This Day, That Year

Item from Aug 29, 1997, in China Daily: An artist's depiction of the Wangfujing underground shopping mall in Beijing.

Refurbishment of the downtown commercial center of 1.65 square meters, which started in 1993, is to be completed in 2003. The east-west metro line will open a station in the area by 1999.

Since the success of the underground shopping mall on Wangfujing Street, many cities have tapped the space below our feet to ease the pressure on land.