Central Street

 

Essentials of Central Street

Chinese Name: 中央大街 Pronunciation: zhōng yāng dà jiē

Building Time: 1898

Admission Ticket Fare: Free

Opening Hours: 24 Hours

Best Visiting Time: All year round

Suggested Visiting Hours: 2-3 Hours

Address: Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province

 

Brief Introduction of Central Street

Harbin Central Street is a prominent representative and significant symbol of Harbin. It was built around the turn of the 20th century. It is a prosperous commercial pedestrian street in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Central Street was formerly known as China Street. On Central Street, there are many buildings in Western-style.
 

From the Flood Control Monument Square in the north to the Xinyang Square in the south, the Street is about 1,400 meters long and 21.34 meters wide, covering an area of 94.05 hectares. It is also a 4A-level national attraction.
 

Central Street is the epitome of Harbin. The unique architectural culture of Harbin and the European life of Harbin people are manifested here, and it is known as the "First Street in Asia".
 

There are more than 800 stores of various types in the Central Street block, including more than 100 on the main street. There are many boutique shops on the street and many world-renowned brands, such as the well-known Central Mall, Parkson Shopping Center, Songlei International Commercial Building, Suning Appliance, Walmart.
 

There are also many places for eating, including Chinese restaurants, Western restaurants and some street snacks. You can have great fun on Central Street, because there are KTVs, bars and cinemas. Besides, on the street, there are places that can meet the needs of your daily life, such as hotels, pharmacies, post offices, banks, and hospitals and so on.
 

A major feature of Central Avenue is that the entire street is paved with ashlar, and the ashlar road is 10.8 meters wide. In May 1924, the Russian engineer Komtrashok designed and supervised the work of paving the "Central Street" with granite stones. Each piece of ashlar used for paving is 18 cm long and 10 cm wide, and its shape is like the Russian-style bun.
 

The stone surface is round, exquisite, dense, bright. It is said that the price of a piece of ashlar at that time was equivalent to a silver dollar. Central Street is about 1 kilometer long. Roughly speaking, the entire street is paved with 870,000 pieces of ashlar, which makes the street a golden one.
 

The architecture with European-style is another important feature of Central Street. There are 71 European-style and imitation European-style buildings on Central Street, and 13 municipal-level protected buildings with different styles.
 

It is a rare architectural art gallery in China. A small street includes the four most influential architectural styles in the history of Western architecture. They are the style of Renaissance, Baroque, Eclecticism and Art Nouveau.

 

Development of the Central Street

The history of Central Street can date back to 1898. This year, railways and urban construction were built in Harbin on a large scale. The cart for transporting railway equipment drove a road in the mud along the river. Then the Middle East Railway Engineering Bureau allocated the wasteland along the river to the Chinese scattered in Harbin.
 

In 1900, the "China Street" was formed, which means the street where Chinese people live.
 

From 1904 to 1905, Harbin became the rear base of the Russian army. For the time, a large number of Russians flooded into Harbin and started construction projects on both sides of the "China Street". They built shops, dancing halls, bars, restaurants, banks, and pharmacies at that time.
 

In May 1924, Central Street was paved with ashlar.
 

In 1997, the Harbin Municipal Government designated Central Street as a pedestrian street.

 

Must-Visit Places on the Central Street

Martier Cold Drink Hall

When you come to Harbin, you must experience the feeling of eating popsicles at minus 20 degrees. The Martier Cold Drink Hall is a time-honored shop founded in 1906. The shop’s specialties include original popsicles, yogurt, hot cross buns, etc. There are also popsicles and ice creams of other various flavors, such as yellow peach and hazelnut. The old-style popsicles here are unpackaged, arranged neatly in the small boxes. No matter when you pass by, this store is full of customers and you will have to get in line for your delicacy.
 

Huamei Western Restaurant

When you visit Central Street, another thing you must do is to have a full Russian meal. Huamei Western Restaurant is located at No. 112, Central Street. It was founded in 1925 and was originally called Mars Western Restaurant. It covers an area of 1,500 square meters. It is one of the well-known western restaurants in Harbin with Russian-style western food. The specialties include big Leba, red cabbage soup, stuffed beef, soft fried salmon, Russian salad, etc.

Matsuura Hiroyuki

Matsuura Hiroyuki is located at No. 120, Central Street, Daoli District, Harbin. It was built in 1906 and completed in 1909. It is a landmark building on Central Street, with an imitation of Baroque architectural style. Matsuura was originally a foreign firm founded by a Japanese businessman.
 

After China’s liberation, it became a foreign language bookstore. Now, it is the educational bookstore and a tourist service center. It is a brick-concrete structure, and has five floors above the ground. The main entrance is at the corner, and a male and a female marble portrait pillars are erected on the second floor. There are Corinthian pilasters through the third and fourth floors, the windows are decorated with exquisite reliefs, and the pilasters are decorated with spiral curves.
 

Portman Western Restaurant

Portman Western Restaurant is a Russian restaurant located at No. 53, Xiqidao Street Recreation Area, Central Street. Portman is a transliteration of PORTMAN, which means "shared space".
 

The specialties are red cabbage soup, canned beef, lamb, shrimp, salmon, etc. There are performances in the restaurant, and you can enjoy the food while watching the performance.
 

