While in Beijing, regardless of the length of your stay, it is an absolute necessity to visit Wangfujing Street. Wangfujing (also referred to as Walking Street) is a 700 year-old commercial street located in the DongCheng District. It is often called Walking Street because it is off-limits to cars and other motorized vehicles. 
Shoppers are free to peruse and mingle along its length from early in the morning until well after dark.
It is a nearly one mile long stretch of Department Stores, Shops, Boutiques, Stalls, Restaurants, Markets, Souvenir Shops and assorted and diverse You-Name-It-We've-Got-It establishments.
Walking Street is one of the only places I know of where you can go into a Department Store and pick out a brand new Volkswagen or Rolls-Royce from a dealership on the lower level. Ironic because you can't drive the car out of the store. You just look at the inventory and pick the one that suits you.
In the Qing Dynasty, eight aristocratic estates and princes residences were built there.
One of my favorite places to shop on the many occasions I have visited Wangfujing, is the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore. This place is loaded with incredible old volumes of Chinese history as well as contemporary works about China in general and Beijing in particular. There are murals, paintings, works of calligraphy and the entire store is infused with a wonderful aroma from the incense that is sold (and burned) there.
Walking Street is also the nexxus for many side streets that are jam-packed with souvenir shops, open-air eateries, jade markets, silk and fabric stores, etc. Perhaps the most famous of these is Snack Street - which was described in the post preceding this one.
One of Lynne's favorite attractions on all of Walking Street was, you guessed it. . . McDonald's.
Shoppers are free to peruse and mingle along its length from early in the morning until well after dark.
It is a nearly one mile long stretch of Department Stores, Shops, Boutiques, Stalls, Restaurants, Markets, Souvenir Shops and assorted and diverse You-Name-It-We've-Got-It establishments.
Walking Street is one of the only places I know of where you can go into a Department Store and pick out a brand new Volkswagen or Rolls-Royce from a dealership on the lower level. Ironic because you can't drive the car out of the store. You just look at the inventory and pick the one that suits you.
In the Qing Dynasty, eight aristocratic estates and princes residences were built there.
One of my favorite places to shop on the many occasions I have visited Wangfujing, is the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore. This place is loaded with incredible old volumes of Chinese history as well as contemporary works about China in general and Beijing in particular. There are murals, paintings, works of calligraphy and the entire store is infused with a wonderful aroma from the incense that is sold (and burned) there.
Walking Street is also the nexxus for many side streets that are jam-packed with souvenir shops, open-air eateries, jade markets, silk and fabric stores, etc. Perhaps the most famous of these is Snack Street - which was described in the post preceding this one.
One of Lynne's favorite attractions on all of Walking Street was, you guessed it. . . McDonald's.
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