Prosperity began here over a hundred years ago.

Laojieli with Zhongshan Road at the core used to be the most prosperous business circle in Qingdao. Home to Shengxifu, Xinshengtai, Hengdeli, Pichaiyuan, Hongrentang, the first department store, arts and crafts stores, antique stores, Zhentai clothing shop, Qingdao food store, women and children’s products stores, the Laojieli business circle in the 1930s covered nearly 30 trades, including silk, western-style clothes, cigarettes and tobacco, timber, dyestuff, local products, gold and silver wares, pharmacies, photoing, banking and hairdressing. Liyuan buildings, which epitomize Qingdao architecture, stand in Laojieli to echo these cultural relics.

Since the beginning of 2019, Shinan district of Qingdao has set about urban renovation and launched plans to incorporate 50 business and cultural tourism projects into century-old Liyuan buildings, aimed at turning the historical urban area into a “sleepless city” and “vigorous city”. After over three years of effort, the wonderful dream is coming true day by day.

Citizens and tourists, who visited the first “Tour around Jieli” event in the Spring Festival, are keenly aware that the spectacular prosperity of Laojieli in the past is returning amid artistic Liyuan building culture, folk custom-oriented fairs and music events.

The Liyuan bookstore in the “Sanjiangli” old Liyuan building is particularly conspicuous. With gratuitous reading, Liyuan big-bowl tea, flash photoing in the style of Republic of China, a “delicate study” in the Liyuan buildings area on Huangdao Road has taken shape.

“Zanyi Culture” that runs oil painting museums will open another watercolor museum in Laojieli so that citizens and tourists can appreciate the charm of Qingdao watercolor.

Kaifei Food has launched ice creams on Qingdao landmarks like Zhanqiao Pier, St.Michael's Church and internet-famous wall on Daxue Road, which find warm favor with tourists. Kaifei aims to make Laojieli better known by continuing to make ice cream products featuring landmarks in Qingdao.

With the most featured buildings and historic buildings under protection, Laojieli can be called a “natural photo studio” that perfectly combines art with hustle and bustle. The Oriental Movie Metropolis will tap into Laojieli as a shooting location and aim to make films and TV series produced in Qingdao more influential and better accepted.  (Cui Yan)

1、Laojieli is packed with tourists.

2. Nowadays, Laojieli is of vigor and vitality.  By Wang Lei