Beijing's 600-year-old Qianmen St. drawing world-famous, traditional brands

BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Qianmen Street, one of Beijing's oldest commercial areas, which reopened to the public last year, is attracting world-famous brand chains, local officials said Thursday.

Swedish fashion chain HM opened its north China flagship store on the street Thursday, the first foreign outlet in the 840-meter Qianmen Street, said Li Weihua, spokesman for the Chongwen District government.

Other stores such as the Spanish fashion chain Zara and the ice-cream seller Haagen-dazs are preparing to open new outlets here, Li said.

After a year of renovation, 12 local businesses that originated in the area in the past century, such as the Quanjude roast duck restaurant, Dabei Photo and the Zhangyiyuan teahouse, reopened on Aug. 7 ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

About 70 percent of the stores in Qianmen Street are leased to traditional Chinese brands, while the other 30 percent to overseas brands, Li said.

Qianmen Street lies on Beijing's historic central axis just south of Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City, the imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to the end of the Qing Dynasty which ended in 1911. It became a major commercial and entertainment street during the 20th century.