Planning a Trip to Nanluogu Xiang? Check Ahead for Closures as Gutting Begins on Beijing's Most Infamous Tourist Street

Visitors were turned away by construction workers at the south entrance of Nanluogu Xiang on the afternoon of November 1, as road work and repairs of underground electrical wiring commenced.

At the time of publication, limited access was allowed at the north entrance of the street. Meanwhile, the perpendicular alleys running east and west remained open, but all portions of Nanluogu Xiang in between those intersections were closed off, with swaths of street torn up.

Scaffolding has been erected in front of some of the businesses in those closed off areas, a troubling sign for many shop owners and regular Nanluogu Xiang visitors who worried earlier this fall that pending construction would lead to complete redevelopment of the area’s hutongs.

However, a laborer at the intersection of Nanluogu Xiang and the perpendicular running Yu’er and Mianhua Hutongs said he believed the street’s existing businesses would reopen after the renovations are complete, though he did say that in addition to road an electrical repairs, the entire hutong was set to be renovated over the coming month. Another worker one block north, at the intersection of Nanluogu Xiang, Beibing Masi, and Mao’er Hutongs, echoed those claims.

Signs at the blockades on those intersections said that the infamous tourist street will be closed until the end of November, to protect people from the any electrical wires laid bare by the repairs.

Passage through the barricades running north and south on those intersections is prohibited, except for the laborers and residents of the area’s hutong housing.

When asked by Xinhua News whether the renovations would have an impact on local businesses and cause businesses along Nanluogu Xiang to close down permanently, one Dongcheng district representative responsible for the project said he did not expect businesses to close down as a result of the renovations.

"The construction work will certainly have an impact on the normal operations of the businesses along Nanluogu Xiang, but not to the point where they will close permanently. We hope to minimize these kinds of impacts throughout the project and businesses will be free to operate as sections of Nanluogu Xiang are reopened," the representative announced.

According to a notice given to nearby businesses and residents, these are the specific dates and the route that the reconstruction will take:

• Oct 28-Nov 2: Qinlao Hutong-Beibingmasi Hutong
• Oct 29-Nov 11: Qinlao Hutong-Houyuanensi Hutong 
• Nov 4-17: Beibingmasi Hutong-Banchang Hutong 
• Nov 9-20: Houyuanensi Hutong-Xiaojuer Hutong 
• Nov 14-21: Banchang Hutong-Chaodou Hutong
• Nov 17-25: Xiaoju'er Hutong-Gulou Dongdajie
• Nov 20-29: Chaodou Hutong-Dianmen Dongdajie

Dominic Johnson-Hill, founder of Plastered 8, one of the many businesses to be directly affected by the construction told the Beijinger, "The buildup to this construction has been going on for a while, and nobody knew how long it was going to take. They released the dates of the construction last week and it was a lot shorter than we anticipated, so we were very relieved there was a solid plan in place, and that they're doing it piece by piece. We’re also relieved that it will only take a month and that they’ll repave the road."

Johnson-Hill went to say that, "The road really needed re-doing. It was pretty uneven, and I felt it needed to be repaved anyway. Sure, we’ll lose money, and there was a stressful buildup to this construction but most of us shop owners on Nanluogou Xiang are quite relieved."

That means fans of the aforementioned Plastered 8, as well as Salud, Passby Bar, 8MM Café, Miss Hai’s Cake, 69 Café, and other longstanding Nanluogu Xiang establishments will have to wait until the construction finishes to revisit. At that point, the laborers’ claims will hopefully prove to be true and those businesses will reopen. In the meantime, shops and restaurants in the perpendicular hutongs should remain open, though we advise calling ahead before your visit to be sure.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: Kyle Mullin