Ancient Clothes Street

Ancient Clothes Street

Ancient Clothes Street is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Ancient Clothes Street is located between the bustling Northeast Corner and Beida Gate, running parallel to North Road, with a total length of 800 meters. It is an ancient commercial street in Tianjin with a history of over 600 years and was once the cradle of commerce in the city.

Originally, the street was home only to second-hand clothing shops, which is how it got its name. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, in addition to these shops, businesses selling silk, cotton, furs, and porcelain also began to thrive. Especially in the early 1930s, the street reached its heyday, becoming a distribution hub in North China for silk, cloth, furs, clothing, stationery, traditional Chinese medicine, and daily commodities. Many time-honored brands such as Qianxiangyi, Ruifuxiang, Ruishengxiang, Yuanlong, Lao Hu Kaiwen, and Lao Maosheng were concentrated here, with vendors spread all over, making it extraordinarily bustling.

At that time, Ancient Clothes Street was also a center for folk activities. During the Lantern Festival, the street hosted a three-day lantern display, which a poet once described: “On Ancient Clothes Street, dragons and fish dance… the spring lanterns rekindle my youthful heart.” In 1986, after restoration by the municipal government, the street regained its former historical charm. Over 130 open-front shops, both large and small, were adorned with palace lanterns, gilded plaques and couplets, hanging signs, and decorative ornaments. Some famous old brands, such as Ruifuxiang Hongji, Qingji, and Qianxiangyi Baoji, had their distinctive iron-flower canopies renovated; the Daren Hall Pharmacy restored its vermilion-painted pillars, lattice windows, and the bronze plaque reading “Kyoto Daren Hall,” bringing back the grandeur of the old shops. The architecture on Ancient Clothes Street features gray bricks and tiles, with simple yet tasteful designs—though decorated, the embellishments are appropriately restrained. At the western entrance of the street stands an antique-style memorial archway, while a newly created 50-meter-long “Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl” sculpture graces the eastern entrance, blending seamlessly with the historic buildings along this ancient street.

Address: No. 138, North Road, Hongqiao District

Phone: 87731919