By Chris Chang, posted Jul 18, 2011 at 5:02 PM, 712 views,

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sanlitun Beijing Apple Store

On this very day back in 2008, Apple unveiled its first store in China. The Sanlitun Beijing Apple store is not only Apple’s first in China, it is also Apple’s 219th worldwide. Today, it becomes the highest traffic of any Apple store. Nobody, perhaps not even Jobs himself, could foresee the amazing successes the Sanlitun store would have collected in the coming years. So, let’s take a look back at the phenomenal moments in the Sanlitun store. You will be amazed.

The Opening

You would not want to miss the opening launch of the store, everyone was so excited! And check out a detailed gallery of the store at ifoAppleStore (Click here).

The Product Launch

New Apple product launch had drawn thousands of Chinese Apple fans to the Sanlitun store in Beijing. Some customers waited for over 48 hours to be the first in line, while some waited in line with a few draped blankets around their bodies as others played cards or took photos of the large crowd with their cell phones. But those in line said it was well worth it.

The Troubles

The Sanlitun store have had trouble keeping itself in tip-top condition when there are evil scalpers and “unruly” customers visiting the store. We feel sad for this.

One more thing…

We hope you still remember this very interesting photo. It makes sense that whatever huge display is running off a Windows XP machine—many giant displays do. But seriously, a Windows XP logo beside an Apple store? You gotta be kidding me!

So, these are all the news about the Sanlitun store that you must not miss. Here’s to wishing the Sanlitun store a happy 3rd Birthday… we certainly can’t wait to see what the next 3 years bring. Oh, go ahead and check out our recent story on China Apple stores if you are curious to know what Apple is planning for their new retail stores in China.