Yabaolu will soon disappear, began to talk quite often about the fate of this street. Website e-mm. ru at the beginning of the year announced that Yabaolu could become a starting point in the “Great Silk Road”, which will connect the northeast and southwest. RIA Novosti published an article entitled “The Russian Yabaolu shopping district will be liquidated in Beijing by the end of the year.” The Russian Sputnik reported on February 26 that the Yabaolu market, beloved by tourists, will soon disappear from the city map. In 2015, Beijing announced that the "Russian City" in Beijing had fulfilled its purpose. Every year, Yabaolu hosted many businessmen from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and also provided jobs for thousands of Chinese. However, the economic rise of Yabaolu brought many problems, for example, the roads in the vicinity of the shopping street were very crowded with businessmen's cars and trucks. The Russian agency Sputnik spoke about “New Yabaolu”. The street is located 300 km from Beijing, near the Ulan Tsab checkpoint in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In Ulaan Tsab, three years ago, infrastructure for foreign trade was built: tall buildings, shopping centers, offices, hotels, railway station, airport. In the future, Ulan Tsab will be able to adequately replace Yabaolu Street, which is beloved in Beijing.

Yabaolu is an eyewitness to the development of trade between Russia and China

Businessman from Russia Vitaly was one of the first to start trading and transporting goods on Yabaolu Street in the 1990s. Currently he is doing business in Moscow. The entrepreneur told the Huangqiu Shibao reporter: “In those years, I made my first profit from Yabaolu, it was an unforgettable experience, but everything comes to an end. Now you can successfully run a business without leaving Moscow. I know that trade in the “Russian City” is not going well right now. Most likely, this is due to the economic crisis, Western sanctions, oil prices, the fall of the ruble, all together this has led to the fact that prices for goods have risen. In addition, now a lot of Chinese enterprises have a representative office in Moscow. Given the fast technical progress, e-commerce directly connects the consumer and the supplier, there are no problems with transportation. Therefore, I believe that Yabaolu can no longer be a center of Russian-Chinese trade.”

#Beijing Yabaolu Market will be transformed into an area for enterprises of cultural and creative industry, education and services in 2017. pic.twitter.com/XOUiZrDwOy

Ms. Zhao told a Huangqiu Shibao reporter: “It is clear that trade is developing now, so many companies are using the Internet to access Russian market. You need to keep up with the times, especially in business.”

“Trade between Russia and China is now conducted at the level of international companies, and not with street speculators.” Sun Zhuangzhi believes that although trade on Yabaolu is gradually ending, Russian-Chinese trade relations will reach a higher level in the future. He believes that Russians came to China to buy clothes, household goods, and so on, because heavy industry was more developed in Russia, rather than light industry.

In China, the following Russian products currently occupy a special place: dairy products, flour, agricultural products and, of course, energy resources. In the future, Russia may import more Chinese electronics and high-tech products. Sun Zhuangzhi believes that such changes will benefit Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of trade. At the same time for recent years Cultural exchange between the two countries has increased significantly. Russian second-year student at Beijing University of Science and Technology information technology told our journalist: “After finishing my studies, I want to stay in China to look for work. Russian-Chinese relations are currently at a very high level. In China it is very easy to get a job with knowledge of Chinese and Russian.”

“If there were no Yabaolu (Russian City) in Beijing, how would we live?” For many businessmen involved in trade between Russia and China, Yabaolu Street in Beijing is where many Russians who have moved to Beijing live. When Russian tourists or businessmen come to this street, it seems as if they are back in Russia. Yabaolu Street is also popular as Beijing's main Tiananmen Square, even though Yabaolu is just a wholesale street market. In 1980, a trading platform was organized on the street, annually welcoming buyers and businessmen from more than 30 countries. Gradually, for foreign businessmen, Yabaolu became Beijing's window to the outside world, and Russian-Chinese trade especially flourished. However, with the onset of the financial crisis, Yabaolu's thriving trade began to fade. Over the past 30 years, Yabaolu Street has not only left a lot of stories and legends about itself, but has also witnessed the development of Russian-Chinese trade relations.

There are fewer Russian speculators

For the last 20 years, Yabaolu Street has attracted foreign tourists from the CIS countries and businessmen like a magnet. The Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta thus described the attractive power of Yabaolu Street. The name "Russiatown" or "Russian City" appears in many foreign media. Businessmen come here to earn money, Russian students studying in China come here to feel at home. Student Andrey came to Beijing six years ago to receive higher education in China. Andrey wrote an article in which he said that in Yabaolu you can try real Russian cuisine, there are Russian clubs, and on weekends meetings of Russians living in Beijing are held here; There are Russian people everywhere, in general the Russian atmosphere is felt throughout the entire street. Andrey wrote: “Yabaolu Street in Beijing is, in fact, little Russia. For Russians living in Beijing, this is one of the most important places in the city.”

Context

Putin's "ice cream diplomacy"

The Paper 05/29/2017

Will Chinese investment come to the ports of the Far East?

