Cobbled Street
Zhongyang Street is a cobble-surface road, and is the only cobbled street left in Harbin. Paved in 1925, the street has kept in good shape with a few repairs in the past, thanks to its good quality. It began to take shape as an international street in the 1920s. The most obvious symbol of Zhongyang is the various buildings, including the Women and Children's Department Store, the Central Shopping City, the Modern Hotel, and the Huamei Restaurant.
European Architecture of the street
The European buildings on Zhongyang Street are full of Continental Europe effect. The construction of the Middle East railway attracted more than 160,000 foreign residents from 30 countries. They worked and lived in Harbin, which unprecedentedly contributed to the city's prospering economy and culture, helping it to become the most prestigious international commercial port of Northeast Asia at that time.