Golden Apple Market – The “Taobao Bazaar” of Old Changsha Locals

📍 Changsha · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 83 likes

Original by Xiao Le | Happy Changsha

#Changsha 2 pieces of content

#Happy Changsha #3 pieces of content

#Clothing, Food, Housing, Transport 1 piece of content

#Golden Apple Market 1 piece of content

A city’s closest ties to the daily lives of its people are nothing more than the four aspects: clothing, food, housing, and transportation. In Changsha’s past, there was a place that played a key role in people’s shopping and dressing—the Golden Apple Market.

In Xiao Le’s childhood memories, there must be a segment: following adults during holidays, elbowing through noisy, crowded crowds to buy New Year goods and new clothes for the upcoming year.

Or trailing behind Mom, browsing through every women’s clothing shop. Back then, it seemed Mom never got tired of shopping, and she could always find the women’s clothing “strongholds” hidden in the alleys. Following behind her, listening to her “review” each store, hearing her haggle with the shop owners and trade banter—I secretly picked up a trick or two myself~

Though it was exhausting, it was still joyful. That was Xiao Le’s earliest understanding of “shopping” as a child.

Back then, shopping malls weren’t as ubiquitous as now, with dazzling arrays of high-end goods and comfortable environments. To find the most authentic, reasonably priced treasures, you had to wander into small shops, one by one.

That’s exactly what the Golden Apple Market was like at that time~

### The Golden Apple Market Back Then

Opened in 1994, the Golden Apple Market was originally called the Changsha Golden Apple Garment and Footwear Wholesale Market—a comprehensive, large-scale professional market.

Every post-80s and post-90s Changsha local should be familiar with it; surely they have memories of following their parents to pick and choose things at the Golden Apple Market.

At its peak, the Golden Apple Market had about 3,000 stalls and an annual turnover of up to 600 million yuan, essentially carrying the shopping needs of the entire Changsha population.

No kidding—back then, any young Changsha girl who hadn’t bought something at the Golden Apple wouldn’t dare call herself trendy~

But times change fast. Some things are preserved by time, while others seem to quietly fade away.

Today, Xiao Le wants to see what happened to the once-popular Golden Apple Market. How is it doing now?

### The Golden Apple Market Today

Take Line 3 to Chaoyang New Village Station, walk about five minutes, and you’ll reach the South Gate of the Golden Apple Market. The building that once had the hottest business—and the oldest now—is right inside.

South Main Street divides the market into left and right sides. On the left is the market building; on the right is a boutique women’s clothing street.

The boutique women’s clothing street focuses on mid-to-high-end women’s wear, with modern, elegant decoration and styles that match current trends, but at higher prices.

There’s a fair number of people coming and going, trying on clothes.

Passing through South Street, you reach the main Golden Apple market building. Entering from the side door, it feels a bit run-down and simply decorated.

The building has three floors. The basement floor is mainly for shoes.

Walking into the mall, the contrast with the neighboring East Street is striking. The lighting is dim; the shoe section has almost no customers browsing. The owners sit playing on their phones, looking unmotivated.

A shoe shop owner told us that business has been especially bleak since the pandemic—many shops either went under due to poor management or closed down.

The first floor is mainly women’s clothing. Going up from the basement, the foot traffic noticeably increases. In the early afternoon, customers are scattered in twos and threes; some shop owners are too busy to even eat.

The women’s clothing storefronts are packed tightly together—at first glance, it’s hard to tell which belongs to which.

Most merchants are friendly. They told Xiao Le that most of them have been there since 1997 as veteran tenants. They all complained that after the rise of online shopping, business in physical stores has declined sharply. Especially after the pandemic hit, customers have dwindled even more.

But when Xiao Le asked if they had ever thought about leaving, most replied: No. Because they wouldn’t know what else to do; this is their livelihood to support their families.

### Dense women’s clothing stores

Although there are many women’s clothing stores, if you look carefully, you can still find different types and styles. What’s more surprising is that the customers aren’t just the middle-aged aunties we might expect.

There are also young women—some accompanied by their mothers, others with friends.

A young customer named Xiao Chen told us that she enjoys the feeling of spending time with family or friends, shopping and picking things out together.

### The second floor of the mall is for children’s products.

From baby items for 0-year-olds to preschool supplies, learning materials, toys for kids up to 12 years old—everything is available.

A young couple is selecting baby products.

The third floor has bedding and a comprehensive wholesale market. We also saw wigs, slippers, and all sorts of other goods here.

### The mall’s entrances and exits are complicated, still keeping the original layout like a maze.

A slight lapse could lead you to a different place—another reason why people feel the mall’s layout is not very reasonable.

For first-time visitors, it’s really easy to get dizzy. The functional zones are not clearly defined. You can find everything you can imagine here—and even things you never thought of.

For people without a specific purchase goal, it’s indeed like a “treasure hunt spot.” You can spend a whole day wandering around, and you’ll stumble upon unexpected goods.

### Has the Golden Apple really been forgotten?

Before coming here, Xiao Le was uncertain about the answer.

But after arriving, Xiao Le’s answer is a definite: No, it hasn’t been forgotten. Nor has it vanished with the tide of time.

While the rise of online shopping has certainly taken away a large portion of offline traffic, while some are addicted to online shopping, others choose offline shopping for different needs.

As a shop owner told Xiao Le: Many old-time Changsha locals never learned to shop online, so they can only buy offline; some young people pursue low prices and like to try clothes offline before buying.

Just like when we were kids following our parents, offline shopping brings joy between parents and children, between friends. The emotional connection and communication between people face-to-face cannot be replaced by online shopping. That memory has been with us all along, even now.

In the future, perhaps seeking a new development model or finding a new path are possibilities for the Golden Apple to explore.

But we know that in people’s hearts, it will never disappear.

This is Happy Changsha, bringing you a different kind of humanistic memory.