The Central Street, first built in 1898 and named "Chinese Street", is the largest and longest pedestrian street in Asia. Its name was changed to "Central Street" in 1952 and it gradually became the busiest commercial street in Harbin. It starts at the Songhua River Flood Monument in the north and ends at Jinwei Street in the south. The street displays 71 European style buildings some of which are under the protection of the municipal govement. The styles of buildings on this street vary widely from renaissance style to baroque style to mode style. It's known as an "Architectural Art Gallery" in China. The pedestrian street is in beautiful surroundings. The street is the highlight of Harbin because of its unique European architecture, masses of entertainment venues, many shopping centers and unique cultural activities.
