Saturday, May 12, 2007

Wang-fu-jing Business District


Wangfujing street, or the "walking street", is one of the Chinese capital's most famous shopping streets. It is now considered the central heart of the city. Wangfujing is a fairly long street, where most areas of Beijing are easily accessible. The street is home to many department stores, boutiques, souvenier shops and areas that sell food and Chinese paintings.


Wangfujing is a seven hundred year old commercial street. During the Qing Dynasty, many aristocratic estates and residences were built there. A well, full of sweet water was found soon after, which gave the street its name, "wang fu" means aristocratic palace and "jing" means well.

Much of the road does not allow cars or other motor vehicles, which allows the street to be full of pedestrians. Before the late 1990s, trolleybuses, buses and other traffic ran through the street, making it very congested. During 1999 and 2000, modifications were made to make Wangfujing Street car-free, except for the trolley tours.


One of the major shopping malls, Oriental Plaza, is located at one end of the street, Wangfujing Nankou. The street heads north and ends at the Sun Dong An Plaza.

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