Central Street (Harbin)

Central Street or Zhongyang Street (Chinese: 中央大街) is a pedestrian street located in central Harbin, China. Measuring 1450 meters long, it is currently the longest pedestrian street in Asia[2] and the only cobbled street in Harbin.[3] It was built in 1898 by Russian constructors when the city was at its semi-colonial period. Architectures along the street are in various styles including eclectic, Baroque, Renaissance and modern.[4]

Central Street, Zhongyang street
Native name中央大街 (Chinese)
Former name(s)Chinese Street
(Chinese: 中國大街)
(Russian: Китайская Улица)[1]
Length1450m
Width21m
LocationHarbin, Heilongjiang, China
Construction
Construction start1898
Completion1920

History

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The street was built in 1898 when China Eastern Railway, a railway crossing Manchuria, was under construction, making Harbin a major railway hub and prospering the city. In 1925, cobblestone was paved on the street with great costs in order to prevent erosion from the nearby Songhua River. By 1920s, the street has become an international street with more than one hundred shops. Its main inhabitants then were Russians, Jews, Chinese, Japanese and various other ethnic groups. In 1986, Central Street was listed preserved by Harbin municipal government.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Detailed Russian Map of Harbin -- 1938". KehilaLinks. Archived from the original on 2017-07-22. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  2. ^ "哈尔滨市"特色街路"评选候选街路简介". my399.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10.
  3. ^ "最具西洋风情的哈尔滨中央大街". sina.com.
  4. ^ a b "中央大街". harbin.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2018-07-07.