Around Beijing Zoo,Xizhimen
北京动物园周边. ,西直门
Open 9am-4:30pm
This massive wholesale market actually comprises seven markets, all located around Beijing Zoo. The most popular ones are Julong, Tianlegong and Shiji Tianle. Here, you can get stuff for half-price if you bargain hard or buy in volume. Beijing's savviest fashionistas scour the racks here to find cheap gems.
i wandered into the zoo market at midday on a saturday a while back. after spending an hour just trying to get back to the subway, after only about 30 seconds of shopping, i vowed never to return (at least on a weekend). if you must go, go on a weekday.
I'm sad to see there are no concise reviews of this amazing place online- everything is SO cheap and so plentiful it is mind boggling. Anywhere from 10-50 RMB for shirts, tops, jeans, pants, skirts, everything. Jewelry for about 10-15RMB. In some places they can be more expensive, but about 90% are the cheap prices listed above. When you get dropped off in the area, there are about 4 or 5 non-descriptive buildings and when you enter it's just floors and floors and clusters of clothes everywhere with girls screaming "20RMB! 20RMB!!". It's hilarious, exhausting, but great shopping. I've only been on Sunday afternoons at around 1pm-3pm and it's sort of like shopping during Christmas back in the States, but it's so cheap! Around 3:30pm they start closing up.
Don't ever shop here on weekends, it's insane! Weekday mornings are the best time to come and be prepared to spend a few hours walking around. Most of the stalls sell really cheap low-quality items for insanely cheap prices (be prepared to bargain), but occasionally you may be able to find a diamond in the rough.