Qianmen Stree located at the center of Beijing near Tiananmen Square, Qianmen Street, no more than 2 km long, has been a prosperous area for more than 600 years and has accumulated some long-standing stores. Many well-known Chinese stores started their operations there. The reconstruction project aims to preserve the Qianmen Street's history in its entirety.

Qianshi hutong--the narrowest hutong in Beijing--is located there. At its narrowest place the alley is only 40 cm wide. More than 100 years ago, it was the biggest market for silver and coins in China. To prevent theft, the hutong was built narrow so that escape routes could easily be blocked.

Among all the stores on the street the roast duck restaurant Quanjude might be the most famous. Together with the Great Wall, it is one of the "must-see" places listed in many tourist guides. Opened in 1864, the Qianmen branch of the restaurant is the original. The price of a roast duck varies from dozens of yuan to 200 yuan, according to the different roasting process and materials used. Besides roast duck, Quanjude is also known for its all-duck banquet and over 400 dishes with Quanjude's characteristic flavor.

Dashanlan is a business street with more than 580 years of history in the Qianmen area. Regarded as the "essence of Beijing," it depicts a vivid and prosperous picture of old Beijing. After reconstruction, this 1.26-km area will retain many buildings and their antique flavor.

Qianmen Street with a long history is a very famous street in Beijing. It is now the second pedestrian thoroughfare in the Chinese national capital after the Wangfujing Street. The Street located at south of Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing was the path ancient Chinese emperors took to visit the Temple of Heaven according to historical data. It prospered as a commercial strip as early as the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) and became even more prosperous in the early years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) with the development of activities such as lantern fairs, theaters and teahouses.


The street started to be massive redeveloped in May,2007 and will open before 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Many Traditional old name-brand shops and edifices, including the Quanjude roast duck restaurant and China Post have also been given new life. Trolley cars called Dangdang car by old Beijing people will be uesd again, which can take 84 people. From start to end, a trip on the trolley will take about 10 minutes to travel down the 840 meter track. At present, there are three stops planned for the trolley; the car will start from Wupailou and pause at Xianyukou and Zhushikou. The street will become a mecca for tourists.