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Beijing's new courtyard-style shopping complex marks successful opening(Xinhua) 09:56, May 29, 2025
BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) -- A newly-opened shopping complex in Beijing has received an extraordinary influx of visitors, boosting morale in the offline commerce sector that has long been overshadowed by the country's e-commerce bonanza.
Dajixiang, located in the Xicheng District, is among the few shopping complexes that opened in recent years in downtown Beijing, where space for new commercial projects is scarce.
With a floor area of 360,000 square meters, the new shopping complex drew in more than 200,000 visitors on its opening day, which fell on Sunday, according to district authorities.
Large crowds of visitors and long queues outside chic restaurants and cafés were observed during dinner time on day one, with the buzz continuing into the following work days.
"The huge number of visitors on the first day is beyond our expectations. They are mainly local residents, business people along with some tourists, which match the portrait of our target customer," said a staffer with the shopping complex's tenant acquisition team.
Located within walking distance from Beijing's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage-listed central axis, Dajixiang is composed of newly-renovated historical courtyards and a shopping mall featuring over 150 brand outlets, including more than half that are brand debuts or offer customized products.
Nicholas Quirke from Britain, who lives in the nearby neighborhood, visited Dajixiang for the second time on Tuesday, said he was drawn to Dajixiang's combination of trendy stores and traditional courtyards, which makes it stand out among shopping malls.
"This is like a compound with courtyards. It got these hutongs (traditional alleys) with the very modern buildings," he said after visiting the former residence of Kang Youwei (1858-1927), an intellectual who led a reform movement in 1898.
Liu Yingshuo, manager of Eastcultival, said their 300-square-meter store in Dajixiang is the company's flagship shop in Beijing.
The Shanghai-based company sells high-end traditional Chinese-style garments. Liu said nine pieces have been ordered after the store opened on Sunday.
"Although our dresses are priced comparatively high, we remain confident in debuting our store here. Located in downtown and featuring cultural preservation sites, the shopping district has become appealing to visitors, many of them posting videos on social media such as rednote," said Liu.
China has unveiled a comprehensive policy package to boost consumer spending, reinforcing its commitment to making consumption a key driver of economic growth.
The development of a "debut economy," in particular, has been made a key priority for 2025. This concept encompasses product launches, flagship store openings, new service rollouts, and the creation of innovative business models and technologies.
Hong Tao, vice chairman of the China Consumer Economics Society, said the popularity of the newly-opened Dajixiang highlights the upgrades of commercial formats in China's first-tier cities, at a time when brick-and-mortar stores are impacted by the country's booming online consumption.
"Cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are making concerted efforts to upgrade shopping districts to attract domestic and international consumers. This initiative aims to boost a variety of consumption patterns, including dining, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment, thus promoting the growth of various consumer demands," he said.
Hong pointed out that many shopping streets in Beijing have been based on the local reservoir of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. For instance, the shopping promenade of Qianmen, developed on Beijing's historic central axis, boasts a history of over 500 years.
By the end of 2024, Beijing had developed more than 60 shopping districts, which received 2.67 billion visitors last year, a year-on-year increase of 10.7 percent.
(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
