Wangfujing

　　　Wangfujing Street, stretching from East Chang’an Avenue in the south to the National Art Museum of China in the north, spans approximately three Chinese miles (about 1.5 kilometers) and is Beijing’s most famous commercial district.

　　　　During the Liao and Jin dynasties, Wangfujing was just an obscure village. After the Yuan dynasty, the area gradually became more populated and was then called Dingzi Street. In the Ming dynasty, ten princely mansions were built here, giving Wangfujing its initial shape and leading to its name being changed to Shiwangfu Street (Ten Princes’ Mansion Street). In the Qing dynasty, the ten princes were abolished, and the street was renamed either Wangfu Street or Wangfu Avenue. In 1915, when the Beiyang government created the “Detailed Map of Beijing’s Suburbs,” the street was divided into three sections: the northern part was called Wangfu Avenue, the middle section was called Bamoncao, and the southern section, due to a sweet-water well located there, was combined with Wangfu to become “Wangfujing Street.” In 1903, the Dong’an Market was established. The old Dong’an Market was a favorite place for locals to visit. A poem in the 1909 publication “A Hundred and Two Bamboo Branch Songs of the Capital” describes it: “New markets open wide everywhere, shopping’s a breeze without any care. If you seek the top place for delight, head to Dong’an in the city tonight.” This shows just how prominent Dong’an was.

　　　　Wangfujing offers a dazzling array of daily necessities, hardware and electrical supplies, clothing and footwear, jewelry and diamonds, gold and silver ornaments, and more. With extremely high volumes of goods bought and sold, it’s known as a “gold mine” where “a fortune is made every day.” In recent years, Wangfujing has developed even faster. Entering the street from Beijing Hotel at the southern entrance and heading north, one sees shop signs hanging high, densely packed stores, and crowds of people flowing like water. From morning till night, up to a million domestic and international customers visit this street each day. It now boasts Asia’s largest commercial building complex, the highest density and concentration of large malls, hotels, and specialty stores. Wangfujing is also the largest shopping destination in China closely linked with commercial travel agencies, and the place where state-owned brands and time-honored businesses are most concentrated. This modern, high-end, and high-standard international central business street has even become a sister street to Paris’s Champs-Élysées, further elevating its international status. The Department Store, Foreign Languages Bookstore, Danyao Building, Gongmei Building, Wangfujing Ladies’ Department Store, Muslim Building, New Dong’an Market, along with Shengxifu, Tongshenghe, Donglaishun, Quanjude, Silian Hairdressing, and Baicao Pharmacy, make up this 810-meter-long, bustling modern commercial street. In the early 20th century, Wangfujing Street entered a new phase of commercial activity and ranked among Beijing’s four major commercial districts.

　　　Since 1996, renovation and expansion work has been carried out on Wangfujing. Now, after an investment of over 1 billion yuan, the revamped Wangfujing Street has re-emerged. Oriental Plaza has become another major attraction; the Old Beijing Street has been relocated from the ground floor to the basement level, with its business area expanded from 500 square meters to 2,700 square meters. It is entirely designed and decorated in the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, featuring 40 naturally styled shops. A major feature of this street is the concentration of numerous time-honored Chinese brand-name stores. Here, you’ll find shoes from Neiliansheng and Buyishe, hats from Shengxifu and Majuyuan, silk from Ruifuxiang, scissors from Wangmazi, brushes and ink sticks from Daiyue Xuan, antiques and jade artifacts from Jiguge, tea from Yuanchanghou, pastries from Daoxiangchun, Guixiangcun, and Xiangju Gong, Peking duck from Quanjude, pickles from Liubiju and cured meat from Tianfuhao, as well as traditional snacks and Hongluo fruit preserves, all housed within Old Beijing Street.

　　　　Wangfujing is simply Wangfujing. The old well is like a treasure basin. Its unique position in Beijing’s commercial district is irreplaceable by any other shopping street. When you visit Beijing, be sure to go to Wangfujing.

　　　　Like the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Élysées, Beijing’s Wangfujing Commercial Street has long been famous. For many Chinese people, visiting Wangfujing is as essential as climbing the Great Wall when coming to Beijing. At some point, tourism and shopping no longer meant crowding into the busy city center. The various levels of shopping malls, department stores, and supermarkets near residential areas have allowed people to enjoy the benefits of a material-rich consumer society. Wangfujing Street has almost become synonymous with the era of material scarcity, and in the minds of Beijingers and Chinese people alike, it has become increasingly vague. As a result, Wangfujing Street decided to change its image. Starting in 1992, Wangfujing quietly began transforming itself, and in August 1999, after eight years of “redevelopment,” it finally re-emerged with a brand-new look.

