In addition to restaurants, there are now entire districts devoted to bars, cafes, and tea houses. Sanlitun, near the foreign embassies, and Houhai (Rear Lake), along both sides of the serpentine lake north of the Forbidden City, are the best known.
However, the local Chinese often opt for more mundane streets, such as Dongzhimennei Street. Best known as Guijie, it offers some 200 eateries with various styles of foods from across the country.
Shopping
For foreigners, shopping in Beijing has also entered the 21st century with a vengeance.
Guan Tong, 46, a former assistant at the Beijing Friendship Store, recalls that in the old days, it was an honor to work at the only store in Beijing that was authorized by the government to receive foreign guests.
"We had to pass an English examination and an interview. The training included international etiquette and knowledge of traditional Chinese goods, such as silk, jade, pearl, as well as the 'four Chinese treasures' - brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones," she said.
The Friendship Store was only allowed to receive foreign exchange certificates (FECs), a currency used by foreigners before 1994, she added.
Guan could never have imagined the range of shops and other commercial facilities available in Beijing today.
From boutique department stores (such as the World Trade Centre, The Place, and Shin Kong Place) to giant shopping malls like the Golden Resources Shopping Mall to hubs of individual shops (such as the Xiushui Silk Market and the Hongqiao Pearl Market), the range of domestic and imported goods available to both foreigners and local consumers is simply staggering.
Dongsi Street, a 15-minute drive from Tian'anmen Square, is regarded by locals as Beijing's Shibuya (the fashion district in Tokyo). Here there are boutiques operated by young trend-setters, as well as established shops with staffs of experienced tailors.
Feng Yanyang has run a jeans store called "Cool Jeans" on Dongsi for almost 10 years. In addition to jeans - both brand name and locally made - her shop sells second-hand luxury brands, which are popular with foreign visitors.
