| August 7, 2008
A view down Dashila. This has been a walking shopping street for many years. It is one of the oldest walking streets shopping districts in Beijing. Many of the traditional stores have been maintained in good condition throughout the century. Some had already been repaired in the 1990s by their owners during the rise in prosperity. Among the various shopping areas, this and Xi Dan were the two that served the everyday needs of residents of Beijing. Xi Dan is located west of Tian'anmen Square. Hopefully, the new changes won't erode that customer base as it did on Xi Dan. When some stores tried to go upscale modern, they lost their traditional customers and failed to draw people away from Wangfujing, the "Fifth Avenue" of Beijing.
Getting rid of protruding signs and wires opened the view. Below, a different section of Dashila in 2004.
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