An intersection on the fashionable Zhongshan Road [Photo/WeChat account: qdweishinan]

The Shinan district – located in Qingdao in East China's Shandong province – is considered the "soul" of the city and is a great place to walk among the many time-honored buildings that are located there.

Qingdao has 28 square kilometers of historical urban area – of which there is a core area of 6.9 sq km containing 85 cultural protection sites and nearly a thousand listed buildings.

Currently, about 100,000 sq m of historic urban area has been protected and updated and 130,000 sq m of projects are under development, under rejuvenation and renovation which will be completed in 2023.  

Shinan is understood to be adhering to the principles of integrating industry and the city, as well as strengthening the continuity of the cultural context, while combining the protection of historical buildings with the improvement of the environment.

In recent years, Shinan has also attached great importance to the revival of the old town area in west Qingdao.

Zhongshan Road, located there, is a century old business precinct established in 1897 that is now also known for being a vibrant and hip cultural hub in the city.

The area attracts hordes of people because of a whole host of activities that are staged there, including music parties, immersive experiences and e-sports shows – coupled with its vibrant art market, evocative landscape and stage performances.

The average daily flow of people to the art square on No 15 Zhongshan Road exceeded 100,000 visitors during the recent National Day holiday.