Shijiazhuang Minsheng Road Cultural Corridor

Shijiazhuang Minsheng Road Cultural Corridor

Minsheng Road, situated south of Zhongshan Road and north of Yuhua Road, runs from Shengli Street in the west to Dajing Street in the east. It is one of the oldest streets in Shijiazhuang and served as the city’s cultural, economic, and military hub during its early days. The road spans over 371 meters in length and covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters. It includes 16 historical buildings with distinct local architectural characteristics, among which 4 have been preserved in their original locations, while 14 have been relocated or reconstructed.

Minsheng Road was formed in 1915 and was initially named Gongxingcun Street. In 1928, it was renamed Yanzhan Street. After the Japanese army occupied Shijiazhuang in 1937, aiming for long-term control, they extensively altered the city's street names, merging Yanzhan Street with Xinhua Street to create Gongcun Street. In 1946, Gongcun Street was renamed Minsheng Street. To standardize the naming conventions of Shijiazhuang streets (with east-west routes called "roads" and north-south ones called "streets"), Minsheng Street was renamed Minsheng Road in 1978.

Before 1927, Minsheng Road was an earthen street, later paved with long stone slabs. In 1965, the stone slabs were removed and the road was resurfaced with asphalt. Around the year 2000, buildings on both sides of Minsheng Road began to be demolished.

In the spring of 2011, the reconstruction of the Minsheng Road Cultural History Corridor was largely completed, with quaint old buildings visible throughout the street. Zhang Shufang, who has visited Minsheng Road multiple times and showcased folk painting scrolls there, said that Minsheng Road has come “back to life.”

Minsheng Road is one of the earliest-formed streets in Shijiazhuang. It once housed the city’s first sound cinema, the magnificent Wanzi Building, and numerous bustling shops. The nearby hutongs also featured many grand courtyards and mansions.

The eastern section of the cultural history corridor mainly adopts a “point-style combination” layout, centered around three historical buildings: the Chang Family Courtyard, the Wanzi Building, and the Minsheng Hospital. These three courtyards not only preserve the appearance of the old buildings according to the principle of “repairing the old as it was,” but also feature winding corridors and open archways. At the same time, through complete revitalization, some modern elements have been added. For example, one building integrates the Wanzi Building and the Chang Family Courtyard, creating a truly distinctive atmosphere.