For hundreds of years, China's ancient streets have recorded the country's
history and culture against a backdrop of change and development. The streets
have retained the layout, architecture, and even the lifestyles of ancient
times.
The following are the top 10 historical streets in China which contain the
most vivid and richest memories.
NO.10 Barkhor Street in Lhasa
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Barkhor Street in
Lhasa
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Located in the old area of Lhasa City, Tibet, Barkhor Street is a
well-preserved circular street area surrounding Jokhang Temple. Its religious
and cultural flavor means that it is a popular destination for both pilgrims and
locals. The area is also a business center.
With a history of over 1,300 years, the street was built and developed in
concert with Jokhang Temple. Jokhang Temple was built in 647 by the Tibetan King
Songtsen Gampo (617 - 650), and it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist
pilgrims. The large number of pilgrims gradually wore a path, which was the
origin of Barkhor Street. To this day, many pilgrims can be seen there holding
prayer wheels and walking clockwise around the temple from dawn to dusk.
Composed of 35 major or small streets, the street has a circumference of
roughly 1,000 meters. It is paved with hand-polished stone boards, and
traditional Tibetan buildings stand on both sides, giving a traditional flavor
of Lhasa. Despite its relative narrowness, the street accommodates thousands of
tourists every day and has become a symbol of Lhasa.
Numerous shops stand on both sides of the street and thousands of vendors can
be found on every corner, selling religious articles, traditional Tibetan
clothes, Tibetan knives, 'Thangka' (Tibetan scroll painting) and other
souvenirs.
NO.9 Qilou Old Street in Haikou
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Qilou
Old Street in Haikou
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Located in Haikou, Hainan Province, Qilou Old Street features a stylish
fusion of European and Asian architecture, as well as Indian and Arabic
influences. Qilou, or Chinese arcade houses form the city's most exotic
landscapes, and they can principally be found on Bo'ai Street, Zhongshan Street,
Xinhua North Street, Deshengsha Street and Jiefang Street.
With its origins dating back around 2,000 years to ancient Greece, arcade
architecture was introduced to Haikou by overseas Chinese merchants from
1820-1840. Standing between two and four stories in height, a Qilou has its
ground floor set back halfway into the building so that it can be used as a
storefront to take shelter from rain and sunlight. The upper floors serve as the
living quarters, and extend over the pavement supported by columns. The
exquisite carvings and decorations on the handrails, door frames and window
frames are in the Baroque style.
In total, there are more than 200 Qilou buildings in the street, including 39
by Zhongshan Street. The oldest building, Sipai Building, dates back some 600
years to the Southern Song Dynasty.
Historically, the street has housed consulates, churches post offices, banks
and chambers of commerce belonging to 13 different countries. Today, it remains
Haikou's business center whilst also giving visitors a taste of traditional
Haikou life.
NO.8 Zhaode Ancient Street in Qingzhou
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Zhaode
Ancient Street in Qingzhou
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Zhaode Ancient Street is located in the old town of Qingzhou, the heart of
Shandong Province. The Hui ethnic group inhabits the area and gives it a
distinct cultural feel.
Qingzhou's location makes it a natural transport hub, with a history of 2,200
years. During the Yuan Dynasty, about 700 years ago, a mass migration of Hui
merchants arrived and settled in Qingzhou. The area where they formed their own
distinct community was known as Zhaode Ancient Street.
Named after Zhaode Pagoda, Zhaode Street consists of a number of ancient
streets, which are all connected, forming a "five-kilometer" street. The street,
with its many shops, workshops, merchants and visitors, was extremely prosperous
during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Today, the street retains its original
layout, and some of the old buildings still stand. The old shops, with their
black tiles, antiquated window frames, old-style wood doors, pillars and beams
are a graphic illustration of the street's long and rich history.
NO.7 Badaguan (Eight Passes) in Qingdao
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Badaguan (Eight Passes) in Qingdao
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Badaguan, or Eight Passes, is a historical street district in the southeast
of Qingdao, Shandong Province. The street is famous for combining the
architectural styles of different countries.
