Storekeepers take dispute over rent to the streets

Hundreds of tenants who had rented booths at a department store in Chaoyang district took their demand for a rent refund to the streets again on Monday, lying down outside the store to make their point.

They were angry after pre-paying for a year's rent at Chunping Plaza, beside Beijing Workers' Stadium, only to see the store close in January due to alleged mismanagement - three months after they paid for 12 months.

The tenants said they paid their rent in advance to then general manager Liu Haiyuan but neither he nor the new store boss, Sun Guosheng, has met their requests for a rent refund.