An artist's impression of the planned commercial complex that will be at the Xinhua Plaza Station [Photo/Hohhot Evening News]

Hohhot, capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is to launch a trendy below-ground shopping and entertainment precinct at the metro station of Xinhua Plaza by the end of the year, according to local media reports.

Such subterranean facilities are gaining popularity around the world with major examples in Toronto, Sydney and Singapore, among other places.

The planned retail complex will be the first metro TOD – or transit-oriented development – underground commercial mall in the autonomous region. It will be an auxiliary commercial facility for urban rail transit, with a construction area of about 15,000 square meters and costing some 200 million yuan ($30.9 million) to outfit.

The facility will reportedly boast a number of popular specialist areas including a food street, an Inner Mongolia cultural experience center and trendy bookstores – combining film sounds and light technology to integrate the region's famed grassland culture with modern commerce.

Three themed sections will be set up in the complex. Through an LED screen measuring 500 sq m installed on the ceiling, one section will replicate the change of seasons.

An ocean world-themed section will allow visitors to experience the thrills and charms of the big deep through multiple scenes such as ocean tunnels, mermaid shows and jellyfish tanks. The section will be open to the public free of charge.

The underground commercial complex will also be interconnected with Xinhua Plaza in the future, so residents can walk there directly.