Apple Store China

With a very small chance of saying something wrong, I can claim that China is the fastest growing country in the world. While things are cooling down in most areas of the planet, they keep going high, and the environment has to pay a heavy toll, but that's a sad truth I can't do much to change. Considering this incredible growth, it's no surprise that Apple will have one store opened there this summer, expected to be ready just in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Apple's first Chinese store was shaped as a plan some time ago, but now everything is official - the location is Qianmen Street, a half-mile avenue at the south end of Tiananmen Square, currently just out of an impressive renovation, worth $40 million. Utilities have been improved, the street is now paved with green and white marble, a tram line has been reintroduced, buildings are now restored to their 1920-1930 appearance, and the existing Opera House has been rebuilt. Wow!

The Apple Store will be located on this street, now the second pedestrian-only shopping street in Beijing, expected to soon feature 300 shops, with over 800,000 square feet, including international retailers like Starbucks, Adidas, and our beloved Apple, of course.

According to various architecture sources, the Apple Store in Beijing will blend in with the other buildings in the area, instead of going along with the standard storefront designs used so far by the Cupertino-based company.