Qingdao is not old, but has many old streets.
Looking back at the dusty past of Henan Road, you will find that it originally appeared in the name of Financial Street. Once upon a time, Henan Road was like a auxiliary street in Zhongshan, hidden behind the bustling old commercial street and unknown to people. At that time, as Zhongshan Road was transformed into a pedestrian street, trams No. 2 and No. 5 dragged their long braids into Henan Road, and the settlement of a large number of foreign trade shops made it a must-visit place for island city residents who prefer foreign trade goods. This familiar yet unfamiliar road began to attract people's attention again.
The north-south roads in the old city have "opposite views" on the seashore. The "opposite view" on the seashore at the southern end of Henan Road is a spire bungalow, which is a seawater extraction point in Qingdao. There is a pipeline below that leads to the sea. , sucked into water trucks and used to wash the roads, this spire bungalow has a history of a hundred years and has become a scene on the coastal landscape.
Photography/Hu Photography
Henan Road starts from Taiping Road in the south and ends at Jinan Road in the north. It is completely parallel to Zhongshan Road. Like Zhongshan Road, it once belonged to two districts. The German colonial regime divided Qingdao District, where Europeans lived, and Baodao District, where Chinese people lived, with Dexian Road and Baoding Road as the boundaries. Therefore, the southern section was originally named Hamburg Street after the famous German city of Hamburg. It was called Miyama Town during the Japanese occupation. The northern section was originally called Henan Street and Henan Town. When China took back Qingdao, the whole street was called Henan Road.
There used to be many banks and banks on Henan Road. Banks with small funds in old China could only be called "banks" or "banks." No. 13 Henan Road is the private China Industrial Bank. It opened a branch in Qingdao in July 1930 and moved here in 1932. During the financial crisis in 1935, a run on money occurred. With the support of the Bank of Communications, it overcame the difficulties and became a joint bank between the government and merchants. The manager, Kong Xiangmian, was the 75th generation grandson of Confucius. After liberation, the original site served as the People's Bank of China, and the business hall was once used as the "Qingdao Gold Store", selling gold and silver jewelry and gold and silver coins.
No. 13 Henan Road, the former site of the Industrial Bank of China, is a European-style building built in 1934. It was originally the Qingdao Branch of the Industrial Bank of China. Designed by architect Xu Shouzhong.
The Industrial Bank of China was organized by the Ministry of Finance of the Beiyang Government in the 4th year of the Republic of China (1915) and was officially established in April of the 8th year of the Republic of China. The main sponsors are former Bank of China President Li Shiwei, former Finance Minister Zhou Xuexi, former Prime Minister Xiong Xiling, Qian Nengxun and others. The total capital is set at 20 million yuan, half of which is commercial shares and public shares. 10 million yuan of public shares are held by Bank of China, and 10 million yuan of commercial shares are recruited from the public. However, the paid-in capital at the time of opening was only more than 2 million yuan, mainly provided by Bank of China. The head office was located in Tianjin. It was moved to Shanghai in the 21st year of the Republic of China and was changed to the general management office.
The building was designed by Qingdao Lianyi Jianye Huahang. The architect is Xu Shouzhong and Shen Tai Construction Factory. It covers an area of ??1837.33 square meters and a construction area of ??3370.47 square meters. Steel and wood structure. It originally had three floors above ground, but in the mid-1980s, one floor was added to it. It is now four floors with a basement.
The main entrance faces west, with a square granite base and wall-mounted walls. On both sides of the door are thread-shaped and mesh-shaped stone pillars, arched stone-carved door covers, embossed copper doors, and arches. There are granite pillars on both sides of the arched window. On the first floor, there are threaded stone columns embedded in the window edges, and on the second floor, there are rectangular stone decorative moldings surrounding the windows. The entire building is in simple classical style.
In 1934, the Qingdao Branch of the Industrial Bank of China moved into this building from Guantao Road. In February 1937, the bank ceased operations. It resumed business in 1938 and barely managed to survive under the control of the Japanese and puppet banks. After Qingdao was liberated, it joined the Qingdao Branch of the Public-Private Joint Venture Bank in December 1952. The building is now the business premises of the Qingdao Central Branch of the People's Bank of China.
