01 Di’anmenwai Street

Di’anmenwai Street is located at the north end of the traditional central axis of old Beijing, connecting South Luogu Lane in the east, Shichahai in the west, starting from the East West Street of Di’anmen in the south, and ending at Drum Tower in the north. It spans from the east urban area to the west urban area, covering a total length of nearly 800 meters.The south end was the back door of the imperial city (Di’anmen), it was once called the back door street.

Since it was formed during the Yuan Dynasty, Di’anmenwai Street has been the first commercial street on the central axis with stable industries, which is the embodiment of the ancient Chinese traditional concept of “front court and rear market”. It bears the historical changes since the establishment of the capital of Beijing and witnesses the commercial development of the old city, Beijing.

02 Yandaixie Street

Yandaixie Street is located in front of the Drum Tower of Di’anmenwai Street, which was first formed in the Yuan Dynasty. The Yandaixie Street itself is like a tobacco bag and it’s as slender as a tobacco pole. The east entrance looks like a cigarette holder. The west entrance turns to the south and leads to the Yinding Bridge, looking like a tobacco pot.

Although the Yandaixie Street is short and narrow, it is the birthplace of the famous Capital Eight Buildings in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. In 1802, Qingyun Restaurant opened on this Street. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, due to poor management, most of the chefs and clerks in Qingyun Restaurant left. Those chefs and waiters who left Qingyun Restaurant set up restaurants in other places of the capital, forming the famous eight buildings of the capital: Dongxing Restaurant, Taifeng Restaurant, Zhimei Restaurant, Hongxing Restaurant, Zhengyang Restaurant, Qingyun Restaurant, Xinfeng Restaurant, and Chunhua Restaurant.

After the abdication of the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, the princes and nobles who lived near Shichahai and the children of the Eight Banners lost their salaries. In order to make a living, they sold antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and opened many shops in the Yandaixie Street that operated the “scholar's four jewels” (writing brush, ink stick, ink slab and paper), antique jade, and mounted calligraphy and paintings.

No. 53, Yandaixie Street - the post office themed of “Qing Dynasty Postal Letter Cabinet” can be called the epitome of modern China’s postal service. This retro name aims to show the old Beijing culture of Yandaixie Street and the long history of Beijing Post.

Walking in this antique pedestrian street, the shops along the street that operate papercut, pottery, clay figurines, sugar blowing figurines, and specialty snacks can make visitors truly feel the rich cultural atmosphere of Beijing.

03 Wangfujing Street

Wangfujing Street, known as the “Top Commercial Street in China”, is the golden business card of the capital Beijing, and its century long commercial history is the epitome of modern commercial development in China.

As early as the Yuan Dynasty, there were often merchants gathered near Wangfujing, which gradually formed an early commercial street, and was called “T-shaped Street”. In the Ming Dynasty, many dignitaries-built palaces on the west side of T-shaped Street, which was later called Shiwangfu, Wangfu Street and Wangfujing Street. Wangfujing Street in the Qing Dynasty has formed a market of a certain scale. The completion of Dong’an Market in the late Qing Dynasty is an important symbol of the rise of Wangfujing Street.

In 1999, Wangfujing Street was officially transformed into a pedestrian street, which not only retains the cultural symbols and connotation of the century old street, but also integrates the modern shopping experience mode. At the end of 2019, Wangfujing Pedestrian Street extends northward from Jinyu Hutong to Dengshikou Street.

On today’s Wangfujing Street, the important cultural landmarks of Beijing, namely the Auspicious Grand Theater and the Capital Theater, are located here. The Internet Famous Spot Heping Guoju have become an immersive experience space to find the memory of old Beijing. Various traditional and old food brands and new catering brands compete to bring tourists the most unforgettable tongue experience... and flagship stores of various well-known brands and city concept stores have settled in Wangfujing Street.

Translator: SHI Meiling

Reviewer: ZHANG Ruochen