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Wangfujing Street
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 Wangfujing street is the shopping capitol of Beijing. In the last ten years the buildings have been changed and the street has become a pedestrian arcade. This is Beijing's busiest commercial area and is normally full of shoppers. Along the 810-metre-long street and in an area of about 810 square metres are over 200 shops. Besides many shops and restaurants there is an very large many storied mall. Prices are reasonable in this area as many stores are government owned. The area is a good area to shop in as the visitor will not be cheated or overcharged. No bargaining here, but lots of fun. The weekend is the most crowded time. The street came into being in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) more than 700 years ago. Wangfujing Street is said to have received its name in the Ming Dynasty more than 500 years ago. It was said that the emperor wanted all his 10 brothers to build their mansions in the place now known as Wangfujing so as to make it easy for him to keep a wary eye on them for fear that they might pose a direct threat to him. Therefore, the street was then named Shiwangfu, meaning mansions for 10 imperial brothers. Nowadays, the street is one of the busy shopping areas in Beijing.. Wangfujing area has become the city' s central business district because of its easy access to major roads, high land prices and high density of retail and service business, as well as its high degree of population flow. Nowadays, the Wangfujing area has been formed naturally in the city' s centre, in much the same way as most central business districts have sprung up in other international cities. |
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