Sanlitun bar street sits near the eastern Taikooli shopping center with dozens of bars, where its name originally came from. On January 31, the street was said to be confined to history after a notice informing venue owners to vacate their properties. However, according to Sun Shuguang, an official from the Sanlitun Neighborhood Committee, the brand Sanlitun Bar Street will still be retained as a never-fading city memory and cultural connotation.

Sun Shuguang said that the buildings were built nearly 30 years ago and pose major safety risks including house collapse. Some venue owners even illegally transformed the building structure and expand the floor space.  

In 2022, the safety of houses on the Sanlitun bar street received a D degrade by a third-party institution which means these venues are not suitable for operation anymore before being reinforced against earthquakes.

The Future of Sanlitun Bar Street

Sun Shuguang introduced that after the renovation, the architectural style of houses will be adapted to the surrounding landscape. In the future, the north and south subarea of Sanlitun bar street will be planned while introducing more new businesses including café shops, bookstores and health food restaurants.

A slow traffic system and a sound landscape engineering will be constructed to improve the life quality of citizens. Sanlitun street is an important traffic center that connects with the major shopping center in Chaoyang District. After the renovation project, Sanlitun street will be equipped with a two-lane road to ease the traffic jam.

Translator: ZHANG Ruochen

Reviewer: YUAN Ting