Tianjin Heping Road Golden Street

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　　In September 2000, the renovated Heping Commercial Street was connected with Binjiang Avenue to form a “Golden Cross,” officially named “Golden Street.” The “gold” symbolizes wealth, and its pronunciation is a homophone for “Jin” in “Tianjin,” carrying auspicious meaning.

　　The predecessor of Golden Street was Heping Road, located on the west bank of the Haihe River. It stretches 2,138 meters from south (Bohai Building) to north (southeast corner). It starts at the intersection of Nanma Road and Dongma Road in the north, extends southeast to the junction of Yingkou Road and Jianshe Road, and intersects with 17 other roads including Rongji Street, Duolun Road, Anshan Road, Jinzhou Road, Changchun Road, Binjiang Road, and Chifeng Road. The section where it crosses Binjiang Road forms Tianjin’s most bustling commercial district. Most buildings along Golden Street feature European-style architecture, including the Quanye Bazaar, HuiZhong Hotel, Jiaotong Hotel, and Guomin Hotel, which have a history of nearly 100 years. In 2003, renovations restored Western-style street lamps, flooring, and benches.

　　Heping Road Commercial Street was first built in 1905. At that time, the area north of Jinzhou Road belonged to the Japanese Concession and was called Xu Street, while the area south belonged to the French Concession and was called Du Consul Road. By the late 1920s, with the completion of major commercial buildings such as Tianxiang, Quanye, and Taikang department stores, as well as the Guomin, HuiZhong, and Jiaotong hotels, plus landmarks like Bohai Building and Zhejiang Industrial Bank, the area grew increasingly prosperous. In 1946, the street was collectively named Roosevelt Road, and in 1953, it was renamed “Heping Road” (meaning “Peace Road”) to reflect the desire for peace.

　　Heping Road is the longest commercial pedestrian street in China. Beyond the richness of its shops, the plaques above each store front alone serve as an excellent directory of Tianjin’s business establishments. In 2005, it was selected as one of China’s ten “Famous (Characteristic) Commercial Streets” in the “China Famous (Characteristic) Commercial Streets Selection.”