A customer sits in a bar on Beijing’s famous Sanlitun bar street on Tuesday, the last day before they were forced to close. The area is home to some of the oldest bars in the capital. Photo: VCG

Two people take photos of a venue on the Sanlitun bar street on Tuesday. Post-renovation, the strip will retain it’s ‘bar street’ brand but it will also welcome other types of dining and food establishments, such as cafés. Photo: VCG

The neon lights of the bar shopfronts illuminate the street on Tuesday night. Located near the embassy area, the bar street stretches 260 meters and is a short distance from the Taikooli shopping complex in Beijing’s Chaoyang district. Photo: VCG

A woman takes photos of a closed bar on the street on Tuesday. Local authorities have issued the buildings on the street with a grade D — the lowest category of safety standards. Photo: VCG

Opened in 1994, Swing 58 is one the oldest bars on the street. Photo: Ding Ke(intern)/Caixin

Items are stacked up within a closed bar on Tuesday. Photo: Ding Ke (intern)/Caixin

A woman takes photos outside a bar on Tuesday. Photo: Ding Ke (intern)/Caixin

After learning news of the strip’s closure, Wei, 60, decided to visit the street to take photos of the bars as a memento on Tuesday. Photo: Jiang Qiming/China News Service, VCG