Visitors take photos of the Sanlitun bar street on Tuesday night in Beijing. Photo: Pang Yue/GT

Beijing's legendary "Sanlitun bar street" prepared for last orders on Tuesday, with much-needed renovations set to begin shortly.

In a notification letter sent by the Sanlitun sub-district administrative office on December 25, 2022, all bars on the street are to be closed down, as the "housing structure is not suitable for operation, which seriously affects the overall safety."

Almost half of the bars on the street were still open as of press time with visitors taking photos in front of the flashing neon lights. One staff member told the Global Times that it was "the busiest day" they had had for a long time.

The street has been welcoming drinkers for 28 years. Cui, a 52-year-old resident who lives near the street, told the Global Times that it was an iconic landmark. Whenever her husband met clients, Cui said, the bars on the street were always the first option.

"The closure of the street is actually a closure of my memories of being young," she added.

Wang Laohu, a regular guest on the street told the Global Times that he came specially today after hearing the street would be closed soon.

"Those bars gave me the biggest mental entertainment," he said, explaining that catching up with friends for supper after a few drinks here made him happy.

Wei Lei, deputy director of the Sanlitun sub-district office, said that the 1990s buildings need to be improved. He also noted that the "Sanlitun bar street" brand will remain due to its popularity with visitors.

Jiang Xujun, a 40-year-old photo journalist and Beijing local, told the Global Times that he had captured some "crazy" moments of the street's "glory," especially in the late 1990s when it was the backbone of the Sanlitun area's entertainment economy.

"Close to Beijing's embassy district, those pubs and bars were crammed with foreigners mixing with locals. Popular Bei Piao (Lit: people who come to Beijing for life opportunities) singers held gigs in bars… there are some good old memories," Jiang said.

Urban planning expert Li Bo told the Global Times that in the last four years, the area has been gradually improving its facilities to provide more contemporary experiences for international visitors.

"In my opinion, the bars were outdated. We once had them for promoting the busy and life-loving ambience of Beijing. But people's lifestyles have changed. Now they prefer more authentic and hidden Beijing experiences," Li noted.

Although some fans like Jiang felt nostalgic, local resident Catherine Peng is happy to see the bars go.

"Their noise was so loud that the neighbors often got together to denounce them. We complained and got no feedback," she said, adding that she thought the bars were "low."

Recalling some of the bars' revealing pole dances, Liu Liyang, another resident, told the Global Times that she hoped some "elegant" shops would take their place.

As part of the Sanlitun area's overall improvement, Wei said that catering businesses like cafés and healthy food companies will replace bars on the street to meet consumers' demand.

Prior to the Sanlitun bar street, Beijing's Shi Chahai, another hot entertainment area, also went through a bar street "surgery" in 2017. More than 4,000 square meters of illegal construction, including major bars' roof tops, were demolished.

Along with other measures such as banning bars' open-air operations, the area was to be restored to show Beijing's classic and historical aesthetics.