Representatives from 14 world famous shopping streets Saturday gathered in Wangfujing, one of the busiest shopping streets in China, at a seminar on the development of shopping streets.

Their topics include how a street can be turned into landmark of a city or even a country and how to deal with traffic problem and public security issues.

Dominique Rodet, general representative of Champs-Elysees Committee, said she was surprised at the speed of development in Wangfujing, in downtown Beijing.

The general representative of the Champs-Elysees Avenue, Paris,visited Wangfujing two years ago, to sign an agreement on the sisterhood between the two well-known business centers.

Beijing has made great efforts to develop Wangfujing. Since 1993, the city government has invested 450 million yuan (US$54 million) to upgrade and transform the shopping street,said Chen Ping, chairman of the administrative committee of Wangfujing.

The 700-year-old Wangfujing became the most important business street in China in early last century. The transformation project is aimed at modernizing it while keeping the traditional style.

( China Daily May 27, 2002)