No. 15 Henan Road, the former site of Qingdao Bank Association, was built in August 1934. The architectural style is very similar to No. 13 Henan Road. It was designed by the famous designer Xu Yao and constructed by Huafengheng. The former site of Qingdao Banks Association covers an area of ??1582.76 square meters and is designed in a European classical style. Four floors above ground, concrete structure, square granite foundation and walls. The facade adopts a symmetrical approach, with rectangular windows arranged in groups. There are 4 windows in the middle and two windows on each side.
The whole building gives people a simple and solemn feeling.
The Qingdao Banking Association was established on March 3, 1931. It has eight member banks: China Banking, Communications, Continental, Zhonglu, China Industrial, Shanzuo, Shanghai and Minghua. The first committee elected Wang Zuxun, manager of the Bank of China, as its chairman. The meeting will be temporarily located in the Bank of China. At the same time, a building is being built on Henan Road and will be moved to the new location after completion.
No. 15 Henan Road is the Industrial and Mining Bank of China. The manager is Yu Mozhang. It operates deposits, loans, and exchanges, and has a warehouse.
No. 17 Henan Road is Jincheng Bank, and its manager is Chen Guonan. This is a Renaissance-style building with granite columns, a "Δ" shaped eaves, and a bell tower rising in the middle. It is the most impressive building on Henan Road. After liberation, it served as the Shinan District People's Hospital and is now the Qingdao City Commercial Building. bank. Jincheng Bank on Henan Road was a bank with few funds in old China and could only be called a "bank" or "bank".
Jincheng Bank was designed by Chinese architect Lu Qianshou. The bank is nearly L-shaped in plan, with three floors above ground and one underground floor. There is a towering clock tower imitating the European 19th century city hall style on top of the main entrance. , which forms an exaggerated composition center and also serves as a contrast to the street. For a long time, the clock tower not only served as a symbol of this intersection, but also formed an organic connection with the clock towers of the former police station and the local court. The design of this yellow-gray reinforced concrete structure was completed on April 27, 1934, and it was completed on September 19, 1934. At that time, this construction speed should be very surprising.
Later it was used as Shinan District People’s Hospital. Nowadays, this building has been occupied by many shops. The front and west sides have been turned into a community health service center, and the east side has been turned into a foreign trade clothing store. Many temporary houses have been built on the roof of this beautiful old building. I wonder if these temporary buildings will become a permanent part of the old building.
There is a small square at the intersection of Henan Road, Dagu Road and Baoding Road. During the German occupation, it was the dividing line between Qingdao District, where the Germans lived, and Baodao District, where the Chinese lived. This junction used to be the Qingdao City Bus Terminal and the Qingdao Coach Terminal, which went to Huiquan and Dongzhen from here.
No. 36 Henan Road is Zhongyong Bank, manager Wang Chunyi;
No. 38 Henan Road seems ordinary, but once you enter, you will find that its circular wooden ladder is very Unique: There are wooden ladders on both sides of the corridor that lead directly to the upper floor. They meet at the top of the corridor. After climbing to the second floor, they separate again and lead to the middle of the second and third floors, and then merge... and so on. It starts over and over again, rising in a circle until it reaches the rooftop. This kind of staircase design is extremely rare in old houses.
No. 40 Henan Road is the former site of Qingdao Xiejutai Bank. Before 1949, Qingdao Xiejutai Bank was a branch of a large-scale bank. Xiejutai Bank is headquartered in Jinan. It is an early and powerful bank. In 1931, Xiejutai Bank opened a branch in Qingdao. Several branches in Tai'an and Weifang were opened in the province. In January 1948, the Ministry of Finance of the Kuomintang government unified the name and ordered all banks in various places to be called Qianzhuang. The name of Qingdao Xiejutai Bank remained unchanged, and its external business was stamped with the seal of "Xiejutai Qingdao Branch".
