Wangfujing Shopping Street

Wangfujing Street is the grandest shopping area in Beijing and a prestigious partly pedestrianised street popular with tourists and locals. Located in the east of the Forbidden City, the street is also one of China 's oldest commercial areas. Since the middle of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) there have been commercial activities in this place and ten mansions for noblemen were built there then. Wangfujing Shopping Street is congested with modern shopping malls, such as the Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing Department Store, Foreign Language Bookstore, Danyao Building, Gongmei Building and Sun Dong An Plaza etc. It is also home to a wealth of hotels, specialty shops and famous long-established stores, including a number of old Beijing brands like the Shengxifu Hat Store, Tongshenghe Shoe Store and Wuyutai Tea House. For any Beijing shopping trip, a visit to Wangfujing is anesessential part for both its modern shopping atmosphere and traditional style.