Sanlitun Houjie Venues Facing Closure

Posted on July 31,2010 4:17pm by Iain Shaw

Something is afoot at Sanlitun. Rumors have been circulating for some time that the venues opposite Tongli Studios on Sanlitun Houjie, including Luga’s, Pure Girl Bar and several DVD stores, have been under pressure to close. Last night (Thursday, July 23) all the venues opposite Tongli Studios were shut.

Visitors to the street reported a hand-written sign on Luga’s door stating the venue was “Shut for a staff meeting.” All venues and shops on the first floor directly opposite Tongli Studios were closed, except for the food stand on the corner facing the Village. Some of the shops on the second floor were reportedly open however.

It would be unusual to see all these venues shut on any night, let alone on a Thursday as the city heads into a weekend.

These developments follow disturbing reports of an increase in violence in the area, including an unconfirmed report of a murder on Sanlitun Houjie several weeks ago.

Waitstaff at Luga's Villa last weekend indicated the Sanlitun Houjie Venues were under pressure to close, but it was unclear where this pressure was coming from.

Source from: the beijingger.com