History
Haidian was originally a village outside of Beijing's Inner City. It was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and became one of the eight major business areas of the capital during the Qing Dynasty and was the seat of such old shops as Lotus White, Quanjude and Hongbin House. The famed Old Summer Palace and Summer Palace, two grand imperial gardens are also among its reputed features. It became a university district after the building of the Tsinghua University campus in the early twentieth century. It is mentioned in Lao She's novel Camel Xiangzi as an academic village for students. After the foundation of the People's Republic, it was deliberately developed as a university area, with many of the Yan'an institutions moving there. It officially became an administrative district in June 1954. Since the reform and opening up, it has become the centre of China's IT industry. In the words of Time magazine:
| “ | Like Paris' Champs Elysées or New York's Broadway, Haidian is a celebration of a national myth: China's ability to change itself and become, once again, great among nations. | ” |
Read more about this topic: Haidian District
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