Daily sales on Beijing's market up 17% during Olympics

Sales of 193 sample enterprises in Beijing averaged 190 million yuan (about 27 million U.S. dollars) per day during the Olympics, up 17 percent from the same period last year, said Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce on Tuesday.

The sample enterprises included stores with a distinctive Chinese flavor such as those in the Silk Street and famous traditional restaurants like Quanjude, known for roast ducks.

From Aug. 1 to 24, nearly one million people visited the five-floor Silk Street mall in eastern Beijing, pushing its sales to 383 million yuan (about 56 million U.S. dollars), eight times as much as that in the same period last year.

Tailored clothes, silk by the roll, jewelries and chinaware were most popular among customers, of which foreigners accounted for 80 percent including state heads and government officials from 24 countries and world famous athletes.

For example, the 14-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, pole vault world record keeper Isinbaeva, NBA star Manu Ginobili and the Argentine soccer team all went shopping at Silk Street.

Visitors from home and abroad poured into old restaurants such as Quanjude and Bianyifang to taste the special-flavored duck.

Quanjude restaurant chains received visitors totaling more than previous records set during Golden Week holidays and Spring Festivals. On one night, people lined up outside the Quanjude restaurant at Hepingmen amounted to 400.

Another chain restaurant Bianyifang sold more than 580 roast ducks every day. Its sales were up 30 percent compared with the same period last year.

An Australian newspaper even speculated that the roast duck helped swimmer Libby Trickett win her gold medal as she could not stand a meal without it.