Amidst blue-grey Republican-style buildings filled with bustling crowds, strings of lights hang overhead, illuminating the smiles of tourists as the aroma of tea wafts from a large bronze kettle in the streets. During the National Day holiday, the Jianguo Li cultural and tourism district in Tangshan, Hebei, officially opened to the public. This old street, which carries a century of memories for Tangshan, has transformed into a new area that exudes both the "old flavor" and modern vibrancy of Tangshan, becoming a new landmark for cultural tourism consumption in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Going back over a hundred years, Jianguo Li was once the commercial hub known as "Grain Market Street." The city of Tangshan was born from coal, serving as a vital route for coal miners commuting between the mines and their residences. It was a gathering place for grain merchants, filled with warehouses, where the sounds of abacuses and merchants’ calls intermingled, creating a scene of bustling commerce. For the older generation of Tangshan residents, this area was home to memories of "making new clothes from patterned cloth" and "stockpiling goods for the annual market."
In recent years, as the focus of urban development shifted and new business models emerged, the old street gradually lost its previous vibrancy, with many building walls becoming weathered. As one of the first national pilot projects for urban renewal, Tangshan has prioritized the "Jianguo Li Renovation Project" to revitalize this century-old street.
“Our goal is not to 'start over,' but to 'restore and preserve' the historical texture, allowing old buildings to 'speak' and old memories to be 'touched,'" said Li Gang, head of the Urban Construction Command Team in Tangshan's Lunan District. The Jianguo Li renovation project is seen as an important carrier of cultural heritage, rather than merely a commercial upgrade. During the renovation process, the construction team implemented techniques like static demolition and differentiated reinforcement, avoiding large-scale tear-downs for the 15 brick-concrete structures involved. In the 55,000 square meters of renovation area, every detail resonates with history—arched window designs echo vintage aesthetics, the octagonal building maintains traces of the past, and even the newly added canopies blend in with the Republican architectural style through their minimalist lines to avoid overpowering the existing charm.
The continuity of culture also lies in the flow of daily life. Zhang Ran, a member of the 'post-80s' generation, has opened a small tea shop called “Little Mountain Tea” in the district. In front of his 6-square-meter shop, steam rises from a large bronze kettle, and the sound of wooden spoons stirring the tea mirrors the lively atmosphere of "Grain Market Street" from the memories of older Tangshan residents. Beside an old Shanghai goods store, old items like black-and-white televisions and vintage clocks are neatly displayed, attracting many citizens who pause with their children to share stories of “shopping by ration coupons” from the past.
As night falls, warm yellow lights outline the elegant contours of the buildings, and colorful lights complement the Republican architecture. Citizen Wang Qian strolls with her child, commenting, “During the day, we explore old artifacts to learn about history; at night, we enjoy the nightscape and atmosphere. This is not just a shopping area; it is a 'living classroom' for understanding Tangshan culture.”
“Historical imprints are the spiritual wealth of a city. Turning culture from memory into experience can truly activate the cultural confidence and developmental momentum of a city,” remarked Meng Xiangzhong, Standing Committee Member of the Lunan District Committee and Executive Deputy District Head of Tangshan.