Managers of China's vast Forbidden City palace are deciding whether to close a Starbucks outlet on its grounds after protests led by a state TV personality, a news report said yesterday.
"The museum is working with Starbucks to find a solution by this June in response to the protests," the official Xinhua news agency quoted a palace spokesman, Feng Naien (
The decision will be made as part of a palace renovation that already has seen one-third of its shops removed, Feng said.
"Whether or not Starbucks remains depends on the entire design plan that will be released in the first half of the year," he said.
A news anchor for China Central Television has led an online campaign to remove Starbucks, which opened in the palace in 2000 at the invitation of its managers, who are under pressure to raise money to maintain the vast complex.
The anchorman, Rui Chenggang (
Starbucks vice president for Greater China Eden Woon was quoted by the Beijing News as saying the company had no plan to leave the site.
"Starbucks appreciates the deep history and culture of the Forbidden City and has operated in a respectful manner that fits within the environment," he said.
"We have provided a welcome place of rest for thousands of tourists, both Chinese and foreign, for more than six years. We are honored to have the opportunity, under an agreement with the Forbidden City, to enhance visitors' museum experience," he said.
A Starbucks spokesman, Roger Sun, said he could not confirm whether the palace and the firm were discussing possibly closing the outlet or give other information.
CCTV reported on the controversy yesterday on its national midday news, though it failed to mention that the protests were initiated by one of its own employees. The report quoted an unidentified Chinese visitor as saying tourists found it odd that Starbucks was in the palace.
The Forbidden City, built in 1420, is a 71-hectare complex of villas, chapels and gardens that was home to 24 emperors before the end of imperial rule in 1911.
It is China's top tourist attraction, drawing some 7 million visitors a year.
The renovation, due to last through 2020, is meant to restore the palace to its imperial-era appearance. Plans call for tearing down a five-story museum and other modern buildings that disrupt the original layout.
The palace Starbucks has been the target of similar criticism in the past.
The company agreed shortly after its opening to remove its outdoor sign after complaints that it was inappropriate.
In 2002, public protests led to a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet being booted out of Beihai Park, a former royal garden neighboring the Forbidden City.
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