Jinan Old Commercial Port Scenic Area

Jinan Old Commercial Port Scenic Area

The Jinan Old Commercial Port Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The first phase of the Old Commercial Port project is located on Jingsi Road in the central urban district, east of Zhongshan Park. It is the first implemented project within the core strictly controlled area of Jinan’s Commercial Port Style District, known as “Three Jings, Four Weis, One Park, Six Fangs.” Respecting the authenticity and continuity of Jinan’s heritage conservation area, it preserves the original street texture and layout, integrates the cultural attributes of the old commercial port, and achieves overall preservation and comprehensive enhancement.

In addition to strictly protecting the existing cultural relics and traditional-style buildings within the designated area, the project employs methods such as relocation, adaptive reuse, and reconstruction. By utilizing aged materials and traditional components for façade construction, and adopting a tone that blends Chinese and Western elements along with old and new styles, it harmoniously integrates Jinan’s traditional commercial port architecture with modern commercial spaces.

Over 100 years ago, Jinan voluntarily opened its commercial port, creating a precedent for inland cities in modern China to open up to the outside world. This greatly boosted Jinan’s social development and urbanization at the time, becoming a model of "self-driven development" for cities in the late Qing Dynasty and witnessing a century of Jinan’s vicissitudes. From the voluntary opening of the commercial port to the reshaping of history, Jinan Old Commercial Port embodies numerous historical imprints left by commerce, culture, and time-honored brands, bearing witness to Jinan’s urban evolution and innovation. Since the 1980s, Jinan’s economy has taken off once again, embracing diversity and demonstrating great inclusiveness. Now, having weathered a century of change, the city faces new challenges on a new journey, striving to create a new brilliance of “second commercial port opening” with a fresh attitude and an open mind.

Countless “firsts” in modern Jinan history were “opened” by the commercial port. For example, in 1905, Zhuang Yu and Liu Fuhang initiated the establishment of Jinan’s first national-capital industrial enterprise—the Jinan Electric Light Company. In the same year, the first natural history museum in Jinan, the Guangzhiyuan, founded by British missionary Rev. W. H. White, opened to the public. The first theater in the commercial port area, Xinghua Teahouse (later rebuilt as the Beiyang Grand Theater), was completed. That same year, warlord Zhang Huai zhi established Jinan’s first market-style commercial venue, the New Market, outside Xiguan. In 1906, the first foreign bank, the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank, opened on Jinger Road and Wei'er Road...

The influence of Jinan’s commercial port opening went far beyond that. Today, many roads in Jinan are named after “Jing” (longitude) and “Wei” (latitude), such as “Jingsan Weier,” “Jingqi Wei Yi,” “Jingsan Wei Ba”… Interestingly, these “Jing” and “Wei” are opposite to geographic longitude and latitude. Why is that? It turns out that in 1904, Jinan designated an area stretching five li from east to west and about two li from north to south—from Shiwangdian in the east (now Wei Yi Road) to Beidahuai in the west (now Wei Shi Road), following the road leading to Changqing in the south (now Jinqi Road), and bordered by the railway in the north (now Jingsi Road)—as the commercial port area. Within this area, a grid of “Jing” and “Wei” roads was planned. According to ancient textile terminology, “the long ones are called Jing, the short ones are called Wei.” Thus, Jinan named the east-west roads “Jing” and the north-south roads “Wei.” This naming method fully reflects the prosperity of Jinan’s textile industry at the time.

After the opening of the port, the development of transportation and the expansion of commodity circulation between ports and inland areas led to the rise of the commission trade business in Jinan. In 1908, Jinan saw the establishment of businesses dealing in cotton, miscellaneous hides, silk and cloth. After the founding of the Republic of China, grain commission merchants also began moving from Luokou into the Jinan commercial port. Unlike traditional salt, pawnshop, and money merchants, Jinan’s commission merchants, after accumulating substantial capital in emerging trade sectors, did not reinvest in land. Instead, they eagerly expanded their operations into industrial fields, establishing modern industries such as flour milling, textiles, cigarettes, and matches.

After the establishment of the Republic of China, Jinan’s modern industry entered a vibrant spring, particularly with rapid growth in the flour and textile industries. In 1923, Jinan alone had nine flour mills, producing over 40,000 bags per day. Apart from meeting local demand of more than 4,000 bags, most were exported. In the early 1920s, Jinan had over 60 textile and dyeing businesses, offering a rich and diverse range of products. The 1928 publication “Licheng County Local Survey Record” described the flourishing scene of the time: “Industry is developed, factories abound, production increases daily, and future prospects are boundless.” In 1933, Jinan’s industrial capital and output value accounted for 20.5% and 29.7% of the province’s totals, respectively, making it the industrial hub of the province.

History is like a river—it carries away the years but also refreshes memories. Strolling along Jinger Road, you often discover another side of old Jinan. These ancient buildings and everyday lanes are like the rings of history, recording simple and unadorned lives while showcasing a colorful spectrum.

Address: No. 333, Jingsi Road, central urban district, Jinan City