A cyclist passes the main gate of the Forbidden City, the former residence of Chinese Emperors in the center of Beijing. Last month, Starbucks coffee closed its shop in the Forbidden City after seven years of business there. 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. Recently, Chinese authorities asked it to operate without branding its products.

Forbidden City, Beijing, China.

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