By Su Shanyan and Wen Wubei |
NEWSPAPER EDITION
2009-8-1 00:00
Qibao Old Street is undergoing a facelift project in its criss-crossed narrow lanes to improve local residents' living conditions.
Connected with dozens of surrounding old lanes, the Qibao Old Street is always jostling with not only visitors, merchants and peddlers but also local residents that live in the nearby small lanes.
Many of the houses in the lanes are dilapidated, and families have had to share one kitchen and one bathroom for years.
The renovation project will install cable TV, reinforce the walls, add bathrooms, and repaint the houses.
In addition, some lanes will be re-planned.
The Beigu Lane will be developed into two antique roads featuring Chinese paintings, porcelain vases, bronze statues and jade stones. The Yutang Lane will be built into a tea road selling tea pots, tea leaves and tea appreciation books.
All of the illegal restaurants and snack stands on the nearby Fuqiang Road will be eased out and new licensed restaurants will be opened instead.
"The renovation project is not only improving the life quality of locals but also enriching the shopping experience of visitors," said the street's director Fu Zeren. "What's more, the replanning of lanes will also help ease the traffic tension on the main Qibao Street."