The Street is 1198 meters long and 15 meters wide which located in the bustling area of Siming district of Xiamen City. One side of the road connects a hotel, which accommodates guests from all over the world; another links the mighty waves of the sea. It faces the marine garden at a distance across the sea. The first impression is its small size, and it takes only half an hour to cover the whole street.

 

Xiamen Zhongshan Road was founded in 1925. Then the name of the street was changed to “Da han Road” during the Puppet Governed by Japan. It was changed back to the original one after the Victory of World Anti- Fascist War. Again it was changed to “Dongfanghong Road” for unclear reason in 1966 and back to Xiamen Zhongshan Road in October of year 1979.

 

Since 1959 Zhongshan Road became a prosperous Commercial Street. Before this, the busiest Commercial Center was on Datong Road where you could find the biggest department store, silk-selling store of Xiamen. Xiamen Committee and Municipal Government made the idea of moving the Commercial Center to Zhongshan Road, 15 meters wide with 6 meters sideway in 1958 from Dongtong Road due to its limitation for such heavy transportation.

 

During the 40 years, Zhongshan Road became more beautiful and the goods are more abundant with economic development and life improvement. All the stores link together and it is sated that there are more than 300 stores in here. There are domestic famous enterprises such as Laiya Department Store, Paris Spring Department, Jinlu Jewelry Shop, Guanghua traditional Pharmacy and Huangzehe Peanut Soup Noshery; Book Shop, Tea House, Instrument Store, Hotel, Nanyin, Drama, Film, Drysaltery Goods from South and North China, Special merchandise from Eastern and Western China, McDonald’s, KFC and Café. So you can find everything that you need in Zhongshan Road.

 

The handwritings in the shop signboards are respectively revealing different verves. There are some generational great person and master’s handwritings such as “XinHua Bookstore” writing by Chairman Mao, “Angel Hotel” came from the renowned calligraphy master LuoDan, and the “Guanghua Pharmacy” from the local calligrapher Chen Meixiang, etc. It is really superbly talented and all of them became one standard. It is unique culture scenery of Xiamen, an “Artistic Heaven”, for all the tourists who come from China and overseas.

 

Strolling in Zhongshan Road, people may feel the vitality and the vigor which were exploded by competitions and all merchants are trying their best to fit the intense competition. It seems the Street became a "battlefield" but without gun-smoke. You can even compare it with the Manhattan of New York, Ginza of Tokyo, Intermediate Belt in HK, Wang Fujing Street of Beijing and Nanjing Street of Shanghai. Zhongshan Road shows the unique and inimitable civilization and prosperity of Xiamen, which makes your visiting worthwhile.

 

At night, people come and go under the glittering and fickle neon lights. At this time Zhongshan Road became a colorful dragon formed by lamps. The ancient overhang buildings stand still in the fascinating LED lights make this place much more ravishing.

 

All the shops along the street take part in the High Quality Service Contest actively under the implication of some major shops such as Department Stores of Hualian, Laiya, Paris Spring, Lujiang Hotel, Xinhua Bookstore and Guanghua Pharmacy. They are in line of keeping business rules, good mannered, fairly and price transparently, instead of selling faked and common goods.

 

According to the statistics of the Municipal Consumers Committee, consumers do not have any complains of Zhongshan Road. Many of the shops and shopping buildings are awarded as good-mannered units or trusted enterprises at the district, municipal or provincial levels. The activities of being a “Good Street” and “Non Fakes Shop” promote a good environment for trading and business to the Zhongshan Road. Since more and more businessmen are gathering to here, the Zhongshan Road is growing to a trading center not only in the city, but even in southern part of the province.

 

Xiamen Zhongshan Road stands herself out from other cities’ Commercial Streets. She represents the spirit, delicacy and peace of Xiamen.