Sanlitun represents contemporary Beijing without imperial architecture. The district in Chaoyang brings together fashion, dining, offices, hotels, galleries and nightlife. Its proximity to embassies and international companies has long given it a cosmopolitan character.
The main pedestrian destination is Taikoo Li Sanlitun, a retail complex divided into several open blocks. It is not an enclosed shopping centre. The streets between the buildings remain part of the experience and create public space for cafes, shop windows and seasonal installations.
Sanlitun is associated with new concepts and brands' first branches in the city. Its offer therefore changes faster than that of historic shopping streets. Visitors gain more from observing retail architecture, local design and dining projects than from following a fixed list of businesses that will soon be out of date.
The area becomes much busier in the evening. Restaurants, bars and music venues follow a different rhythm from daytime shops. The main pedestrian zones are easy to reach, but individual addresses can lie farther away because the name Sanlitun is used for a larger area.
Tuanjiehu and Gongrentiyuchang are the nearest important transport stations. When travelling, it is useful to check the destination's Chinese name because an English transcription may not be sufficient for a driver or a local mapping application.
Sanlitun contrasts with the hutongs, but this does not make it less authentically Beijing. It shows a city responding to global fashion, digital consumption and new ways of spending leisure time. It is as important as the historic Central Axis for understanding the contemporary metropolis.
