Quanzhou’s Zhongshan Road

2021-07-19 17:00:35

Quanzhou’s Zhongshan Road

Quanzhou’s Zhongshan Road

Quanzhou’s Zhongshan Road

Built in the early 1920s, Quanzhou’s Zhongshan Road stretched about 2.5 kilometers across the central district of the ancient city of Quanzhou. It is China’s only and best-preserved commercial street with interconnected arcaded buildings. Its architectural style embodies the fusion of diverse cultures in Quanzhou. In 2001, Zhongshan Road was given the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, and became one of the first group of historical and cultural blocks of China as well as historical and cultural streets of China. 

Zhongshan Road Historical and Cultural Block covers an area of 45.4 hectares, with a core conserved area of 20.8 hectares and a controlled construction area of 24.6 hectares. The block is home to one cultural heritage site protected at the national level, four cultural heritage sites protected at the provincial level and six cultural heritage sites protected at the municipal level, as well as five historical buildings and 38 shortlisted historical buildings. As such, the block has significant historical and scientific value for studying the evolution of Quanzhou’s historical urban layout, the development of southern Fujian culture, cultural exchanges between China and the West, and the development history of commercial culture and modern architecture in southern Fujian.