Silk Street market demolished
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-01-07 08:41

The street was swarming with tourists before it closed.

Xiushui Market, a major Beijing tourist attraction, was officially closed yesterday afternoon when a huge bucket of a forklift scooped down its red logo.

Thousands of people standing behind a warning line witnessed the demolition scene while dozens of cameras were recording the last moment of the popular outdoor market, also known as Silk Street market among foreigners.

Surrounded by foreign embassies and luxury hotels, Xiushui Market is described as the third best-known tourist destination in the national capital after the Palace Museum and the Great Wall.

It draws 100,000 shoppers a day, turning in more than 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) of taxes annually from its sale of more than 100 million yuan per year.

The market's administration announced at the end of last year to finally close the market because of the serious hidden dangers, leaving stall owners two weeks for selling their goods at reduced prices.

Since 1997, city officials have been trying to demolish the market due to concerns over fire hazards.

The news that Xiushui Market would be shut down was heard last July, said Zhao Long, who owned a stand in the street.

"The administrators said this roadside market, the last of its kind in Beijing, was opened without the official permission of the urban planning and municipal engineering departments at the very beginning," he said.

"We have done a lot to save it, but failed," said Zhao.

While all the business people were reluctant to move, many domestic economists appealed to keep Xiushui Market as a window indicating the development of China's market economy though it had been accused of selling fake products.

With the demolition of the outdoor market, an indoor market that can accommodate three times as many stalls has taken shape.

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