Wangfujing Street ( zh, s=王府井大街, p=Wángfǔjǐng Dàjiē) is a shopping street in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China, 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 of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

there have been commercial activities in the area. In the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, 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 "Wangfu" (Prince's residence), "Jing" (

Well A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

). Many exotic foods are served on Wangfujing snack street.Latimer D. (2014) ''The Improbable Beijing Guidebook'', Sinomaps, Beijing, , p. 52

Location

Wangfujing Street starts from Wangfujing South Entrance (王府井南口, Wángfǔjǐng Nánkǒu), where the Oriental Plaza,

Beijing Hotel The Beijing Hotel () is a five-star hotel, five-star state-owned hotel complex in the Dongcheng District, Beijing, Dongcheng District of Beijing, People's Republic of China, China. It is located at the southern end of Wangfujing Street, at the c ...

, and the Wangfujing metro station are located. The street then heads north, passing the Wangfujing Bookstore, the

Beijing Department Store Beijing Department Store () is a major department store on Wangfujing street, Beijing, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion ...

as well as the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore before ending at the

Beijing apm Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

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 World War I, and owner of the then largest Asiatic library ever as ...

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

Liulichang Liulichang () is a street in Xicheng, Beijing, Xicheng District, 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. Histo ...

. 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 The 2011 Chinese pro-democracy protests, also known as the Greater Chinese Democratic Jasmine Revolution, refer to public assemblies in over a dozen cities in China starting on 20 February 2011, inspired by and named after the Jasmine Revolut ...

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 Mall and The Malls at Oriental Plaza, and WF Central.

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 food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

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

tanghulu ''Tanghulu'' () or ''tang hulu'' (), also called ''bingtang hulu'' (), is a traditional Chinese snack consisting of several malt sugar coated fruits of Chinese hawthorn ('' Crataegus pinnatifida'') on a bamboo skewer. It is typically made by ...

or candied fruits on a stick.

Transport

The Wangfujing station of Beijing Subway Lines 1 and 8, is located at the intersection of Wangfujing Street and

Chang'an Avenue file:50th anniversary of PRC 1.jpg, 250px, Chang'an Avenue hosts military parades. Here are armoured fighting vehicles leaving Tian'anmen Square during the 50th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, 1999 National Day parade. Chang'an ...

References

External links

Old brands of Beijing

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