Yishang Street in huzhou

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This street has a very long history, the earliest remains can be traced back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). The name of the old street wasdifferently called in the past different dynasties, but it was always thebusiest section of downtown. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, it was the commercial center of shopping and lodging for the officials and the elite of society who came to Wuxing. Because of so many stores and pawnshops in the business of clothing and assembling in the street, it was titled “Clothing Street”by locals. The name has been continually used for ages.

With the passage of time, the houses on both sides of the street wereworn down by the years without proper protection. The dilapidated old buildings were in the state of disrepair, even ready to collapse. Additionally, those small stalls and booths that occupied the street freely made the street disorderly and unsystematic. They severely damaged the appearance of the city. Few years ago, the local government decided to give the street a protective reconstruction in a large-scale to regain the ancient style and prosperity.

The whole area of reconstruction takes up 41,000 square meters, now the image-building of the historic and cultural street has been completed. The layout of the street becomes more convenient for touring and shopping.

There are the section for historical and cultural exhibitions, the section for trading in handicrafts and decorations, the section for selling local specialities and delicacies. Centered on the street,3 cultural units,12 ancient cultural spots,35 historic buildings,18 riverside flights of stone steps and 13 original transverse lanes have been preserved and get repaired in the renovation project. After a few years’ reconstruction, the historical and cultural street is full of pronounced local features, and presents an outlook of simplicity and antiquity.