After time's transformation and baptism, the original site of Qingdao Xiejutai Bank at No. 40 Henan Road is still "alive". It is the former site of one of the few old bank branches outside the city that still exists in Qingdao. As a bank from out of town, Xiejutai Bank came to Qingdao to open a bank branch and "make money" in Qingdao. The original site was an old two-story store building with a street frontage of 40 to 50 meters. It was also very impressive back then.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, the Ministry of Finance of the Nanjing National Government issued the "Interim Management Measures for the Banking Industry in the Recovered Areas", Qingdao was designated as a restricted area, and only 13 banks were approved to resume operations. Xiejutai Bank Qingdao Among them are the branches
The door of Xiejutai Bank is arched, and inside is the Qingdao-style courtyard in the 1930s. Nowadays, in the courtyard, the old staircases and wooden structure decorations are relatively intact, while the small huts built privately, with messy threads like spider webs, no longer indicate that this was once a bank.
No. 51 Henan Road is Qingdao Commercial Bank, the manager is Ji Yichen; No. 88 Henan Road is Tiancheng Bank, the manager is Zhang Shuxing.
According to records from the Qingdao Municipal Archives, located in the middle of the street between Zhongshan Road, Qufu Road, Henan Road and Feicheng Road, there was once a relatively square street park - Qingdao Fourth Park, built in 1922 year (the first Japanese occupation period), covering an area of ??5,500 square meters. There were only more than a hundred trees, and it was called "Deep Mountain Park" at that time. In 1932, the municipal authorities of the Nanjing National Government sold the park land to build China, Shandong, Shanghai, Continental, Jincheng, Industrial and other banks. The park is occupied.
Henan Road used to be Qingdao’s gourmet street, with Shandong restaurants, halal restaurants, and Henan restaurants. In the 1920s and 1930s, Qingdao's larger restaurants were divided into first and second tiers, with different prices for their dishes. According to the "Qingdao Guide" published in 1933, on Henan Road, there are first-class restaurants Yadong Restaurant (No. 58 Henan Road) and Houdefu (No. 19 Henan Road); there are second-class restaurants Tongchun House, Deshun House, Xinsheng Building. In addition, there are also specialty restaurants such as Zhenyizhai and Caigenxiang.
Mr. Lu Hai recorded in "Old Street Stories" that Yadong Hotel is the second largest Chinese restaurant in Qingdao after Jufulou. It has a lobby on the first floor and private seats on the second floor. Many wealthy families are getting married, This place was used to celebrate longevity, but it no longer exists.
"Cai Genxiang" is the largest vegetarian restaurant in Qingdao. Buddhist believers often come here, as well as ordinary customers because of its light taste and clean food. Master Hongyi (Li Shutong) came to Qingdao to teach "Law" at Zhanshan Temple. Qingdao Mayor Shen Honglie held a banquet in Caigenxiang because of his name and sent an invitation. However, Hongyi refused, which was a big news at the time.
Zhenyizhai is a two-story Muslim restaurant on Henan Road. In 1929, the mayor of Qingdao, Ma Fuxiang, was a Hui nationality. He often held banquets here, which made it famous. However, during the occupation period, it collapse.
Houdefu is a restaurant specializing in Henan cuisine. Houdefu is found in major cities across the country. The Qingdao store happens to be on Henan Road and has specialties such as "Tile Fish". It is said that Liang Shiqiu is one of the shareholders. Later, it was verified that his father was actually a shareholder of Beijing's "Houdefu". He often entertained friends at Houdefu. When Hu Shi came to Qingdao, Liang Shiqiu entertained him here.
The hotels on Henan Road are divided into Chinese-style and Japanese-style. Japanese-style hotels are equipped with tatami mats according to Japanese customs. Chinese-style hotels include Dachang Hotel, Huabei Hotel, Gaosheng Inn, etc., which are all traditional Chinese inn-style hotels. There is a Japanese-style inn called "Azumakan", which means my wife; the other is called Yamato Ryokan, which is the largest Japanese-style inn (at the intersection of Qufu).
