At first, diangdiang tramcar adopted a French style, before switching to a Japanese style and finally Chinese. The new tramcars are in the original 1924 French style and allow drivers to stand at either end.

There are few photographs of the old tramcars left, so making modern replicas has been a difficult task. The newly made diangdiang tramcars are identical to the originals, and include antique wooden decorations and the old bells. They have also adopted advanced technology and materials to make them run more efficiently and to prevent environmental damage.

The tramcars start their journey at Wupailou. Built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was the biggest wooden archway in Beijing, and was pulled down by the government in 1958. In 2001, it was reconstructed according to the outlook of the old archway. The only change was that four of its six posts were hung in the air to reduce their influence on the tramline. It was later pulled down again. This time it has been rebuilt in its exact original location and with the original design, using old photographs as a reference.

Imperial Road

Wupailou leads onto a stone rather than concrete road, made of white and gray stone, that creates an air of antiquity.

According to historic records, emperors would pass along Qianmen at least twice a year, so it became known as the imperial road. Restoration work on the road has used 2,000 square meters of white stone and 18,000 square meters of gray.

The new Qianmen Street, from the north to the south, is decorated with imperial-style lights, birdcage-shaped lights and other materials to show Beijing's traditional flavor. "We have saved and restored 76 percent of all the buildings here," revealed Wang Shiren, an expert on ancient architecture.

The designers wanted to restore the architecture of Qianmen according to Ming and Qing dynasty style, but in 1900 it was totally destroyed by foreign invaders and there were no records left.

Because of this they were forced to rely on old photographs of the avenue that was rebuilt in the early part of last century. The north part of the new Qianmen is mainly restored old buildings, while the southern part is more modern.

Old shops and foreign brands

In old times, people could find everything they needed on Qianmen Street. They went to Ruifuxiang for cloth, to Neiliansheng for shoes, to Majuyuan for hats, or to Quanjude for roast duck. Ruifuxiang Cloth Shop has a history of more than 110 years and provided cloth for the first national flag raised at Tiananmen Square.

Although many of the shops along the street now have branches throughout Beijing, local people still prefer to come to Qianmen, the headquarters of the shops.