Forbidden City- That Means You, Starbucks!

by Jordan Yerman | July 14, 2007 at 02:18 pm

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I suppose terra cotta warriors don't need coffee anyway...

A controversial Starbucks coffee shop in the Forbidden City, the former imperial palace at the heart of Beijing, has closed its doors after years of opposition.

A campaign for its closure has been brewing since early this year, when a television anchor complained that the American chain's presence in the symbol of the Chinese nation was trampling on Chinese culture.

The outlet opened in 2000 prompting a media backlash so severe that the museum authorities considered revoking its lease after a couple of months. It has operated without the usual outward corporate Starbucks bunting in recent years.

"Starbucks shouldn't be here. Why bring something so Western to an ancient place like this?" steamed an Australian tourist who gave his name as Justin.

The shop closed on Friday. By Saturday morning, newspapers covered the windows while a crew of workers set up a souvenir shop inside.

I'm not entirely convinced, though, that a souvenir shop is necessarily any better.

Cambodia's ancient city of Angkor is devoid of such trappings, unlicensed touts aside; what it has in spades, though, are ancient temples, monkeys, snakes, and pure wonder.