Qingdao’s dim sum industry is also divided into Chinese and Japanese styles. The most famous store in the Chinese pastry industry is Wan Fulin. Its main store is on Henan Road, with nearly 200 employees, ranking first in the city. For a long time, when people in Qingdao gave gifts, if they wanted to give pastries, Wan Fulin's snacks were the first choice. The wrapping paper of Wanfulin dim sum has a red background and hot stamping, with an artistic "福" trademark or a bat pattern, symbolizing "福". According to records, in 1947 Wanfulin sold more than 70,000 kilograms of Mid-Autumn mooncakes alone, which was a huge sales volume at the time.
There is a Yunge Bookstore north of Wanfulin. It is small but distinctive. It mainly sells popular novels, including martial arts, romance, and detectives. The junction of old Qingdao District and Baodao District on Henan Road has long been an open space (it still is today). It used to be the Qingdao City Bus Terminal and the Coach Terminal, from which you can go to Huihui. Quan, Dongzhen.
No. 35-39 Henan Road is a very exquisite 3-story courtyard-style building with a granite foundation and gray-yellow walls decorated with 8-petal flowers of 4 different shapes. There are three kinds of flowers in a row at the connection between the first and second floors of the building, while there is only one kind of flower at the connection between the second and third floors. There is a peculiar door facing the street of the small building. The door is made of rectangular iron. Although it is dilapidated, you can still vaguely see flower-shaped decorations on it. There is a stone plaque above the door, and the writing on the plaque is mottled and unclear.
Some people say that this place was once a famous restaurant, while others say that this place was an inn in the past.
No. 80 Henan Road, the original address of Donglai Bank was at the intersection of Henan Road and Tianjin. Although it is not as gorgeous as the Donglai Bank built later at No. 39 Hunan Road, it is already the most impressive old building in the northern section of Henan Road.
This four-story building has a granite foundation. The decorative square columns and gables on the entire exterior wall of the building are wrapped in thick granite, as if it were a layer of armor worn on the building. The top of the gable is decorated with patterns, and if you look closely at the tops of the square columns, there are also small checkered patterns. Walking into the interior of the building, there is a square patio. Looking up, the fences on each floor are made of stone, and each section of the fence has 8 gourd-shaped stone decorations, which are very beautiful.
No. 88 Henan Road, this is a 2-story courtyard with a granite foundation and light yellow walls. The rectangular windows on the second floor are surrounded by thick white borders, and the top is slightly curved. Enter the patio through the gate and corridor. The patio is not big. Unlike the wooden fence on the second floor of many courtyards, the second floor here is not a fence but a wooden window. There is information showing that this place was a bank called "Tiancheng" and its manager was Zhang Shuxing.
There is a road in the heart of old Qingdao and the old urban area. It is named after Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is called Berlin Street. It was also called Azabu Town and is now called Qufu Road. Although this road is in the heart of the city, it does not show off any mountains or water.
Qufu Road starts from Dexian Road in the east, passes through Zhongshan Road and ends at Xintai Road. At the easternmost end is the early Catholic church. The book "Qingdao" published in 1910 introduced: "This beautiful building of the Catholic Church is located on a piece of land of 30,000 square meters handed over to the church by the Governor's Palace. It was built from 1899 to 1902 and is now owned by the church. and used by schools. This church, like all the Catholic churches in Runan, is affiliated with the Archbishop of Stair and holds services for the military and civilian orders every Sunday. "In 1934, St. Michael's Archbishop. After the church was built, it became the auditorium of Mingde School.
Xu Shichang was the governor of the three eastern provinces and minister of military aircraft in the late Qing Dynasty. In 1912, he purchased land and built a house on Berlin Street. After that, Yuan Shikai sent people to Qingdao three times to ask him to go to Beijing to serve as Secretary of State. After Yuan Shikai's death, he became the President of the Republic of China.