The name Eight Passes comes from eight roads named after the eight strategic
passes of China's famous passes, which are Jiayuguan, Juyongguan, Wushengguan,
Ningwuguan, Shanhaiguan, Shaoguan, Zhengyangguan, and Zijingguan. There are now
10 roads in the district which crisscross to form a scenic area.
The area is home to some unique flora and fauna, including many varieties of
trees, including peach trees, pine trees and gingko trees. In addition, there
are more than 200 villas in the exotic architectural style of more than 20
countries, including Russia, UK, US, France, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Spain,
Switzerland and Japan. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China in
1949, the area was home to many foreign consulates, and, because of the unique
and varied architectural styles in the area, Badaguan is known as the "World
Architecture Museum." It is also called "little Switzerland."
Badaguan remains special to this day for its unique blend of Eastern and
Western influences. As a symbol of Qingdao, Badaguan has proved attractive for
many film producers and directors, as well as visitors from all over the
world.
NO.6 Three Lanes and Seven Alleys in Fuzhou
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Three
Lanes and Seven Alleys in Fuzhou
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Located in the downtown area of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, the Three Lanes and
Seven Alleys (Sanfang-Qixiang) is a street district with a cluster of ancient
residential buildings and is the largest well-preserved historical heritage site
in China, covering an area of 40 hectares.
Divided by Southern Street as the central axis, the original three lanes were
in the west and the seven alleys are in the east. The layout dates back to the
Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, almost 1,000 years ago. The street
is unique as the only existing street district in China bearing this pattern.
Running from north to south, the lanes refer to Wenru Lane, Yijin Lane, and
Guanglu Lane, and the alleys refer to Huang Alley, Gong Alley, Yangqiao Alley,
Langguan Alley, Ta Alley, Anmin Alley, and Jipi Alley.
The lanes and alleys were home to hundreds of houses built by built by
wealthy people in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and 159 buildings remain
well-preserved to this day. AS a result, the district has been nicknamed "an
architecture museum of the Ming and Qing dynasties." The houses were built with
ancient, huge bricks and decorated with seashells, which were easy to get
because of Fuzhou's coastal location. The ornaments, wood carvings and stone
carvings all testify to the buildings' past glories. .
The area has been home to many famous people, including politicians, military
leaders, writers and poets. Some of their descendants still live there now,
keeping the living style of their ancestors. Jiqi Alley, Yangqiao Alley and
Guanglu Lane have now been reconstructed into driveways, and only two lanes and
five alleys remain.
NO.5 Tunxi Old Street in Huangshan
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Tunxi
Old Street in Huangshan
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With a centuries-old history dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279),
Tunxi Old Street is one of China's best-preserved commercial streets and
features the architectural styles of the Southern Song, Ming (1368-1644) and
Qing Dynasties (1644-1911).
Located in the center of Tunxi District, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, the
street, paved with maroon flagstones, has a total length of 1,273 meters, of
which 895 meters is the pedestrian commercial street. Two and three-storey shops
line both sides of the streets and feature the local Anhui style of architecture
including a stone base, brick construction and tile roof. The buildings
typically house shops at the front, with houses and workshops being located at
the rear. The street developed into the distribution center for materials in and
out of Anhui in the Qing Dynasty.
Visitors today can still find many old and famous shops on Tunxi Old Street,
such as Tongderen, a TCM shop with a history of more than 120 years. The area is
a distribution point for the world-famous Qimen black tea and Tunxi green tea,
and there are many teahouses, wine shops, bookshops and ink shops along the
street.
The street has been dubbed "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival", a famous
painting which describes the economic activities in ancient China. It attracts
six million foreign and domestic visitors every year, and is also a popular site
for shooting films and TV series.
NO.4 Pingjiang Street in Suzhou
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Pingjiang Street in Suzhou
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Located in downtown Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Pingjiang Street is a
historical road running alongside the Pingjiang River. The street has preserved
the city's history and unique features.
