South Bar Street in Sanlitun,
the city's most popular collection of watering holes, has
been demolished. Sanlitun's first bar opened here in 1995.
Hundreds have followed. Mutability has become such a feature
of Beijing life that it is milked by sharp entrepreneurs.
The staff of the Hidden Tree wear and sell sweatshirts emblazoned
with the character chai, which means demolish, and the profile
of a local artist, Zhang Dali, who uses condemned buildings
as the canvas for his graffiti. Read
the article. [from the Guardian, Sat Feb 12, 2005]
The last 3 photos, which
were taken by Ilian, show the Hidden Tree building has now
been levelled, and the namesake tree is no longer so hidden,
firmly keeping its roots. Lets just hope it survives into
the new era of the area. [27th Sep, 2005]
A very sad day, and a crying
tree. Even though there is a restriction order on all trees
of a certain size around Beijing, unfortunately the tree
marking the spot of the Hidden Tree bar has been chain-sawed
down to make way for the new development. [20th Oct, 2005]
The Tree - Belgian Beer Bar 43
Bei Sanlitun Nan, Chaoyang District, Beijing
(100 metres West of Sanlitun North Bar street, Yo Yi Youth Hostel,
behind Poachers Inn)
bar tel: +86 (10) 6415 1954