Attractive Colonial Era Building Along Zhongyang Street 中央街
Every self respecting Chinese city needs a pedestrian shopping street. Beijing has one. Shanghai has one, Hangzhou and Suzhou also have their own. Even the interior cities of Chengdu and Chongqing also have their own shopping streets. One pattern I see is that they try to use old buildings as props for their pedestrian shopping street, such that walking down the street will be like a walk down memory lane. Zhongyang Street’s pedestrian street is certainly one of the more attractive ones I have seen in a while.
A Taste of Europe in China in Zhongyang Street 中央街 in Haerbin 哈尔滨
True, Shanghai also has its spectacular European style buildings along the Bund and Nanjing Road east. But the collection of buildings along Zhongyang Street in Haerbin is one of the more exotic ones. Think, Russian and European influences in the buildings. This all reflects its shared heritage with these regions or countries. I was delighted to see how they managed to keep the European feel of the street. If it weren’t for the screaming Chinese signs, you might start to think that you are somewhere in Europe.
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