THE Dongmen pedestrian precinct in Luohu District is now open to the public after undergoing a face-lift project that reconstructed the traffic infrastructure and landscape of the area, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

The Dongmen pedestrian precinct, which is 690 meters long and covers an area of 0.16 square kilometers, is located in the southwest part of Dongmen Subdistrict.

The pedestrian precinct was one of the 10 areas selected by the Luohu District Government in December 2016 for a renovation project on the traffic infrastructure and landscape in the district. The district government spent 30.05 million yuan (US$4.7 million) on the project, which kicked off in March 2017.

The pedestrian precinct used to be a busy commercial area with a less-developed environment. Roads were packed with pedestrians and cars, and the traffic infrastructure was of bad quality. After the renovation, the precinct provides a safer and more comfortable environment for pedestrians.

The street was widened from 7 meters to 21 meters with additional landscape belts. According to the report, some flowers will be planted and tables will be set up for residents to rest.

The Dongmen pedestrian street, formerly known as Dongmen Laojie (old street), was called “Shenzhen market” in the old days. A painting of the old Shenzhen market was on the wall of the Dongmen Culture Square.

In the past, consumers usually went shopping and enjoyed food from stores on the street. The first McDonald’s restaurant on the Chinese mainland opened in Dongmen on Oct. 8, 1990. The recreational facilities at the Workers’ Cultural Park in the neighborhood had also been a popular place for residents to kill time in the early 1990s.

According to the report, a mall covering an area of around 50,000 square meters will be built there in the future to target young consumers. (Cui Chenxin)