At around 10:00 a.m. on September 15, the Changsha Downtown Duty Free Shop, the first of its kind in the province, began trial operations at Wuyi Square in Changsha. Thanks to tax exemption policies, the products in the shop are priced 10% to 30% lower than regular market prices. Consumers can enjoy the "purchase in the city, pick up upon departure" service by presenting their entry-exit documents along with flight or cruise tickets for departure within 60 days.

The duty-free store seamlessly blends Hunan's trendy cultural elements with an array of international luxury brands, offering consumers a new shopping experience. The store integrates three business models: duty-free, taxed, and online cross-border shopping, covering over 60 categories of products. These include international cosmetics, eyewear, electronics, liquor, China-chic cultural and creative products, time-honored brands, local brands, Hunan specialties, fashion accessories, maternal and infant products, and toys, featuring more than 1,000 well-known international and domestic brands.

At noon that day, Ms. Wu, a Changsha resident, purchased several travel essentials—including sunglasses, a hairdryer, and a neck pillow—at the shop ahead of her overseas trip. This marked the first duty-free transaction at the shop. Supervised by the Changsha Customs Authority, these goods were sealed and will be delivered to the pickup center at the T2 International Departure Isolation Area of Changsha Huanghua International Airport. Customers can collect their purchases with their shopping receipts and valid entry-exit documents.

As an event linked to the 4th Changsha Tourism Development Conference, the opening ceremony of the Changsha Downtown Duty Free Shop will be held on September 26. Data shows that, as of August, the number of travelers entering and exiting through Hunan's ports in 2025 has exceeded 1 million.

A downtown duty-free shop refers to a store, approved by the State Council and operating under specific regulations within an urban area, which sells duty-free goods to travelers about to leave the country. In August 2024, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Taxation Administration jointly issued the Notice on Improving the Policy for Downtown Duty-Free Shops, specifying the establishment of one in-city duty-free store each in eight cities: Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xi'an, Changsha, and Fuzhou. Currently, downtown duty-free shops in Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are already in operation.

Address: 8th floor, Wangfujing Department Store, Wuyi Square's core business district 

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Kuang Zhenzhen

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn