Qianmen Street in Beijing will be reopened in October, after
being closed off to all traffic for renovation. Nowadays, the
street administration is inviting new businesses.
It is said that the 13 famous shops of long standing originality
lining the street will resume their business, too.
The 200 new shops will be located on both sides of the street,
covering nearly 70,000 sq m, including restaurants, retailers and
shops providing other services. The invitation will last till the
beginning of September. The places of the 13 long-standing shops
have already been reserved.
"We are planning to invite some international enterprises to
open their business here, too," said a staff member of the Qianmen
Street administration.
The buildings along the street will be restored to their
original look in the 1920s and 1930s, with well selected materials.
The five traditional ceremonial archways on the street will be
rebuilt. The street will be paved with slabs, and streetcars will
be put in use again on the new Qianmen Street.
(Chinanews July 22, 2007)