Restoring urban memory

On a typical sunny afternoon, visitors can be seen sipping coffee beneath the red-brick arcades of a century-old Russian-style landmark distinguished by its domed tower, arched walkways and sprawling twin courtyards, browsing a tea exhibition tracing trade routes across Eurasia, or simply pausing for photographs.

Few would guess that just a few years ago, this landmark building on the historical Lihuangpi Road in Jiang'an district, Wuhan, Hubei province, was a deteriorating residential block divided into hundreds of cramped rooms.

Known today as Bagong House, the complex has become one of the most recognizable stops on Wuhan's growing city-walk circuit. Yet its transformation is also emblematic of a broader story unfolding across Lihuangpi Road, a former concession-era street that has evolved into one of the city's most vibrant cultural destinations.

Stretching just 604 meters, Lihuangpi Road encapsulates more than a century of Wuhan's modern history.