Beihai Old Street

Known as the 'Century-old Western Street', the old street is influenced by the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures in Beihai's history. The most distinctive feature of this street is 'the architectural style combines Chinese and Western elements, and the cultural life is a blend of both'. Beihai Old Street has a history of nearly two hundred years, established in 1821, originally named Shengping Street, it was only 200 meters long and 4 meters wide. With continuous development through various historical periods, it has now become a commercial old street with a length of 1.44 kilometers and a width of 9 meters, lined with Sino-Western arcade-style buildings. It is also the longest and best-preserved arcade building in Lingnan, China, and has been praised by domestic and international experts and scholars as a 'modern architectural almanac'. The old street's buildings also have their own regional characteristics, absorbing features of Lingnan architecture and some artistic styles of Western architecture, with a layout of shops in the front and residences in the back, central ridge roofs, and drag-cage doors. Especially at the top of each arcade building, there are parapet walls of different styles, and most of the decorations and reliefs are a combination of Chinese and Western elements, forming an aerial decorative corridor on the old street. It exudes a classical and romantic European charm, stunningly beautiful, and is renowned both at home and abroad.