Wangfujing () is a shopping street in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, located in Dongcheng District. The majority of the main area is pedestrianised. Since the middle of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

there have been commercial activities in the area. In the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, ten aristocratic estates and princess residence were built here, soon after when a well full of sweet water was discovered, thereby giving the street its name "Wang Fu" (princely residence), "Jing" (well). Many exotic foods are served on Wangfujing snack street.Latimer D. (2014) ''The Improbable Beijing Guidebook'', Sinomaps, Beijing, , p. 52

Location

The street starts from Wangfujing Nankou ("south entrance"), where the Oriental Plaza,

Beijing Hotel The Beijing Hotel () is a five-star state-owned hotel complex in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, China. It is located at the southern end of Wangfujing Street, at the corner with East Chang'an Avenue, 1.5 km from Beijing railway stat ...

, and Wangfujing Subway Station are located. The street then heads north, passing the Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore, the Beijing Department Store as well as the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore before ending at the Sun Dong An Plaza and St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

History

The street was also previously known as Morrison Street in English, after the Australian journalist

George Ernest Morrison George Ernest Morrison (4 February 1862 – 30 May 1920) was an Australian journalist, political adviser to and representative of the government of the Republic of China during the First World War and owner of the then largest Asiatic library ...

. Wangfujing is also one of the traditional downtown areas of Beijing, along with

Liulichang Liulichang () is a district in downtown Beijing that is known for a series of traditional Chinese stone dwellings selling various craftwork, artistry, and antiques. It is one of Beijing's traditional old quarters. History The name ''Liulichang ...

. Until the late 1990s, the street was open to traffic. Modifications in 1999 and 2000 made much of Wangfujing Street pedestrian only (aside from the tour trolley). Now through traffic detours to the east of the street. The 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests were planned to take place in Wangfujing. Some violence occurred there between police and foreign journalists.

Stores

Wangfujing is now home to around 280 shops. Wangfujing malls include the Beijing Department Store, Beijing apm,

Beijing Mall The Beijing Mall () is a shopping mall at Wangfujing in Beijing, China, using the Phase II building of Beijing Hotel at 301 Wangfujing Street. It is developed by the New Yansha Group, a subsidiary of Beijing Tourism Group, and opened in July 2004 ...

and

The Malls at Oriental Plaza The Malls at Oriental Plaza is a shopping mall on Wangfujing in Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is th ...

Food and snacks

Wangfujing snack street, located in hutongs just west of the main street, contains many restaurants and street food stalls. The food stalls serve a variety of common and exotic

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumpt ...

, including

chuanr Chuan (, dng, Чўан, Pinyin: chuàn, "''kebab''"; , кавап, "''kawap''"), especially in the north-east of China referred to as chuan'r (), are small pieces of meat roasted on skewers. Chuan originated in the Xinjiang region of China. I ...

(meat kebabs, commonly made of lamb) and desserts, such as

tanghulu Tanghulu () or ''Tang hulu'' (), also called ''bingtang hulu'' (), is a traditional Northern Chinese snack consisting of several rock sugar-coated fruits of Chinese hawthorn ('' Crataegus pinnatifida'') on a bamboo skewer. It is named for its c ...

or candied fruits on a stick.

Transport

The Wangfujing Station of

Beijing Subway The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 25 lines including 20 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and 2 light rail lines, and 463 stations. The rail network extends ...

Line 1 is located at the intersection of Wangfujing Street and

Chang'an Avenue 250px, Chang'an Avenue hosts military parades. Here are 1999 National Day parade.">50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China">1999 National Day parade. Chang'an Avenue (), literally "Eternal Peace Street", is a major thoroughfare in ...

References

External links

Old brands of Beijing

Wangfujing Website
{{Dongcheng District, Beijing Dongcheng District, Beijing Neighbourhoods of Beijing Pedestrian malls in China Shopping districts and streets in China Streets in Beijing Tourist attractions in Beijing