Famous noodle restaurant moving due to high rent

Owner Li Shilin sits at his Zhuyuan Zhusheng noodle restaurant on June 12, 2012. [Photo/CFP]

An old and famous noodle restaurant, Zhuyuan Zhusheng, is set to close the doors of its original location doors for good on June 18, 2012, because of the rise in rent prices, New Express newspaper reported Tuesday.

Zhuyuan Zhusheng noodle is known to every household in Guangzhou and is famous for its hand-made, southern-style slim noodles. It got even popular after an exposure in the latest seven-part TV documentary "A Bite of China" by China Central Television Channel 9.

But the documentary's exposure brought more than just popularity.

"The rent of the restaurant rose 10 percent every year – to 9,860 yuan per month now from 4,500 yuan in 2004", owner Li Shilin told the newspaper. " The landlord asked for 18,000 yuan per month even though I had already offered to pay 12,000 per month, a 20 percent hike. It's just unacceptable".

Li has since decided to move the restaurant to a new location which is 200 meters away from the current one, according to the report.