Spiffed-Up Nanluogu Xiang Reopens in Part, Says Goodbye to its Old Raggedy Self

After being closed for several weeks for repaving, a good chunk of Nanluogu Xiang has reopened to pedestrians. Those looking to venture north and south along the famed shopping street can now do so in parts, but with some familiar venues still closed or completely banished.

Several businesses were closed during our visit earlier this week, some still undergoing refurbishment while others were completely abandoned. However, a few were already open for business like Peking Hostel and Cafe and fancy looking jewelry shop called My Peti Pearls (apparently sparing no expense for a French person to check the sign).

Some old favorites are returning, while others are noticeably absent. Plastered 8, for instance, will reopen on Nov. 26, according to owner and founder Dominic Johnson-Hill. Longtime favorite Pass By Bar, meanwhile, won't reopen until Dec. 15. Then there's popular bar Salud, which has shut down and is in the process of relocating to Doujiao Hutong, though new manager Hu Yishan attributes that move not only to the construction, but also because of what he deems Nanluogu Xiang's overly touristy clientele.

Late in October we reported on the closing of the hutong for what was ostensibly a repaving project, with perhaps a subtle pretext to gentrify the street, which in recent years has lost some of its original character thanks to an invasion of streetside shops.

However, during our recent visit, we could easily walk along much of Nanluogu Xiang, though we could see that the north entrance was still boarded off and scaffolding was erected from mouth of the street down to the intersection immediately south. Much of the street itself was lined with smooth new brick.

Johnson-Hill says that overall construction seems to be on track to finish by month's end, as the authorities promised. However, that doesn't mean that things will return to normal in the alley after that. As Johnson-Hill explains: "A lot of businesses on Nanluogu Xiang have been forced to change their offerings, there's been a move away from cheap food ... Most of the shops have improved their exteriors, so it looks more like an upscale hutong."

If that proves to be true, many alleyway regulars might be left wistfully nostalgic. But perhaps many of those hutong diehards have long given up on Nanluogu Xiang ever increasing commercialization, and like Hu have opted for the nooks and crannies of adjacent alleys anyway. And while that more selective Beijingers may remain indifferent to the central walking street's changes, they'll surely keep a nervous eye out for whether or not their favorite neighboring alley takes the same route toward gentrification.

Those who are curious about how the redevelopments look as a work in progress should visit this weekend (now is also a good time to visit the shops that are open, in order to avoid Nanluogu Xiang's typically frenzied crowds). The masochists among you who want to fully experience NLGX 2.0, however, had best wait a few more weekends to be swept away by the crowds.

Editor's note: an earlier version of this story had the wrong date listed for the reopening of Plastered 8 that has since been corrected. Apologies for the error.

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Photos: Kyle Mullin