The once bustling Gangxia Food Street in Futian District will be turned into the biggest shopping mall in Shenzhen, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

The city government hopes to pull down more than 500 buildings on and near the food street this year, to make way for a 250,000-square-meter shopping mall, according to the newspaper.

The demolition of Gangxia Food Street is the first part of a 5-billion-yuan (US$641 million) plan to rebuild the Gangxia area. According to the plan, Gangxia, most of which is an urban village, will be developed as a central business area.

Li Ping, head of Futian District, told lawmakers last week that the shopping mall would be "three times as large as The MIXc."

The shopping mall will be a one-stop location for food, culture, sports, commerce and bars, Li said.

The government, real estate developer Gemdale and residents have reached a preliminary agreement on the plan.

The demolition of the old buildings will start after each homeowner in the area signs an agreement with the authorities over compensation.

Wen Jianzhu, a Gangxia resident, said residents were looking forward to the transformation. "Both our living environment and the city¡¯s image will be improved after the transformation," he said.

Gangxia Food Street used to be one of the five most famous food streets along Shennan Thoroughfare. Two of them have been transformed into shopping malls, and one into a hospital.

Some of the restaurants on Gangxia Food Street have already closed, and business is poor at most of the remaining restaurants.

"The food street used to be very prosperous, with many open-air tables. But many restaurant owners have left after hearing about the demolition," said a restaurant owner identified only by her surname Li.

Li, who has been running her restaurant there for more than three years, wanted to stay longer even though her lease had expired. "I'll miss the place."

Editor: Donald