Liangmaqiao

Liangmaqiao takes its name from the 'bright horse bridge' that historically crossed the small river running through what was then open land northeast of the city walls. The canal — the Liangma River — was cleaned up and its banks landscaped in the 2010s as part of a broader initiative to convert Beijing's historically polluted waterways into usable public space.

The improvement project attracted bar and restaurant operators who recognised the value of waterfront outdoor seating in a city where well-designed exterior spaces are scarce. A strip of venues opened along the north bank of the canal, beginning around 2018 and accelerating through the early 2020s. The scale and quality of this development positioned Liangmaqiao as an alternative to Sanlitun's busier, louder atmosphere.

The canal-side environment has a different pace: wider pedestrian paths, tables on floating pontoons, and a predominantly young professional crowd that tends towards earlier hours than the bar streets of Sanlitun. Wine and cocktail bars dominate, with a higher proportion of natural wine specialists and craft spirits outlets than elsewhere in the city.

Solana, an older shopping and entertainment complex at the east end of the area, predates the canal revival and has more conventional mall character. It remains an anchor for the surrounding residential population of the Workers' Village and Sanlitun North areas. Together the canal strip and Solana make Liangmaqiao a full-day area rather than an evening-only destination.