'Dirty Street' is now history

By Cui Jia

Tian Liming spent spring and summer watching the changes being made on a 200-meter-long street that connects the two parts of the Taikoo Li shopping complex in Beijing's bustling Sanlitun area, which is famous for its bars and shops.

"Now, the street, which was once called 'Dirty Street' has an official, new name; Sanlitun West Street. It means the street's 'dirty history' is truly behind it," said Tian, who has lived in the area for more than 50 years.

The street in Chaoyang district was once famous for cheap eateries and drinking establishments. Since it was much cheaper to rent apartments in buildings at one end of the street than retail premises in nearby high-end commercial spaces, serving hatches appeared in a number of street-facing exterior walls over the years. Many apartments, including a large number above ground level, were converted into bars, makeshift restaurants and stores.

Soon, the illegal construction reached a point where it was impossible to see the buildings' true exterior walls, prompting concerns among residents that the structural integrity of some buildings had been compromised, posing a safety risk, according to Tian, when he spoke to China Daily reporters in September.

When he watched several illegal constructions being torn down simultaneously on April 24, he couldn't imagine what the street would turn out to be like, he said.

The renovation of "Dirty Street" was part of the Beijing government's citywide campaign to first block unauthorized business openings in the walls of residential buildings, and then introduce better regulation and planning.

"The street has been expanded and the tangle of electrical wire has been buried underground," Tian said, speaking in December, a month after the renovation work had been completed.

"The street is no longer constantly covered by trash, and for me the icing on the cake is that two bookstores will open soon where bars in illegal constructions used to be," he said, excitedly.

While bars are not everyone's cup of tea, everyone can find something they like in a bookstore, he added.

Tian can now imagine drinking a cup of tea and reading a good book in stores on the street he once avoided.

"People were worried that the street would lose its popularity and charm after the small restaurants and bars in the illegal constructions were replaced, but just look at the crowd now. Although many of people still call it "Dirty Street" instead of its new name, they can tell things are different now," he added.

According to Wang Chunhu, a community official, one of the new bookstores held a two-hour trial opening in November that attracted more than 100 people. The stores will stock books in Chinese and also English to accommodate the needs of the large number of expats who visit Sanlitun.