The very first Apple store in China is ready for its grand opening at The Village at Sanlitun (Beijing), and a large overnight crowd has formed in an indoor space arranged by Apple. At 8:15 a.m. the latest wristband was numbered 273, with more people being added to the line each minute. Apple’s store is nearly invisible from the street, since it’s on the inner courtyard, and within a section that otherwise is not completely constructed. But once you see Apple’s store, it’s impressive–a three-story glass façade covering two visible floors, and a level covered with stainless steel. Topping off the store is a huge “bridge” to another section of the mall, covered with stainless steel and punctuated with a back-lit Apple logo. It’s not clear what this overhanging section really is–part of the store interior or simply an architectural feature that allows posting of Apple’s logo. View some photos after the break.The property manager has provided a huge space for those in the waiting line, which numbered 30 persons at of 7 p.m. on Friday night. There is power and Wi-Fi coverage, protection from intermittent thunderstorms and the 80s temperature. The space looks directly out onto the plaza where the Apple store is located, so we can see what’s going on.
I arrived about 5:30 p.m. as #27, but as of 10:45 the crowd is up to about 85 persons. By 11:30 p.m. the overnight crowd seems to have leveled off at about 110 persons. They are still delivering water to us at 2:30 a.m., and they are playing music quietly on the speaker system. Numbered lanes have appeared inside where we will all be assigned by the plasma screens that ring the waiting area, based on our wristband numbers. By 4:30 a.m. the security guards handed out wristband #156, and several of those sleeping are beginning to stir. The sun is shining brightly by 7:30 a.m., and by 8:15 a.m. a group of blue-shirted Apple employees are handing out grand opening “Visitors Guide” that are in elegant colors: red, silver and black.
Read more here.and on the Beimac.cn Web site.
The enclosed space for the overnight crowd is directly to the left in this photo.
The waiting line has a great view of the store from inside an adjacent empty space in the mall.
