英语新闻丨北京关停三里屯酒吧街？官方回应

People flocked to the legendary Sanlitun bar street in Beijing on Tuesday night to celebrate the good times they'd spent in the bars there for the last time before their closure. For many regular visitors, the bar street had not only accompanied them in their young and wild days, but was also an example of China's reform and opening-up progress.

周二晚上，人们涌向北京传奇的三里屯酒吧街，庆祝在酒吧关闭前最后的美好时光。对于很多常客来说，酒吧一条街不仅陪伴了他们年少轻狂的岁月，也是中国改革开放进程的一个缩影。

The street, which is near the embassy area in Chaoyang district, was developed in the 1990s. It is home to some of the city's oldest bars, which were opened after China implemented its reform and opening-up policy.

这条街道靠近朝阳区使馆区，始建于上世纪90年代。这里是北京一些最古老的酒吧的所在地，这些酒吧是在中国实施改革开放政策后开设的。

After being appraised by a third-party organization, the buildings on the street — a strip located across the street from the popular Taikooli shopping complex — were deemed unsafe so they had to be closed by Tuesday for renovations, said Wei Lei, deputy director of Sanlitun subdistrict.

三里屯街道办事处副主任卫磊表示，经过第三方机构的评估，——位于受欢迎的太古里购物中心街对面的地带存在安全隐患，因此必须在周二之前关闭进行装修。

After hearing the news, a senior Beijing resident surnamed Wang and his wife took pictures on Tuesday at Languifang, their favorite bar and the location of a date they had together when they were younger.

听到这个消息后，北京一位王姓居民和他的妻子在周二的时候到了他们最喜欢的兰桂坊酒吧拍照，也是他们年轻时约会过的地方。

"We have so many beautiful memories here. In the 1990s, the bar street was the must-go place for fashionable young people in Beijing. It was the only one of its kind and there was no place like it," the 60-year-old said. "We are here today to preserve the last memory of it and to bid farewell to our youth."

“这儿有太多我们美好的回忆。90年代的时候，酒吧街是北京时髦年轻人都会去的地方，独一无二，无与伦比，”说这话时，他已经60岁了。“我们今天来到这里，是为了保留对它最后的记忆，也是为了向我们的青春告别。”

The bars were also popular among expatriates and had become great platforms for cultural exchanges, especially when the country first started to open up and people were eager to learn about the world, Wang said.

他还说，这些酒吧在外籍人士中也很受欢迎，成为了文化交流的重要平台，尤其是在中国刚刚开始开放的时候，人们渴望了解世界。

"During our visits to the bars over the years, we could tell that people had become more confident when exchanging ideas with people from other countries. In fact, the bars have witnessed the progress that China has made," he added.

“这些年来，在我们走访这些酒吧的过程中，我们可以感觉到，人们在和其他国家的人交流思想时变得越来越自信。事实上，这些酒吧见证了中国取得的进步。”

Liu Yan, who has lived in the Sanlitun area for more than 40 years, said she has seen how the bar street took shape and how the street was packed with people from all over the world during its glory days.

在三里屯地区生活了40多年的刘艳说，她见证了酒吧街在鼎盛时期的形成，也看到了这条街在辉煌时期如何云集了五湖四海的人。

"As Beijing becomes more international, better bars have opened around the city. The city's first bar street is no longer unique and as popular as it once was, so the upgrades are quite necessary," said the 65-year-old who also came to see the street before the renovations begin.

“北京发展越来越国际化，周边开了更多优质酒吧。第一条酒吧街不再像以前一样特别和受欢迎了，所以对它进行升级是很有必要的，”一位65岁的老人说道，他也在装修开始前来看一看这条街。

On Tuesday night, many bars on the street were closed with a notice stuck on the doors saying "housing structure is not suitable for operation, which seriously affects the overall safety". Some chose to open till the last minute so loyal customers could have their last drinks there.

周二晚上，街上的许多酒吧都关门歇业，门上贴着“房屋结构不适合经营，严重影响整体安全”的告示。有些酒吧选择营业到最后一分钟，如此一来，老顾客就可以在这里喝到最后一杯。

As part of the renovation, other types of businesses such as coffee shops and restaurants offering healthy food will be opened on the street, said Wei, the official from Sanlitun subdistrict, adding that even with their arrival, the area will still be known as bar street.

三里屯街道的魏姓官员表示，街上还将开设咖啡店和提供健康食品的餐馆等其他类型的业务作为改造的一部分。他还补充道，即使真这样安排，这条街仍将被称为酒吧街。

Liu said she is glad that the area will keep its name because the bar street has become a symbol of China's opening-up progress.

刘艳说，她很高兴这条街的名称能得到保留，因为酒吧街已经成为中国开放进步的象征。

"The history of the street is worth remembering. That's why there are so many people here to say goodbye," she said.

“这条街的历史值得铭记。这就是为什么有这么多人来这里告别。”她说道。

Flock

英 [flɒk]      美 [flɑːk]

n.一大群人

Appraise

英[əˈpreɪz]    美[əˈpreɪz]

v.评估

Renovation

英 [ˌrenə'veɪʃn] 美 [ˌrenə'veɪʃn]

v. 翻新