Harbin
Central Street (Zhongyang Dajie), Harbin
Central Street, or Zhongyang Dajie, is Harbin's pedestrian spine and an open-air museum of early-1900s European architecture. The cobbled avenue runs about 1.45 kilometres from the edge of the old town down to the Songhua River, and it is paved with thousands of rectangular granite blocks laid in 1924, each said to have cost a silver coin at the time. More than seventy protected buildings line the street in Baroque, Renaissance, Art Nouveau and Byzantine styles, a legacy of the Russian, Jewish and European merchants who once made Harbin a booming trade city.
Historic European architecture lit up at night on Central Street, Harbin
What to do
Central Street is best simply walked end to end, ideally twice: once by day to read the architecture, once after dark when the facades are lit. It is also the city's eating street. Locals queue for Madie'er ice cream bars even in deep winter, the Russian-style bakery sells the dense bread called dalieba, and Huamei Western Restaurant has served European food here since 1925. Side lanes lead to small galleries, tea houses and souvenir shops.
When to go
The street is open and free 24 hours a day, year round. In January it becomes part of the ice festival, with carved ice lanterns and small sculptures dotting the pavement. Summer evenings are lively and mild. Whatever the season, the far end opens onto Stalin Park and the flood control monument on the Songhua River, a natural place to end a stroll.
Getting there
Central Street is in the Daoli district, walkable from St. Sophia Cathedral in about ten minutes. Metro Line 2 has a stop close by, and taxis know it by name. Set aside one to two hours, or longer if you stop to eat.
Highlights
- A 1.45 km cobbled pedestrian avenue paved with 1924 granite blocks
- More than 70 protected Baroque, Renaissance and Art Nouveau buildings
- Madie'er ice cream bars, eaten outdoors even in winter
- Russian-style dalieba bread and the 1925 Huamei Western Restaurant
- Ice lanterns lining the street during the winter festival
Travel Tips
Walk it twice
See the architecture by daylight, then return after dark when the facades are floodlit and the street is at its liveliest.
Try the local bites
Queue for a Madie'er ice cream even in January, and pick up a loaf of dalieba from the Russian bakery to taste Harbin's history.
Walk down to the river
The northern end opens onto Stalin Park and the Songhua River flood control monument, a good place to finish or to reach the ice festival sites.