Diagonally across from Xu Shichang's house lived Zhang Shiheng, an old survivor of the Xunqing Dynasty. He once visited Mount Laoshan with Xu Shichang. : "In April Xinchou of Guichou (1913), I made an appointment with Wu Yusheng from Suzhou and Li Jiaju from Guangzhou to visit Mount Laoshan. I also traveled with Yu Shimei, Li Jingmai and Zhang Shiheng from Hexian County. They stayed at Huayan Nunnery. They will arrive at Taiqing Palace tomorrow and walk across the strait to the sea. , Songs and stones are ancient... It takes three days to go back and forth." There is a stone tablet in his courtyard, which is inscribed by Yu Yue, a great scholar in the Qing Dynasty. It is now standing next to the bamboo forest in Zhongshan Park and is a Qingdao cultural relic.
Zhang Shiheng's house was later opened as a Yingzhou hotel. There were not many rooms, but the facilities were very good and there was a traditional Chinese garden. Like the Asia Hotel, it is very close to the Yong'an Grand Theater. Many famous actors have lived here, including Cheng Yanqiu, Li Wanchun, Bai Yuwei, Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Qiu Shengrong, etc. Shang Xiaoyun, one of the Four Great Danes, stayed at Yingzhou Hotel several times. In 1950, he also lived here with his three sons Changchun, Changlin and Changrong. Changrong was still young at that time, and Shang Xiaoyun stayed here for him. Inviting Chen Furui, a famous Peking Opera artist living in Qingdao, as his teacher, Shang Changrong began his artistic career. Now the Yingzhou Hotel has been demolished and the Qingdao Hotel has been built on the original site.
Opposite it is the Taixin Candy Factory, built in 1932, which produces chocolate and other soft and hard candies. The sales department provides coffee and pastries with more than 30 seats. In summer, it produces and sells various ice creams.
Next to the Taixin Candy Factory is the Adams Building. Adams is an American businessman and was the president of the American Chamber of Commerce. This building is also called Texaco Building. It is an early office building in Qingdao and has an elevator. After liberation, it was changed to the First Department Store, and the main entrance was moved to Zhongshan Road. This was the first large state-owned department store in Qingdao.
Today’s western section of Qufu Road
Qufu Road was originally the Fourth Park from Zhongshan Road to the intersection of Henan Road. In 1932, the then municipal government sold all the land in the park and built it into Qingdao Financial Park. District, known as Qingdao Wall Street, is home to Bank of China, Shanzuo Bank, Shanghai Commercial Bank, Continental Bank, Jincheng Bank, China Industrial and Mining Bank, China Industrial Bank, etc. The Qingdao Bankers Association is also here. The exterior walls of these buildings are all made of granite, a specialty of Qingdao. However, due to municipal regulations at the time, the floors of the buildings did not exceed three floors. However, each bank had its own unique design and unique style. After liberation, private banks were reorganized into public-private joint venture banks. The former sites of the Industrial Bank and the Industrial and Mining Bank became the site of the Qingdao Branch of the People's Bank of China, with an additional layer added to the original three floors. The former sites of Bank of China, Shanzuo Bank, Bank of Shanghai and China Travel Service were renovated and became the business hall of Bank of China.
There were many dance halls in Qingdao, and the Garden Dance Hall on Qufu Road was the larger one. The dance hall was on the Zhongshan Road side, and the coffee shop was on the Qufu Road side. In the past, dance halls implemented a dance ticket system. Men who came to the dance hall bought dance tickets first. The dancers sat in two rows next to the band. When the dance music started, the men went to choose their favorite dancers. After the dance, they gave the dancers a dance ticket. Some men will give two or more dance tickets to the dancer they are "holding".
After liberation, the dance hall was cancelled. The original site was used as a club for financial and trade employees. In the 1950s, the coffee room was converted into a library. The dance hall is still a dance hall, but there are no dancers. Men bring their own dance partners or choose the women present. , just buy a ticket when entering the club. During the Cultural Revolution, all clubs were smashed and criticized. In the 1980s, it was restored as a dance hall and belonged to the Shinan Workers Club. Now the land on Qufu Road has been built as Parkson Commercial Building.