New lamps in the shape of birdcage are seen on Qianmen Street in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2008. The renovation work for Qianmen Street will be completed before May. Qianmen area, Beijing's ancient business, entertainment and culinary center, interweaves Beijing's serried traditional narrow lanes network "Hutong". [Photo: Xinhua]

After a year-long renovation, Beijing's famous Qianmen Street will be restored to its ancient grandeur and open to public in early May, a China News Service report said.

Qianmen Street will become a traffic-free pedestrian zone before the 2008 Beijing Games. Trolley buses, which disappeared from the capital more than 50 years ago, will reappear on the street. Well-known traditional commercial brands such as the Quan Ju De Peking duck restaurant also will make a comeback here.

Buildings on Qianmen Street have been restored to their ancient style, and gray stone slabs now cover the street's surface. Workers also have installed imitation antique street lamps, some shaped like birdcages.

Qianmen Street, first built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), is regarded as Beijing's oldest commercial street.

The renovation work will be completed at the end of April, according to the report.

Laborers work on an ancient architecture on Qianmen Street in Beijing, capital of China, April 18, 2008. The renovation work for Qianmen Street will be completed before May. Qianmen area, Beijing's ancient business, entertainment and culinary center, interweaves Beijing's serried traditional narrow lanes network "Hutong".

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2008)