Highlight
Qianmen
Near Qianmen, a Beijing landmark for 600 years;
An old person restores time-honoured brands,
after working at it for 10 years;
And an old person is moving out,
after living here for 60 years;
The rise and fall of 1 100-year-old brand
fondly remembered where these old people were born
Program Video
Episode 1
Mr Yang is a pedicab driver who’s well known around Qianmen, because he talks so much. He grew up in southern Beijing, and has a whole fund of anecdotes about old Beijing.
He loves to tell people about them. With all the changes around Qianmen, his desire to talk just grows stronger. Mr Yang can’t go into great detail about Feng’s Baodu Restaurant.
Episode 2
Feng’s Baodu Restaurant uses sesame and braised toufu in its sauces. It’s a famous old brand around Qianmen with over 100 years of history, but business seems quite poor now, while just a year ago, it was very brisk.
The restaurant was established during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty.
Episode 3
To achieve its new image, Qianmen is now undergoing its biggest renovation in its 600-year history. By 2008, it will be a fully functional and tasteful pedestrian area combining traditional and modern styles.
Besides its many attributes, the plan is underlined by one key feature – modernization.
Episode 4
Just before the Fengs were due to move, two children found a body among the ruins behind their house. That made Feng’s wife even more uneasy.
Her children are too busy to come back and see her. Mr Feng was also busy and didn’t get back until very late.