The one-year-long reconstruction of Qianmen Street is almost done. After its reconstruction, Qianmen Street will reproduce old Beijing’s look and feel. Streetcars, decorated archway (pailou) and bird cages as well as bronze drums and candied haws, all familiar to Beijing people will reappear on the street.
Qianmen is a district that most integrally preserves the local scenes, historical sites and cultural relics. It has been a distinctive street since Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), famous for its architecture, business, folk-custom and operatic culture. Yongle emperor of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) made Beijing the capital, and built it around a central axis throughout south to north. The inner town had 9 city gates; Zhengyan Gate was in the center of south town, usually called Qianmen.
To enter Qianmen Street, visitors need to cross through the Zhengyanmen Bridge and Wu pailou (decorated archway). Roaming along the Qianmen Street, visitors can take streetcars for free, visit time-honored stores such as Yue Sheng Zhai, Quan Ju De and Guang He Grand Theater and immerse themselves in the nostalgic and modern atmosphere. Besides, at the south end of the Qianmen Street, a 6000 square meter place gather old brands of catering industry together, offering different kinds of traditional foods.
As reported, the reconstructive project has been discussed and amended 32 times. Qianmen Street was formed during Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was destroyed by the eight-power allied forces in 1900. Actually, Qianmen Street formed in late Qing Dynasty and the early years of the Republic of China was more familiar to Beijing men, and it reached its heyday during in the 1920s and 1930s. Therefore, the final plan to restore Qinamen Street is in accordance with old photos of Qianmen of that time.
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