Meticulous restoration
In 1905, Quanyechang, an institution established to promote Chinese manufacturing, opened west of Zhengyang Gate.
Over the next hundred years, the building survived fires, political shifts and multiple reinventions from a department store to a hotel, before being designated a protected cultural relic in 2006.
It then underwent a meticulous restoration from 2011 to 2015.
"The restoration team invited master craftsmen who had worked on Tian'anmen," Liu recalls. One tassel carving alone took a week to complete by hand.
During the renovation, workers discovered a massive brass chandelier hidden within the building's octagonal dome.
"It had been sealed in there for years and forgotten. International artisans helped restore it according to the original design," Liu says.
Today, the century-old chandelier lights up the hall during major events.
Around 2012, planners debated whether the site should become a massive modern shopping complex. Instead, they adopted architectural principles that highlighted "holistic preservation with creative renewal".
"The value of this district isn't in how tall we build but in how deeply we preserve it," Liu says.
Renowned architects collaborated to design eight interconnected buildings, creating rooftop gardens, sky bridges and open courtyards that link historical structures with new ones. It rendered Beijing Fun as one of the first projects in a historical district to adopt a cluster design model, which has maintained the spatial texture of traditional neighborhoods while accommodating modern leisure and the retail lifestyle.
In April, the second phase of Beijing Fun will open a 3,000-square-meter rooftop garden to the public. From this elevated vantage point, visitors can gaze east toward Zhengyang Gate and the southern stretch of the Central Axis.
The garden has been designed in three sections: one for outdoor leisure and social events, such as themed camping; another for art exhibitions and brand launches; and a third, featuring a small stage for live performances.
"From here you can see the axis, overlook Dashilar, and view the historical lantern street from a completely different perspective," Liu says.
