Houhai Undergoing Reconstruction; Several Old Beijing Restaurants Forced to Close

Nanluogu Xiang. Guijie. Baochao Hutong. And now, next in the line of popular areas facing crackdown by the government all in the spirit of "cleaning up" is the popular entertainment and tourist hotspot, Houhai. 

RELATED: Houhai Next to Get the Nanluogu Xiang Treatment?

A trip to area revealed that some of the traditional laozihao – an official government designated time-honored shop, restaurant, or other brand – are no longer operating, either already in the process of being emptied out or sitting idle with a closed sign in the window. Most of these stores were originally family-run businesses, later becoming state run during the Cultural Revolution. The majority also exist in Xicheng district, where Houhai is located, because Qianmen, which sits a little further south, was the established business district from the Qing dynasty and on until the mid-20th century.

This piece on Toutiao confirms that three such laozihao have already been closed down around Houhai, including Bai Nian Luzhu, Laoman Bao Du,  Baoduzhang (pictured above), Hanzhiwei, and Lao Beijing Jiaoziguan. The given cause for their demise is "illegal construction," the article showing a number of the establishments undergoing heavy construction work. It's not clear as to whether the restaurants in question will resurface to sell their goods again.

One spot that we do frequent, cozy Vietnamese restaurant Nuage Restaurant (pictured at top), is fortunately still open and going strong after 16 years in the same spot. Its owner Runrun told the Beijinger that "[The restaurants that were closed down] don't have the proper licensing to run a restaurant. In serious cases, the government halts their operations completely."

Let that be a word for the warning to any businesses in the area to make sure their licenses are in check. We shall keep an eye on Houhai to establish whether its just a sweep of illegal establishments like happened in Wudaokou or whether the authorities will be looking to undergo a more serious overhaul in the coming months as happened on Nanluogu Xiang.

More stories by this author here.

Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
Instagram: s.xuagram

Images: Margaux Schreurs