Although he lives just one block from Qianmen Street, Shen Yaojian had not been able to go there for the past 15 years.

Shi Jing (right) touches a giant bronze flowerpot on Qianmen Street yesterday. [Wang Jing/China Daily]

The reason was simple: for wheelchair bound people like Shen, the unevenness of the road made Qianmen unnavigable.

No more.

"With the new paved stone walkway, Qianmen has really becomes the front gate of my home," the 55-year-old Shen said.

"Front gate" is the literal translation of Qianmen. The historic commercial street re-opened on Aug 7 after a year of extensive reconstruction.

Although it has become much more accessible for the disabled, there are still gaps at some of the newly re-opened commercial establishments.

Yesterday morning, Shen joined 99 other disabled residents from Chongwen district on a tour organized by the Chongwen Disabled Persons' Federation.

"I never thought I would see the good old days again on this street. It is very impressive," Shen said.

To Shen, who contracted polio when he was a year old, Qianmen meant much more than an old commercial street. It is part of the memories of his childhood.

Huo Cong agreed. "I just remember the happy days of my childhood running and laughing here," he said.

Huo lost a leg in a car accident when he was eight years old.

The government began reconstruction of the street in May 2007.

The goal was to restore the historic street to its former glory during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) a century ago.

Liu Yufang, vice-governor of Chongwen district said that the designers made every part of Qianmen accessible to the disabled.

"We installed wheelchair ramps for the convenience of disabled customers" Zhang Jianping, the manager of Yitiaolong mutton restaurant, said.

But not all wheelchair-bound customers received such service.

In front of the Yixiangqian silk store, a wheelchair-bound elderly woman surnamed Duan craned her neck looking at the shop. She was attracted by a light green silk qipao.

"It is beautiful, but there is no ramp for my wheelchair," the 76-year-old woman said with a sigh, looking at the four steps between her and the dress.

"A wheelchair ramp is not only important for the disabled, but also for the elderly," she added.

Besides the lack of wheelchair ramps and bathroom facilities in some stores, there are also no specially designed paths for the visually impaired.

However, that did not detract from the 41-year-old Shi Jing's enjoyment of Qianmen yesterday. He was born blind.

"There are no cars and bicycles and the ground is flat. It is okay without the path for blind," Shi said.

"I can feel the stone lion in front of me with my fingers. Although I cannot see the world, I can feel history with my hands," he added.

(China Daily September 15, 2008)