Zhongshan Road is connected to the south by Zhan Bridge and to the north by Dayao Gully, stretching approximately 1500 meters long and originating from 1897 during the German occupation period. It was originally divided into two sections; the southern section from Zhan Bridge to De County Road was named Feidieli Street, a residential area for German and other European expatriates, historically known as the ‘Qingdao District’ or ‘European District’; the northern section from De County Road to Dayao Gully was the ‘Baodao District’ where Chinese residents lived, also known as the ‘Chinese District’, commonly referred to as the Main Street.
In 1914, Japan replaced Germany and colonized Qingdao for eight years, renaming the road to Shizuoka Street, where some remnants of Japanese commercial establishments still remain. In 1922, China reclaimed Qingdao and renamed the road Shandong Road. On May 22, 1929, in honor of Mr. Sun Yat-sen, it was renamed Zhongshan Road. Zhongshan Road was once a renowned commercial center in old Qingdao, as famous as Shanghai’s Nanjing Road and Beijing’s Wangfujing. It is home to many well-known century-old shops, such as the ‘Sheng Xifu’ hat and shoe store, the fragrant ‘Chun He Lou’ restaurant, the well-known ‘Hong Ren Tang’ pharmacy, the century-old ‘Fu Sheng De’ tea house, and of course, the ‘Heng De Li’ watch shop, famous throughout China.
On this street, merchants selling dried seafood are ubiquitous, offering both high-end marine delicacies like sea cucumbers, abalones, and shark fins, as well as mid-to-low-end seafood products such as prawns, dried shrimp, squid, clams, grilled fish, grilled shrimp, shrimp skins, and kelp. The city’s specialties are also available here in abundance, with ‘Pichai Court Alley’ located on Zhongshan Road, opposite the National Goods Company.
