The Donghuamen night market. (Photo : Twitter)
The Donghuamen night market, a fixture in downtown Beijing for the past 32 years, has announced it will close by the end of this month.
According to a notice posted by the Beijing Donghuamen Night Market of Food Street Co. Ltd., the market's "food service license" had expired on March 32, 2016, and so the market is scheduled to close on June 24, 2016, after business hours to comply with local laws and regulations.
During the period between June 6 and June 25, the company will handle the relevant procedures for tenants, the local news website Qianlong.com said in a report posted the previous week.
Covering an area of 1,500 square meters at the north side of Donghuamen Street, the Donghuamen night market was established in the 1980s and was the first night market to open after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. Since then it has been a popular destination for finger foods and snacks, ranging from traditional dumpling soup to exotic fried scorpions on a stick.
The night market has also become an increasingly popular attraction for foreign tourists. Travel guide website TripAdvisor has recommended Donghuamen as one of the top places to visit in Beijing, ranking 55th in a total of 1,500 destinations.
However, due to its geographical location and unique business operation, the night market has also been a source of controversy to the local residents.
The noises from shouting vendors until midnight have long disturbed residents of the area, according to the government-owned news website China.org, while crowds at the market have led to frequent traffic congestion.
An inspector at Beijing's Dongcheng District Food and Drug Administration said the unhygienic food storage conditions in the stalls and improper management of food waste disposal have led to health concerns at the market.
Once the market has been closed, city authorities will launch a project to renovate the streets, roads, and other infrastructure to improve traffic conditions.
