Since the middle of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) there have been commercial activities. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), eight aristocratic residences were built here. Soon after a well full of sweet water was discovered, the street got its name "Wang Fu" (aristocratic residence), "Jing" (well). In 1903, Dong"an market was formed. Wangfujing has become one of the four traditional downtown areas of Beijing, in addition to Dashilar, Xidan, and Liulichang. The Street starts from Wangfujing Nankou, where the Oriental Plaza and the Beijing Hotel are located. It then heads north, passing the Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore, the Beijing Department Store as well as the Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore before ending at the Xindong’an Plaza. It is now home to around 280 famous brands of Beijing, such as Shengxifu hat store, Tongshenghe shoe shop, Wuyutai tea house. A photo studio which took formal photos for the first Chinese leadership, the New China Woman and Children Department Store helped established by Soong Ching-ling (Mme Sun Yat-sen) were also located on the street.

     After the renovation completed by the municipal government, this shopping street aims to achieve equal ranking with New York"s Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Elysees of Paris and the Ginza in Tokyo. Along Wangfujing Street tourists can find department stores, bookstores, old-style plaza, and many kinds of shops. For those who want to buy Chinese handicrafts, Artistic Mansion(Gong Mei Da Xia) is a good place to go. The Wangfujing Night Market is a must-go place for the tourists where they eat various street foods on the Snack Street. Traditional delicacies, such as Chuan (meat kebabs, commonly made of lamb) and desserts, such as Tang hu lu, or candied fruits make up the majority of the food sold on the street.