Since the global coffee brand entered China in 1999, more than 400 Starbucks coffee shops have opened in China as of 2006, including 64 in Beijing, the capital city. Starbucks launched an outlet inside Beijing's Forbidden City, known also as the Palace Museum,1 at the invitation of its management in 2000. This shop prospered until July 2007, when it had to close down under tremendous public pressure.