Since the implementation of reforms and China's policies of opening-up in the 1980s, Liu li chang has begun to be restored and repaired, reviving the youthful glamour of the cultural street for olden times. Today's Liu li chang has become a must-see for both foreign and domestic visitors to Beijing and a gathering place for Chinese cultural items ranging from books, calligraphy, painting, brushes, paper, ink and inkstone.

  Did the Heibei People Lay the Foundations of Liu li chang?

As a famous tourist attraction located in Beijing, the foundation  of Liu li chang was probably built by people in the Hebei Province , according to Guo Jisen, a 86-year-old senior expert in bibliology. 

Guo said he left his home in Hebei Province when he was 15 years old. He first acted as an apprentice in a store of ancient books, and therefore worked in Liu li chang for 71 years. The major reason why Liu li chang has thrived for so long is the editing of two books: The Complete Classics Collection of Ancient China during the Kangxi Reign and the Complete Collection of the Four Treasuries during the Qianlong Reign. While the books were being edited, scholars from all over the country gathered in the guildhalls near Qianmen, and Liu li chang became the best place for them to purchase, sell and read books.

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