The essence for life, work and entertainment are now combined in a single location - the CBD, where buildings such as the China World Tower take excellence and innovation to new heights

Thirty years have passed since China took its first steps back onto the world stage, reforming at home and opening to the international community. Business remained elusive for the pioneers who explored the Chinese market in the early 1980s.

Hindsight sees the tide begin to turn in 1984, when the Chinese government approved the construction of the China World Trade Center in Beijing. The first major commercial project of reform and opening up in the Chinese capital city, China World became the hub of a new phenomenon: the Beijing Central Business District (CBD).

A landmark

As reform and opening progressed, the CBD evolved as the core of China's engagement with international business. The CBD's development has been led by the China World Trade Center, whose stunning 330-meter, 81-storey third phase now commands the Beijing skyline.

With China set to be the focal point of global economic development in the 21st century, the China World Tower is more than an iconic landmark; standing at the very heart of the world's most dynamic economy, it is a destination for global corporations.

At a time when even the most basic business operations were a major challenge, China World offered services and facilities that were unprecedented in the Chinese capital.

When it opened in 1990, the first phase of the China World Trade Center caused a sensation. More than 100 Fortune 500 companies set up shops in the office tower, instantly establishing this area as a center for international business in Beijing.

Combining offices, apartments, an exhibition center, and high-class shopping and dining, this was a city-within-a-city, the first mixed-use commercial complex in Beijing. It was also the first business-oriented development to provide English-language services and train staff in international service standards.

China World not only opened a door for foreign enterprises to enter China; it also gave many locals their first glimpse of the wider world.

When the Wellcome Supermarket opened there in the early 1990s, it was the first time Beijing residents were able to purchase imported foods with local currency. Prior to this, locals had to purchase imported foods with passport in hand and pay with Foreign Exchange Certificates.

China World's shopping mall revolutionized fashion and lifestyle attitudes in Beijing. The very first Sino-foreign joint-venture clothing firm, Ideal Fashion, immediately opened a boutique there, while Kerry Fashion Centre offered a variety of imported brand name clothing and accessories. At a stroke, the China World Mall became the trendiest place to shop in Beijing.