But stall owners say they will fight any demolition
The axe is finally expected to fall on part of Beijing's famed Silk Market next week with the demolition of a stall-lined alley.
Shop owners said they were maintaining a daily vigil in front of the market to 'look after their homes'.
The 100-square-metre area scheduled for demolition is on the market's eastern wing and is known as Xiushui. It is popular with foreign tourists and expatriates and is famous for selling knock-offs of western fashion brands.
The man who leases the space said he would leave the market before Wednesday and the 23 shops under his management would be demolished to make way for a shopping mall.
He said the land had been contracted to him in the 1990s by the Jingkelong company and that plans for the mall had prompted Jingkelong to scrap the contract months before the agreement was to expire. In return the company had offered compensation.