Bejing ? Will the Frappuccino be forbidden on imperial grounds?

Government officials wouldn’t say if Starbucks would be barred from Beijing’s Forbidden City but acknowledged this week that they were weighing concerns of more than 500,000 Chinese who want the coffee chain kicked out.

The announcement could be seen as a small boost for the petition drive started by Rui Chenggang, a popular Chinese TV personality.

On his Chinese language blog, Rui said officials had eroded Chinese culture by inviting Starbucks to set up shop inside the 587-year-old palace, once home to China’s powerful emperors.

The Forbidden City, on 175 acres in central Beijing, is a United Nation’s World Heritage site. Its grounds were “forbidden” because no one outside the emperor’s household could enter without his permission. The complex since has been converted into a museum and is among China’s most popular tourist destinations.

In 2000, the Seattle-based chain staked its green mermaid logo in the complex. Rent from the coffee shop is being used to fund the palace renovation.

Since 1999, the company has opened several hundred stores in China, conquering the Middle Kingdom – and 37 other countries – with its lattes and Frappuccinos.