There is evidence that the street existed as early as the Song
Dynasty(960-1279), and it appears on Suzhou's earliest map "Pingjiang Map" as
one of the city's main streets of the period. The street runs parallel with the
Pingjiang River and has a total length of 1,606 meters. Neither the street nor
the river are particularly wide, and can, as a result, only be comfortably
navigated by rickshaws and rowing boats respectively. The houses alongside the
street and river retain the typical style of ancient Suzhou, with their white
walls, black tiles and simple, unpretentious air. A number of water streets near
Pingjiang Street have been preserved, especially in the area to the east of the
street. People still live in the houses along these streets, maintaining their
traditional lifestyle.
For many centuries, the street has been the center of much of Suzhou's
cultural life. People may take a leisurely look at the titles on display in a
bookstore, or take a rest in a teahouse while viewing a Pingtan performance,
which involves telling folk tales and stories as well as singing ballads in the
local dialect.
The flowing water, flagstone walkway, white-and-black houses, small stone
bridges, verdant trees and colorful flowers evoke the scenery of a traditional
scroll painting and convey how the ancient water town of Suzhou would have
looked 800 years ago. Only one street away from Guanqian Street, the busiest
business center in the city, Pingjia Street is just a short distance from
Guanqian Street, the city's busiest business center, and is an oasis of ancient
calm next to the hustle and bustle of modern business activity.
NO.3 Central Street in Harbin
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Central Street in Harbin
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Known as the "Eastern Moscow", northeast China's Harbin has always been
regarded as a unique and exotic city. Central Street in downtown Harbin is the
ultimate symbol of the city.
Harbin's hundred-year history can be traced in this story-rich street.
Originally constructed in 1898 for the transportation of railway supplies and
called "Chinese Street," Central Street was later floored with square stones
based on the design of a Russian engineer in 1924. Since then, it has become
home to numerous foreign shops, hotels, and bars. Russian leather, British
woolen cloth, French perfume, German medicine and many more exotic commodities
can be found here.
With a total length of 1,450 meters, Central Street is now the longest
pedestrian street in Asia. The European architectural art is the most obvious
feature of this long corridor, and the four most influential schools of Western
architecture in different eras, including Baroque, Renaissance, eclecticism and
Art Nouveau, are all presented in this street. As Harbin's most cultural rich
area and busiest commercial street, Central Street is an enthralling
destination, attracting tourists from both home and abroad.
NO.2 South Street in Pingyao
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South
Street in Pingyao
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South Street is the central axis of Pingyao in Shanxi Province, an ancient
town with a history of more than 2,700 years, which became a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 1997. According to UNESCO, "The Old Town of Pingyao is an
outstanding example of the Han cities in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it
retains the traditional features of these periods. Pingyao presents a picture of
unusual cultural, social, economic, and religious development in Chinese
history. "South Street is very much in the center of this picture.
In the mid Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), business was booming in Pingyao and
there were 78 shops along South Street. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the
street was home to banks, pawnshops, oil shops, grain shops, wood ware shops,
hotels, clothing shops and dye workshops. All of this made Pingyao of one
China's leading financial center. As the backbone of Pingyao, South Street was
home to more than 50 percent of the country's financial institutions.
Present-day visitors to the 690-meter-long street can still feel the
flourishing and prosperous atmosphere of those times. The traditional layout and
the unique features of the street still remain. Buildings with traditional
Ming-and-Qing-style architecture stand on both sides of the street and retain
their original functions. Some time-honored brands such as "Changshengyuan",
known as "Jushengyuan" in the Ming Dynasty, which sells rice wine and cake,
still operate out of South Street.
NO.1 Guozijian Street in Beijing
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Guozijian Street in Beijing
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Guozijian Street, or Imperial Academy Street, is an east-west-running alley
located in central Beijing. The street, originally called "Chengxian Street",
began to take shape around 700 years ago and got its current name in 1965.
With a total length of 669 meters and an average width of 11 meters, the
street houses the Imperial Academy in the west and the Confucian Temple in the
east. Built in 1306, the Imperial Academy was the foremost educational
institution during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1271-1911), and was
esteemed by ancient scholars. The Confucian Temple is where sacrifices to
Confucius were made during the three dynasties.
Guozijian Street is the only street in Beijing featuring decorated archways,
with two in the east and a further two in the west. Many single-storey houses
can be found along the street, evoking the feel of Beijing's alleys in ancient
times.
