Xianyukou Street, near the famousQianmen Street, has just reopened to the public this month. After a three-year renovation, the 570-year-old commercial street has been restored into a China time-honored food brand area. All China time-honored brands like Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant and Tianxingju Fried Liver has returned to this street to excite the old Beijing memory and taste.

The first part of its name, "Xian Yu”, translates to "Fresh Fish" in English, indicating the culinary history of the street. The newly-paved street pays homage to its history in a number of details, from fish-adorned manhole covers to brick sculptures, urban furniture, and even streetlights.

On a sunny afternoon the day after opening, the street was flooded with visitors getting a taste of old Beijing. Many shops sell old Beijing snacks and specialties and boast a golden plaque telling the public of their origins in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Several shops had a queue extending out the front door and onto the street, with shoppers waiting for old Beijing confections, stewed liver, and even roasted meat.

Besides the Beijing local restaurants and traditional snacks, many regional or international dishes and goods with ethnic and cultural flavor can be found in this street, too.

Xianyukou Street perfectly embraces Beijing's hutong past. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, most residences were 1-story courtyard houses and the city's shops occupied 1 or 2-story buildings along narrow streets. Walking along the alley, paved with bricks instead of asphalt, visitors will gain a glimpse of the city's profound history.

While old brands and traditional snacks and crafts have disappeared from other parts of the city, they have been revived on Xianyukou Street. The popular opening of the new Xianyukou Street proves that old Beijing has never been lost but still remains unique and attractive.

Source: CITS