Sanlitun Houjie Update

Earlier today we reported that the bars, restaurants and shops opposite Tongli Studios on Sanlitun Houjie were mysteriously closed last night. Having visited the area at lunchtime, Marc Beck has ascertained that the shutdown was the result of a police sweep of the area yesterday.

According to staff at Muse, located on the first floor of Tongli Studios across the street from Luga’s et al., police visited the venues in question yesterday and informed them that their premises had to close because they are located in a residential block not licensed for commercial activities.

Sounds like someone has annoyed the local boys in blue.

Luga’s was open at lunchtime today, as were the DVD shops along the strip. Bars such as Pure Girl remained shut, but it remains to be seen whether they will open this evening.

Waitstaff at Luga’s Basement and staff in the DVD shops simply replied “Wo bu zhi dao” when asked about last night’s events. Staff at Luga's Villa down the street, however, echoed what the Muse staff had said about the Sanlitun Houjie venues being closed for operating in a residential block. When we asked for comment from Luga himself, we were informed that he was currently “On a plane to the US.”

This is not the first time Sanlitun Houjie has faced temporary closure, and some of the venues in question have also been subject to police raids in the past. It remains to be seen whether last night was simply a brief disruption to business as usual, or whether this is a more serious attempt to clear the area and bring the street more in line with Sanlitun’s increasingly gentrified air.