Why is the vitality of Wangjing Street in Beijing not decreasing?, Three years of cooperation with the street. 22nd | Wangjing Street, Beijing

On the southeast side of Wangjing Street in Chaoyang District, Beijing, there is a small street approximately 380 meters long, stretching from Wangjing Street in the north to Furong Street in the south. Once, the space here was cramped and driving was inconvenient, with over 100 motor vehicles and over 400 shared bicycles parked vertically and horizontally on a narrow street every day. Three years ago, this place was transformed into an international style pedestrian street with beautiful commercial pavilions and music fountain landscapes.

On the 22nd, Wangjing Street cooperated with Beijing Post, and 30 themed post offices gathered on the street for exhibition. The reporter found during the visit that tourists are constantly coming and merchants are bustling here. Why is the current Wangjing Street still vibrant?

30 themed post offices gathered on a small street for exhibition.

Stitch urban space

On the south side of Xiaojie is Vanke Times Center, and on the north side is Fangheng International Center. Before the renovation, the two commercial spaces in the north and south were divided in half by a 12 meter wide street and green belt, motor vehicles, bicycles, and takeout in the middle. Problems such as road damage and chaotic parking have also made the commercial format, spatial management, and service quality of the street outdated.

In 2015, after the closure of the Wangjing branch of Huatang Shopping Mall, which had been in operation for 8 years, the building was purchased by Vanke. However, due to transportation and environmental issues, the investment was not satisfactory. Cao Jie, the general manager of the Wangjing project at Vanke Times Center, said, "Throughout 2019, I didn't rent out a single square meter."

In 2019, Wangjing Street solicited opinions from residents, merchants, enterprises and other parties, and based on this, proposed the idea of building a pedestrian street, connecting commercial spaces. In 2020, the renovation of Wangjing Xiaojie officially began. The local government has invested 13 million yuan in the renovation of hardware facilities in the block, while the two enterprise entities Vanke and Fang Heng have invested 35 million yuan and 5 million yuan respectively for the construction of leisure, art, and supporting facilities on both sides of the block.

The renovated small street has a colorful sky called Wind Dance Dragon, and the open pedestrian area is covered with bright color blocks. On the south side, a sunken courtyard surrounded by commercial buildings gathers hundreds of catering enterprises, as well as facilities such as outdoor sculptures, water screen movies, small theaters, and art exhibition spaces. "The rent used to be four yuan, but now it's eight or nine yuan, which can basically double the rent," Cao Jie said.

Gathering international charm

Walking on Wangjing Street, German elements can be seen everywhere: from beer houses, statues of "Berlin bears", installation of "May trees", to 15 German market pavilions, German catering brands, and the sky curtain "Phoenix Dance Dragon Tour" designed by German artists. In the evening, the reporter also saw the star of the small street - the cute "Berlin Bear" doll queuing up for a parade, taking photos and interacting with citizens and friends.

The Berlin Bear dolls lined up for a parade.

It is reported that there are foreign nationals from over 60 countries and regions in the Wangjing area. Within a one kilometer radius of Wangjing Street, there are 6 Fortune Global 500 companies and over 30 multinational corporations, with a resident population of over 4000 foreigners, mainly from South Korea and Germany. It is an early mature international enterprise and talent gathering area in Beijing. The numerous foreign talents and their demand for high-quality business, cultural experience, outdoor sports, and artistic exchange have also provided a stable customer base for the rich commercial formats of Wangjing Xiaojie.

In October 2020, the Bundesliga transported the championship trophy of the Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich to the small street. For a moment, not only Wangjing, but also Bayern fans from all over Beijing and the country came here to clock in.

Artistic elements full of international charm converge on the streets and alleys. From the eye-catching "Wangjing Eye" on the streets to the ground painted "Forest Dance Manbo", they all come from the hands of international artists. The students at the Wangjing Campus of the Central Academy of Fine Arts also casually sprinkle their creativity in the corners of the small street. Some people say that Wangjing Xiaojie is both like 798, full of artistic atmosphere, and like Blue Harbor with many outdoor restaurants, as well as the dazzling light and shadow of the World Trade Center.

Theme Post Office Gathering

Wangjing Xiaojie is also skilled at creating a unique gaming experience for consumers.

On the 22nd, 30 themed post offices gathered on a small street for exhibition. Rich postal products, distinctive commemorative postmarks, and interesting cultural and creative activities... For a while, this 380 meter commercial street has become a paradise for many stamp and postmark enthusiasts in Beijing.

A paradise for postmark enthusiasts.

"My family lives in Haidian and I came specifically to participate in an event today." A young postmark enthusiast told reporters, "Each themed post office has its own unique commemorative postmark, but themed post offices are distributed in various scenic spots and travel destinations in Beijing, and collecting them requires traveling to more than half of the city. Today, 30 themed post offices gathered on Wangjing Street, and it was really worth my visit."

Enthusiasts queuing up and stamping are constantly coming.

At the event site, 30 theme post offices and cultural experience stores, including Sports Post Office, Olympic Culture Theme Post Office, China National Arts and Crafts Museum Theme Post Office, Beijing Grand Canal Post Office, Badaling Great Wall Theme Post Office, Daqing Post Office, Paleontology Theme Post Office, New China-Chic Theme Post Office, Peking University Theme Post Office, Tsinghua University Youth Post Office, Chaozhou Theme Post Office, Space Post Office, Nanluo Post Office, Love Post Office, Flight+Post Cultural Experience Store, set up their own stalls on both sides of the street. Enthusiasts queuing up to stamp stamps are constantly coming, and the originally wide streets are crowded with people.