Complex brings Beijing's past back to life

A new cultural and commercial destination in central Beijing is inviting visitors to step back in time with life-size recreations of the city's streets and neighborhoods from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Hengsujie: Time Cultural, Commercial and Tourism Complex, located on Di'anmen Dongdajie near the city's popular Houhai lakeside area along Beijing's Central Axis, will officially open on July 8. The immersive venue blends historical reconstructions, live performances, dining, and retail to recreate everyday life in old Beijing.

Visitors can wander through faithfully re-created hutong (alleyways), traditional courtyard homes, State-owned factories, tube-style apartment buildings, photo studios, supply-and-marketing cooperatives, dance halls, and arcades. Vintage details, from White Rabbit candies and enamel thermos flasks to street signs and electrical boxes, help evoke memories of the late 20th century.