A 330-meter-long and 28-meter-wide street is being built in a southern area of Beijing called "Tianqiao," which means bridge to heaven in Chinese.

The street, lined with 20th century style buildings, will have a 5,000-square-meter square at the end.

The old Tianqiao was famous for its entertainment spectacles during the last 50 years of the last century and was especially known for grassroots art.

During the heyday of Tianqiao, kungfu shows, music performances and acrobatics were seen everywhere on the street. Almost all Beijingers, particularly common people, came to Tianjiao for fun in holidays and festivals.

A number of old theaters, restaurants and tea houses were found in this area. One of the largest still-existing traditional theaters has been rebuilt and old entertainment such as Beijing opera is staged.

Traditional carnivals and fairs are once again being held in the area in part to attract tourists.

The new Tianqiao street will be pedestrianized in a bid to make visitors feel at ease to wander around, the local government said.

As a long-term residence of poor people in old Beijing, Tianqiao was crowded and poorly managed. Some historic buildings stand side by side with illegal buildings and many old houses needing mending or rebuilding.

About 61 million yuan have been invested in cleaning up the environment in the past two years. And 317 families were moved out.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2002)