More than half of the markets in Beijing's suburban Tongzhou District, the site of the capital's new subsidiary administrative center, will be shut down within two years, local authorities said on Thursday.
The Tongzhou government's closure plan covers markets for construction materials, auto parts, small commodities and clothing among other items.
The remaining 46 markets will be "upgraded" -- for example, auction facilities will be added to antiques markets, while home appliance and tea markets will be encouraged to introduce e-commerce service. Those that fail to do so will face closure within two years.
The plan to build the administrative center, shifting some government functions out of crowded downtown Beijing, forms part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integrated development plan.
