Shanghai Landlords Reluctant to Cut Clothing Wholesalers a Break

Shanghai’s biggest clothing wholesale market was a shadow of its former self on Monday, even after authorities allowed business to resume after a Covid-19 lockdown that lasted for months.

Most businesses at the Qipu Road Clothing Wholesale Market remained shuttered. On an average floor lined with around 20 stores, only three or four were open. Some stores had slogans such as “If you don’t exempt rent, I won’t open the store,” and “Who will save our store?” plastered on the shopfronts.