　　　　The redevelopment plan for Wangfujing Street defines it as “Beijing’s No. 1 Commercial Street,” with a commercial style that emphasizes “modern” and “trendy.” After the renovation, from JinYu Hutong to the southern entrance at Chang’an Avenue, the gently undulating 810-meter-long street is lined with 12 large shopping malls. In addition to the original Department Store, Arts and Crafts Building, Muslim Building, Foreign Languages Bookstore, United Department Store, and New Dong’an Mall, six new large-scale shopping, entertainment, and business complexes have been built: the new building of the Department Store, Donghua Clothing, Minghui Building, Haoyou World, Danyao Building, and Oriental Plaza. The concentration of large malls along a single street is truly unique in Beijing.

　　　　Pedestrians walking along Wangfujing Street can see that the 810-meter-long main street is spacious and flat, with clean and tidy red granite paving. There are no longer any curbs separating the roadways, and the once dense spiderweb of overhead wires has completely disappeared from sight, having been moved underground. Walking along Wangfujing Street makes one feel the thoughtful care of its designers. When tired, there are independent benches where you can sit and rest anytime; if you need to make a call, there are 18 IC card phone booths in nine groups along both sides of the street for easy communication with friends; trash bins placed every 40 meters allow you to dispose of litter at any time; and if you need directions, various signs around the street will guide you.

　　　　Now this modern, high-end, and high-standard international central business street has become a sister street to Paris’s Champs-Élysées, further raising its international status. The Department Store, Foreign Languages Bookstore, Danyao Building, Gongmei Building, Wangfujing Ladies’ Department Store, Muslim Building, New Dong’an Market, along with Shengxifu, Tongshenghe, Donglaishun, Quanjude, Silian Hairdressing, and Baicao Pharmacy, make up this 810-meter-long, bustling modern commercial street.

　　　　The uniquely designed and elegantly decorated storefronts attract over a hundred domestic businesses and renowned international brands. The wide range of goods and lifelike sculptures have revitalized this 700-year-old street, drawing 500,000 visitors each day who come to admire its captivating charm.

　　　　“Prime Real Estate” Wangfujing

　　　　Wangfujing refers to Wangfujing Street, which stretches from East Chang’an Avenue in the south to the National Art Museum of China in the north, spanning approximately three Chinese miles (about 1.5 kilometers) and is Beijing’s most famous commercial district. The street offers a dazzling array of daily necessities, hardware and electrical supplies, clothing and footwear, jewelry and diamonds, gold and silver ornaments, and more. With extremely high volumes of goods bought and sold, it’s known as a “gold mine” where “a fortune is made every day.” After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government reorganized and renovated Wangfujing Street, inheriting and developing its traditional business characteristics while constructing large commercial facilities. This formed a bustling commercial area centered around Dongfeng Market and the Department Store. In recent years, Wangfujing has developed even faster. Entering the street from Beijing Hotel at the southern entrance and heading north, one sees shop signs hanging high, densely packed stores, and crowds of people flowing like water. From morning till night, up to a million domestic and international customers visit this street each day. Now, Wangfujing Street has been freshly refurbished and greets guests from home and abroad with a brand-new look.

　　　　This is a commercial district that has developed over nearly a century. After the liberation, it saw tremendous growth. On the west side of the street is the nationally renowned Beijing Department Store, and on the east is the famous Dong’an Market. The street also hosts many large specialized stores built after the liberation, including the country’s largest arts and crafts store, the largest Xinhua Bookstore, the Foreign Languages Bookstore, the nation’s biggest China Photo Studio, as well as Lison Sporting Goods Center, medical equipment stores, Wangfujing Shopping Center, and the Muslim Trade Building. Nationally famous salons such as Silian and Meibai are also located here. The street also features famous restaurants and food shops with distinctive offerings, such as Peking Duck restaurants, Wufangzhai, Quansuzhai, Puwufang, and Donglaishun. Recently opened McDonald’s fast-food outlets and the International Fast Food City are also up and running. Wangfujing also has many time-honored brands and emerging shops with unique business features, such as Shengxifu Hat Store, Tongshenghe Shoe Store, New World Silk Store, Lantian Clothing Store, Raymond Suit Store, Jianhua Fur Store, Hengdeli Watch Store, Dahua Glasses Company, New China Women and Children’s Products Store, Donghua Clothing Company, Baicao Ginseng and Antler Pharmacy, Bichun Tea Store, and Jiguge Cultural Relics Store. These shops across different trades have earned their reputations through their unique business characteristics. The eastern side of Wangfujing Street connects to the bustling Dong’anmen Commercial Street and Donghuangchenggen Market Street, making this commercial district especially lively.

