Wudaokou Says Goodbye to Golden Towers Clothing Market and Hello to BOM HALL

As Beijing continues its efforts to relocate wholesale markets, the four-story Wudaokou Clothing Market, located within the Golden Towers building on Xueqing Road in northwest Beijing, has been closed since the end of January 2019. The market, which was in business for 30 years, will finish its renovation at the end of 2020, effectively transforming into a trendy and futuristic gathering place for young people by the name of BOM HALL.

The 13,000sqm space will host a live stream cabin, professional gaming venues, food courts, and themed areas.

Many may associate the Wudaokou Clothing Market with their college days when the market embraced more than 300,000 college students from the area's universities. It provided shoppers with daily necessities, school supplies, and dirt-cheap clothing. To be sure, the prices may have been low, but the styles were in step with Korean and Japanese fashion trends. Moreover, there were nail salons and music stores – just the little things that added a pop of color to people’s lives.

Before the market closed, store owners spent the last few days desperately trying to sell off their remaining clothes, shoes, hats, and accessories at clearance prices. The once lively scene of this market turned into a sea of discounts and promotions as buyers and sellers scattered around to make the best deal.

The name BOM HALL – an acronym for Beauty Of Mind – was apparently chosen due to its explosive onomatopoeia (because the youths are into that sort of thing), with the brains behind the project envisioning it as a hip gathering place for Gen Z that integrates eating, drinking, and fun, altogether creating an immersive experience for leisure, entertainment, and offline and online social networking. The whole vibe should be familiar to anyone who's stepped foot inside a Japanese mall: quirky, fun, and high-tech.

Each floor will have a different unique purpose; the first floor, Novel Dimension, will feature a variety of stores and a theater. The second floor, Animation Dimension, will have a vintage street and space for trending music. The third floor, Game Dimension, will be an e-sports community with a VR park and gaming center, and the fourth floor, Comic Dimension, will be a large food court with themed food counters and anime catering. 

See, something for everyone! As long as you're young and hip.

READ: Partiers Bid Farewell to Vics, Beijing's Most Senior Nightclub

Images: China.org, Weibo