Lianyungang is the terminal of Longhai railway, which spans from the west to the east of China. It is also the starting point of the new Eurasian Continental Bridge. The Old Street has distinctive geological advantages. In the north, it overlooks the Lian Island, and is adjacent to Yuantai Mountain to the south. It is surrounded by the mountain and the sea. In the past hundreds of years, different cultures collide here, only to bring the unique charm and style of the Lianyungang Old Streets in today.
The Old Street is the most ancient and well-preserved complex of buildings in Lianyungang. In 1933, Mr. Sun Yat-sen announced to build this place into a large-scale oriental harbor. Therefore, this originally small and ordinary fishing village then experienced earth-shaking changes. Nowadays, the Old Street is presented to the visitors with its brand-new look. The history and culture are preserved, and the memory of the city can be handed down.
The Old Lianyungang Train Station
This train station designed by Dutch designer has become a landmark of the ancient street. It is completed and put into use back in 1935. In the Europe, it is said that the bell tower has a special religious meaning in the city. Specifically, it symbolizes the industrial and commercial civilization in which time stands for money. Lianyungang has grown from a small fishing village to an international hub and port for joint sea-and-rail transportation with annual throughput of tens of thousands of tons, during the process of which, the bell tower is an indicator of the city “having a closer connection with the sea”.
Even today, you can still see the green locomotives. The siren won’t go off again, but the place has become a popular site for countless young culture and art fans to take photos. There won’t be any bell tones echoing any more, and for those busy people in the train station, they are no longer holding the paper tickets, and they’re not leaving for the distant far. Instead, these are visitors coming from afar to know more about the railway history, development and cultural connotation or ordinary tourists.
Guochengli Building Complex
Not far away from the old train station, there is a building complex of old-style residence—Guochengli Building Complex. Lianyungang is a city near the sea, so most of the houses are built of stones. People, at that time, built the houses with stones of different sizes. The buildings of Guochengli are closely connected with the construction of harbors. The government built the residential buildings integrating Chinese and western styles on this 3,000-square meter land to accommodate the harbor construction experts from Dutch, the economists, bankers, senior engineers, senior staff, etc. If you go deep into the alleys, despite of the mottled marks, they’re still beautiful. The courtyards are delicately designed to include one and another and each with fine craftsmanship. If you look out of the window, you will feel it’s a building from Jiangnan; but if you look at the pillars, you can sense the western style. All of these buildings are architectural masterpieces of the Republic of China in the 1920s to 1930s.
In the past centuries, people from different countries and with various identities have come and stay, but few of them can tell the stories behind these buildings. Why do we call it “Guochengli”? Who built it? Who have lived here? It was not until 2009 when China performed the Cultural Relics Census when “Guochengli Building Complex” got listed as “Top Ten New Discoveries”, and its mystery was then gradually uncovered by the outside world.
Go and grab your backpack to visit Lianyungang Old Street as the spring comes and the flower blooms, to experience the unique charm of the century-old street.