Carnegie Moscow Center 07/02/2017

Russia and China promote their version of peace

Süddeutsche Zeitung 07/12/2017 However, the Huangqiu Shibao reporter recently visited Yabaolu Street in Beijing. It seemed to him that the street and the shops on it looked quite deserted. Fur shop owner Ms. Zhao said sales are now down sharply. She owns a fairly high-end store and sells fur coats starting at $800. She said: “Now, due to the crisis and the depreciation of the ruble, the purchasing power of Russians has greatly decreased.” Moreover, a Huangqiu Shibao reporter noticed that construction work is currently underway in one of the large shopping centers. He asked the workers why they were rebuilding the new shopping center. To which the worker replied that the shopping center was being converted into an office building, and added that all the hotels in which Russians previously liked to stay on Yabaolu would be converted into administrative buildings.

During Yabaolu Street's most prosperous period, annual financial flows reached 30 billion yuan. At that time, each store had a Russian translator on staff. A university friend of the “Huangqiu Shibao” reporter worked as a Russian translator on Yabaolu Street in the 1990s, earned more than a million yuan in a year and immediately bought himself a large apartment. In 2008, the global financial crisis occurred, purchasing power in Russia decreased, so trade in the “Russian City” fell sharply. Singapore newspaper The Straits Times reported in 2009 that 30% of the shops on Yabaolu had gone bankrupt. The Russian government has banned “gray customs clearance,” closing the possibility of making money through Yabaolu Street.

Yabaolu Street through the eyes of Russian media

On May 17, the Russian resource “Moscow-Beijing” published an article entitled “If there were no Yabaolu Street, how would we live?” This article tells the story of wholesale and retail trade in "Russian Town" in Beijing and how the street ceases to exist. The article says that Yabaolu Street is as recognizable as Tiananmen. Nowadays, on Yabaolu Street you are more likely to find tipsy Russians than businessmen carrying heavy bags of goods. Statistics show that in 2015, trade turnover in the “Russian City” reached 30 million yuan. Chinese goods occupy approximately 80% of the Russian market. The shopping arcades on Yabaolu Street will soon close, but experts believe online shopping will only flourish.

According to conservative estimates by Russian media, about 70 thousand Russians currently live in Beijing. Sun Zhuangzhi believes that mainly Russians live in China who study at higher educational institutions, or those who do business with China. Russians prefer to settle in large cities such as Beijing. Shanghai, Harbin, Sanya and so on. Russian food, drinks and life are very different from Chinese ones. For example, Russians love alcohol, baths, and besides, Russian culture is very different from Chinese. In general, in Beijing and other cities, Russians, like other foreigners, keep themselves quite apart from the Chinese.

Russian media, due to the fact that Yabaolu will soon disappear, began to talk quite often about the fate of this street. Website e-mm. ru at the beginning of the year announced that Yabaolu could become a starting point in the “Great Silk Road”, which will connect the northeast and southwest. RIA Novosti published an article entitled “The Russian Yabaolu shopping district will be liquidated in Beijing by the end of the year.” The Russian Sputnik reported on February 26 that the Yabaolu market, beloved by tourists, will soon disappear from the city map. In 2015, Beijing announced that the "Russian City" in Beijing had fulfilled its purpose. Every year, Yabaolu hosted many businessmen from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and also provided jobs for thousands of Chinese. However, the economic rise of Yabaolu brought many problems, for example, the roads in the vicinity of the shopping street were very crowded with businessmen's cars and trucks. The Russian agency Sputnik spoke about “New Yabaolu”. The street is located 300 km from Beijing, near the Ulan Tsab checkpoint in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In Ulaan Tsab, three years ago, an infrastructure was built for foreign trade: tall buildings, shopping centers, offices, hotels, a railway station, and an airport. In the future, Ulan Tsab will be able to adequately replace Yabaolu Street, which is beloved in Beijing.

Yabaolu is an eyewitness to the development of trade between Russia and China

Businessman from Russia Vitaly was one of the first to start trading and transporting goods on Yabaolu Street in the 1990s. Currently he is doing business in Moscow. The entrepreneur told the Huangqiu Shibao reporter: “In those years, I made my first profit from Yabaolu, it was an unforgettable experience, but everything comes to an end. Now you can successfully run a business without leaving Moscow. I know that trade in the “Russian City” is not going well right now. Most likely, this is due to the economic crisis, Western sanctions, oil prices, the fall of the ruble, all together this has led to the fact that prices for goods have risen. In addition, now a lot of Chinese enterprises have a representative office in Moscow. Considering the rapid technological progress, e-commerce directly connects the consumer and the supplier, there are no problems with transportation. Therefore, I believe that Yabaolu can no longer be a center of Russian-Chinese trade.”

Ms. Zhao told a Huangqiu Shibao reporter: “It is clear that trade is developing now, so many companies are entering the Russian market using the Internet. You need to keep up with the times, especially in business.”

In China, the following Russian products currently occupy a special place: dairy products, flour, agricultural products and, of course, energy resources. In the future, Russia may import more Chinese electronics and high-tech products. Sun Zhuangzhi believes that such changes will benefit Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of trade. At the same time, cultural exchange between the two countries has increased significantly in recent years. A Russian second-year student at Beijing University of Science and Information Technology told our journalist: “After finishing my studies, I want to stay in China to look for work. Russian-Chinese relations are currently at a very high level. In China it is very easy to get a job with knowledge of Chinese and Russian.”

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.