After months of anticipation the reopening of one of Beijing’s oldest streets has now been confirmed.
Qianmen Street, closed for redevelopment since May 2007, will open its doors in early August, but only for a select few – for the moment.
“Qianmen Street will open during the Olympics,” says Mr Zhang, deputy development manager of the Chongwen District Commercial Bureau. “Official tour groups and visitors will first get to experience the street before it opens to the public.”
Local media got a sneak peek of Qianmen on Thursday night and experienced the redeveloped street lit-up. [Gao Zhijian/chinadaily.com.cn]Zhang says there street is still being completed in certain areas and the tenants have yet to outfit their shops.
The 840-metre street that extends south of Tiananmen Square is hoping to be the Champs d’Elysee of China’s capital with high profile labels such as Prada and MaxMara already confirmed for Beijing’s newest retail sector.
And appetites will be sated when Quan Ju De’s world-famous Beijing Kao Ya or Roast Duck reignites its wood ovens in a refurbished restaurant.
It is also rumoured Apple Computer will plant its first official China Apple Store in the new Qianmen.
Qianmen Street was once the route-of-choice for ancient Chinese emperors who traversed the street on their way to the Temple of Heaven. [Wu Chuanjing/chinadaily.com.cn]At a cost of more than 9 billion yuan ($1.3 billion), Qianmen’s makeover recreates the grandeur of 1930s Beijing with broad boulevards and even old fashioned trolley-cars not seen on the street since 1924.
Covering an area of 6,000 square metres, 80 percent of Qianmen’s buildings are more than 100 years old. Of this 76 percent have been fully restored, while the remaining 24 percent have been updated.
As part of the redevelopment the former street’s residents had to be relocated before work began in earnest last year.
“There are a total of 52 restored buildings and seven new buildings,” explains Zhang. “And it will house a total of 200 retailers both from China and abroad.”
Zhang says the new Qianmen is divided into three sections, each demarcated by different themed street lamps: birdcages, drums and lanterns. Certain retailers will be located in certain areas.
Managed by Qianmen Emperors Avenue Real Estate Development Ltd. the company has earmarked 10 million yuan ($1.4 million) annually for the next three years to support the street’s businesses and further develop the character of Qianmen, merging the opulence of old with the chic of today.
Source: China Daily
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