Chinese Style Shopping Center in Guanqian Street 观前街
Suzhou’s pedestrian shopping street Guanqian Street is right smack in the old town of Suzhou. The road is closed off to vehicular traffic much like the rest of the old town. Normally, the shopping streets of China would be lined with old colonial era buildings that usually make a pretty picture at night. However, the ones which line Guanqian Street were not really that type. You can see though that they try to keep the heritage feel here but it really does feel different from Hefang Street in Hangzhou or even Shanghai’s Nanjing Road East.
Chinese Temple Style Building Under Construction/Renovation at Guanqian Street 观前街
There weren’t much modern shopping malls here as they were mostly shopping centers filled with Chinese brands. Probably the only foreign standouts were the ubiquitous McDonald’s and KFC which has successfully entrenched themselves in the Chinese restaurant scene. I remember seeing a traditiona looking Chinese building being built here, though I wasn’t sure if it was being built or just being renovated. It could very well be a very old building which was being repurposed for a more profitable venture such as shopping.
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