Minzhu Road Cultural Tourism Area

Minzhu Road Cultural Tourism Area

The Minzhu Road Cultural Tourism Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The old Minzhu Road, originally named Zhongshan Road, gradually took shape in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, serving as the birthplace of modern commerce in Xinpu District. Since 2013, the former Xinpu District has focused on renovating Minzhu Road to further highlight the historical and cultural charm of the old street and enhance its tourism and cultural supporting functions. Through gradual revitalization efforts, it has been transformed into an iconic traditional old street of the port city and an important Jiangbei district district featuring Republican-era architecture.

Minzhu Road Cultural Street, also known as the Old Xinpu Street or the Old Minzhu Road, was commonly referred to as “Xinpu Street” or “Xinpu Main Street.” It is the birthplace of the former Xinpu District in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, and one of the four historic streets in the city’s development (Haizhou Ancient Town, Minzhu Road Cultural Street, Lianyungang Old Street, and Nancheng Six Dynasties Street).

In the 1920s and 1930s, Minzhu Road thrived with bustling commerce and heavy traffic, earning the nickname “Little Shanghai of Northern Jiangsu” among locals at the time. Not far to its north, a slightly smaller market street also formed. Located north of the main street, it was called “Back Street” (now Jianguo Road). To its south, before the liberation, there was a road that was as wide as several old streets combined, making it the largest road in Xinpu at the time. People called it “South Horse Road” or “Big Horse Road” (now the section of Nanji Road from the middle of Jiefang Middle Road to Longwei River).

However, as the main urban area developed and the Xinpu district expanded, urban industry and commerce began shifting eastward and southward. Nearly a hundred years later, time has washed away the former glory of Minzhu Road, leaving behind just an old alley. The once lively and bustling Minzhu Road has gradually fallen into silence.

In April 2013, the Lianyungang Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government proposed the upgrade and renovation of Minzhu Road—the most historically and culturally significant old street in Xinpu District—and the construction of the Yanhe Lane Historical and Cultural Block to explore the city’s cultural heritage. With the theme of “Impressions of Xinpu,” the most historic old street of Xinpu has been revitalized.

In January 2015, the Minzhu Road Cultural Tourism Area was officially designated as a national 3A-level tourist attraction.