Antique street to resume brilliance in downtown Beijing

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 ◆ Antique street to resume brilliance in downtown Beijing

Beijing will renovate and develop an ancient antique cultural street to make it become a comprehensive cultural and industrial zone, municipal official sources said recently.

The Liulichang street featuring ancient Chinese culture in central Beijing dates back nearly 800 years. It began to take shape in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and in following centuries developed into a street famous for books and antiques.

The zone will be built on the basis of the current Liulichang antique street but will expand in surrounding areas. In the end, the zone will cover 80.7 hectares with total investment exceeding 10 billion yuan (1.2 billion US dollars).

The zone will include two landmark buildings - an oriental antique mansion and an international cultural exchange center. There will be four special cultural areas featuring commerce, traditional craftwork, scenic spots and comprehensive development.

It will also launch eight unique cultural and trading streets featuring books, jades and stones, pottery, sculptures, copper wares, calligraphy and paintings as well as musical instruments.

The zone is expected to become a tourist destination exhibiting the city's ancient scenery, and serve as a museum of China's traditional culture, said Lu Yong, head of Beijing's Xuanwu District where the street is located.