Beijing 2009 - The Village at Sanlitun

The Village at Sanlitun is an upscale shopping centre in the Eastern part of Beijing City. The concept is quite different from a typical shopping mall. It is more a collection of shops arranged around a series of streets and courtyards. The shops are a collection of the typical International brands such as Nike, Apple, Esprit, Adidas, etc. 

The architectural design and planning  is very well done and creates interesting spaces for shoppers to wonder around. The buildings are anchored by a main plaza with water fountains and a huge LED screen on one side of the buildings. 

The details of some of the buildings are really interesting, like this facade clad in perforated gold-metallic sheets. It looks like an expensive jewelry box - more expensive then the stuff they sell inside, perhaps ?

This is one of the rare shopping centres you visit for the architectural design rather then the shopping. Make a stop here if you happen to be in Beijing. You won't regret it.