Location: Northwest of Qianmen Dajie, Xuanwu District.
What to buy: Quanjude Peking Roast Duck, Chinese Herbal Medicine Pharmacy, Silk and Leather, tea.
Qianmen Commercial Street is a busy street in Xuanwu District in Beijing. It is a narrow street, only 300 meters long. Both sides of the street are crowded with stores which are busy with visitors coming and going everyday. It is a flourishing old street with many special time-honored shops passed down from older generations.
As the birthplace of many time-honored domestic brands such as Quanjude Peking Roast Duck and the China Bookstore, Qianmen Street has long been the commercial hub of the capital. And there are so many time-honored domestic brands in the street, such as Tongrentang (tóng rén táng), Chinese Herbal Medicine Pharmacy; Ruifuxiang Silk and Leather Store (ruì fú xiáng), Zhang Yi Yuan (zhāng yī yuán), a tea shop; Go Believe (gǒu bù lǐ) baozi, etc. And now that many foreign brands, including Swedish fashion chain H&M and Zara from Spain have established a presence there, the street is becoming more international.
About 60 shops have been operating along the pedestrian street since it reopened to tourists in August, 2008. More than 20 of the street's current 103 stores are international ones, adding a modern flavor to the historical area. Qianmen Street is considered one of the most popular places for visitors to Beijing.
