Ancient Zhongzhou Alley given modern makeover

An ancient street in southwestern China's Chongqing municipality has been given a new lease of life after years of slowly falling into disrepair, thanks to local government efforts to renovate the area and upgrade its infrastructure.

Zhongzhou Alley in Zhongxian county has existed in one form or another since the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), and buildings from those periods can still be seen.

However, among them are brick buildings of the last century and modern commercial buildings, cafes, restaurants, museums and boutique hotels.

What hasn't changed, however, are the people. Street food vendors can still be seen beside the ancient city wall, the steam from their cooking pots curling upwards. Crowds still bustle for a bite to eat or to find a good bargain.

But instead of being a community left behind, Zhongzhou Alley is now a vibrant modern area.

"The street is very clean and beautiful now and I feel very happy living here," said local resident Xie Ming, who runs a grocery shop at the alley entrance.

"The new look has attracted many visitors too, and my business is getting better."

He said the area used to be dirty and messy, and the quality of life of the residents had been seriously affected, so many people chose to move out.

Situated in central Chongqing and at the heart of the Three Gorges Reservoir area, Zhongxian county is cradled by rolling hills and nourished by the Yangtze River. It's also the only semi-submerged county in the reservoir area.

Zhong from Zhongxian county means "loyalty". It's named after the historical story of General Ba Manzi, who chose to sacrifice his life to keep his kingdom together. Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) named Zhongxian county in honor of General Ba.

Zhongzhou Alley is the largest residential street with Bayu characteristics in the Yangtze River Basin in the mountainous city.

Ba and Yu are the historical names of Chongqing, a municipality in southwestern China with 32 million people.

The 175-meter semi-preserved old street is of great value with a large number of cultural relics and buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties such as the ancient city gates and mansions preserved in their original state.

"Zhongzhou Alley records the memory of the county as well as the Three Gorges Reservoir area, so we have done our best to keep its original features," said Lei Chunxia, the director of the local culture and tourism development center.

In 2019, the county government started a renovation project for old residential areas and Zhongzhou Alley was included. After field studies in other big cities and discussions with local communities, the government made a thorough renewal plan to reorganize and upgrade the area.

A new market was built for the street vendors, the new outdoor elevator saves the residents the hard work of climbing uphill, and the ruins and the gutters have become a beautiful garden.

In recent years, China has been implementing such urban renewal projects to build livable, green, resilient and smart cities, as well as bolster the country's high-quality development and create better homes, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Urban renewal involves the reconstruction of public spaces and facilities that are usually unsuitable for development, creating a new urban development model to help people lead better lives.