China's Harbin renovates century-old downtown street

Harbin, capital of northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, will invest 1.7 billion yuan ($240 million) to renovate a century-old downtown street, according to local authorities.

The 1,450-meter-long pedestrian street, first built in 1898, will see upgraded infrastructure of its ancient courtyards, architectures and buildings, and introduce new business models to cope with the rising number of visits each year from home and abroad, according to Zhu Lijie, head of the administration office of the street.

To help regain the shine of the street and better protect it, architecture, tourism and history experts have been invited to design individual plans for each of the ancient buildings along the street, Zhu added.

Efforts in planning, designing, surveying and mapping have been underway with strict anti-epidemic measures taken.

The renovation is expected to be completed by the end of September.