2009 Chinese New Year in Beijing - Qianmen Street

Beijing's oldest downtown commercial street,the Qianmen Street was built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The commercial street took shape about 570 years ago and reached its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, garlanded with restaurants, theaters, silk stores and tea houses. It was still a famous shopping area even before the refurbishment, despite its rundown condition and over-population. The street was closed for a facelift in May 2007, with old buildings demolished and only reopened before the Beijing Olympics last year. It was really nice taking a nice walk down the street after dinner and admiring the beautifully designed and built buildings. The lightings made the whole place look very romantic :>