　　　　Wangfujing, China’s No. 1 Street

　　　　Wangfujing stretches from Dongsi West Street in the north to Chang’an Avenue in the south, spanning just over 1,000 meters, yet it is renowned as “China’s No. 1 Street” and a must-visit destination for tourists coming to Beijing. In 1999, the section of Wangfujing Street from JinYu Hutong to Dongdan Third Street was planned as a pedestrian street and became a sister street to Paris’s famous Champs-Élysées. Since then, the summer pedestrian street, dotted with outdoor cafés and hosting beer festivals, has become a simulation and imagination of Europe.

　　　　Just as the Bund is Shanghai’s architectural exhibition hall, the various department stores gathered on Wangfujing Street are like fossils stacked in different strata, showcasing Beijing’s consumer landscape across different eras.

　　　　However, what Beijingers may cherish more is the Beijing Department Store, which opened in 1955. In the era of material scarcity, shopping at the Beijing Department Store, hailed as the “No. 1 Store of New China,” was like dining at the nearby Beijing Hotel — a rare event that required great deliberation and even anticipation. Thus, for Beijingers, the Beijing Department Store is like Nishikicho Market is to Kyoto residents, filled with the symbolism of festive joy. Even with the modern elegance of Oriental Plaza, it still cannot replace the place the Beijing Department Store holds in the hearts of Beijingers.

　　　　In fact, if we’re talking about historical significance, Dong’an Market is truly worthy of the title. In the 29th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign during the Qing dynasty, to improve the appearance of the area outside Dong’anmen, the Qing government gathered nearby vendors in an unused Manchu military training ground, thus forming Dong’an Market — the starting point of Wangfujing’s future as a commercial street. The newly rebuilt New Dong’an Market is certainly not the same as it was in the past, but in the essays and memoirs of older literati, one can still glimpse the lively scene of the old Dong’an Market, bustling with the Jixiang Theatre, bookstores, restaurants, and street vendors. Most of the shops that once stood in the Dong’an Market are gone today, leaving only Donglaishun on the fifth floor, the Old Beijing Street and Time-Honored Brands Street on the basement level, and the statues of people performing opera, getting haircuts, and pulling rickshaws placed in front of the New Dong’an, offering a few clues to the past.

　　　　Sometimes, history’s tricks are not about disappearance or oblivion, but about preserving something in an unexpected way. In fact, the most European-flavored spot in Wangfujing isn’t the pedestrian street, but the Catholic church “Dongtang” (East Church), which has stood here since 1655 and has been rebuilt multiple times after earthquakes and fires. The Dongtang still holds regular Masses, but its classic European architectural style has made it a popular spot for wedding photos. Resourceful wedding photographers have even placed a pink vintage car outside the Dongtang as a backdrop. The sight of a religious edifice paired with a beautiful car and bride is as surprisingly delightful as seeing a respected elder wearing a pink bow tie.

　　　　The origin of Wangfujing’s name is said to come from the presence of a royal mansion and a well here. The once-buried well resurfaced in 1998 during road renovations, located on the west side of the northern end of the pedestrian street. In fact, the current Wangfujing Street was once divided into three sections: from Dongsi West Street to Dengshikou Street was called Wangfu Street, from Dengshikou West Street to JinYu Hutong was called Bamoncao, and from JinYu Hutong to Chang’an Avenue was Wangfujing Street. During the Cultural Revolution, these roads were merged and called “Renmin Road” (People’s Road), and in 1975, it was renamed Wangfujing Street. During the era of Yuan Shikai, Wangfujing Street was briefly called Morrison Street, reportedly because this British journalist wrote articles praising Yuan Shikai, and as a token of gratitude, the street where Morrison lived — Wangfujing — was renamed Morrison Street. From old photos, one can still see Morrison and his Chinese servant posing in front of their residence. Of course, the house, located south of the Beijing Department Store, has long since vanished without a trace.

　　　　Whether it’s intellectual nourishment or culinary delights, Wangfujing has it all. For books, visit Wangfujing Bookstore, and for new tastes, check out Wangfujing Snack Street and the eastern...

Wangfujing isAAAa [level] attraction