The Portman restaurant was built in 1903 with a typical Russian rural architectural style. It was originally the residence of senior staff of the Middle East Railway. On March 23, 1935, after the Japanese occupation of the Middle East Railway, it was changed to the residence of Kenji Sawara, the Japanese director of the Harbin Railway Bureau of Manchurian Railway.
 

After China’s liberation, it was used as the Harbin Railway Dazhi Street Kindergarten. In 2000, it was changed to a western restaurant.
 

French Universal Reserve Bank

The French Universal Reserve Bank, established in 1917, is located at No. 1, Central Street. It is a Harbin Class II protected building. In 1925, for the sake of France's strategic and financial interests in the oriental countries, the Universal Reserve Bank was officially established at the current location.
 

The building was originally a two-story building, and another floor was added later. It is a brick-concrete structure, imitating classicist architectural style. The parapet wall uses vases and wall stacks to highlight the changes in light and shadow, and get rid of redundant tedious decorations.
 

The overall effect of the building is simple but solemn. After the liberation, the building was used to serve as Harbin Conservatory of Music, Harbin University for the Elderly, and Harbin Education Bureau. Now, it is the Liuguifu Jewelry Exhibition Hall.

The Harbin First Class Post Office

It is located at No. 2 Central Street, at the corner of the street. It is a Western-style building. There is a dome on the roof of the corner to highlight the position of the main entrance. It was built in 1914. The original two-story building was expanded to a three-story building in the 1980s.
 

It is a brick-concrete structure with an eclectic architectural style. The walls were built with block stones to reinforce the stability, and the roof is crowned with a red dome to show the main entrance. It is also a Harbin Class II protected building. It became the earliest Post Office of the Qing Dynasty in Harbin, called Harbin Post Office.

Harbin Jewish Site Group

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, more than 20,000 Jews moved to Harbin in order to escape the war in Europe. With commercial acumen, Jews became an important force in the development of modern Harbin. The Martier Hotel, Huamei Western Restaurant, Harbin Cigarette Factory, Ash River Sugar Factory, these time-honored Harbin brands were all founded or operated by Jews.
 

Although the Jews are only passers-by in the history of Harbin, a large number of precious Jewish buildings have become an indelible mark of Harbin. In 2013, 14 sites for Jewish activities in Harbin were selected as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
 

Jewish National Bank

Located at No. 57, Central Street, the Jewish National Bank was founded by Jews living in Harbin and opened to the public on June 3, 1923. In order to unite Jewish businessmen in Harbin and help each other, the bank was built. It is a brick-concrete building with the architectural style of the Renaissance.
 

The corners are curved walls. The second floor is equipped with a small balcony with open iron railings and a dome on the roof.
 

Harbin Jewish History and Culture Museum

The Jewish New Synagogue was built in 1918. After restoration, it became the Harbin Jewish History and Culture Museum. The museum is located at the southern end of Central Street. There are three floors in the museum. The first floor is filled with artworks of Jewish painters. On the second and third floors, the Jewish activities in Harbin are showed with rich historical materials.
 

Madier Hotel

The Madier Hotel is Located at No. 89, Central Street. Built in 1906, after two phases of construction, it was completed in 1913. It is a brick-concrete building with three floors above ground and one underground floor.
 

The building is representative of the Art Nouveau style, with magnificent interior decoration. It was one of the most luxurious multi-functional hotels in Harbin at that time. Many famous historical figures have stayed here, such as Soong Ching-ling, Guo Moruo and the famous journalist Edgar Snow.
 

The hotel also has a Russian-style cold drink hall, a shopping mall bar, a beauty salon, a multi-function hall, a swimming pool, KTV rooms and other leisure facilities. On December 2, 2017, it was selected as the "Second Batch of Chinese 20th Century Architectural Heritage". It is the first-class protected building in Harbin.
 

It has been awarded as a "patriotism education base", "provincial heritage protection unit", "national protected building" and so on. Now, it is also served as a hotel with different types of rooms. If you go to visit Central Street, the Madier Hotel is one of the best choices for you.

 

Recommended Route

Buying red sausage, dried sausage, Gaoli Korean pickles, and other specialties at Ha Yibai Market → Tasting the nearby Wumingyuan rice noodles → Having beef patties, freshly made burritos, bacon pie and soy milk on the right side road of Ha Yibai Market exit → Tasting the must-try Madel’s cold drinks and Madel’s bread on Central Street → Visiting Parkson, Wanda Studios and other big shopping malls → Appreciate European-style architectures → Enjoying Russian cuisine in restaurants such as Huamei Western Restaurant → Walking across the entire Central Street to get to the Flood Control Memorial Tower.

 

Transportation to Central Street

By bus

Take bus 53, 113, 114, 126 and get off at the Central Avenue stop.

By Taxi

Chinese: 请带我去中央大街。English: Please take me to Central Street.

If you go to Central Street from Taiping International Airport to Central Street, it takes about 42 minutes. (101 yuan)

If you go to Central Street from Harbin Railway Station to Central Street, the whole journey will take about 14 minutes. (10 yuan)

If you go to Central Street from Harbin West Railway Station to Central Street, the whole journey will take about 28 minutes. (24 yuan)