One of the most common road names in China is Zhongshan, a commemoration of republican China's founder, Sun Zhongshan, also known as Sun Yat-sen. Among some 100 such roads in different cities, Zhongshan Road in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang province, is perhaps the most valued for its rich historical and cultural heritage.

The road, running from north to south through the city, was already an important highway for the ancient capital during the time of Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1276).

With emperors said to have walked the street more than 800 hundred years ago, Zhongshan Road has earned a reputation as an imperial street and one of the city's key commercial hubs.

With a range of ancient sites lining both sides of the street, walking along the Zhongshan Road is like wandering through an open historical architectural museum. Traditionally-styled residential areas extend nearby, with a number of small lanes linking them together, forming a busy network of roads and passageways.

Veteran travelers suggest that visiting the old areas, home to many native Hangzhou people, allows visitors to have a glimpse into local culture and life and helps them better understand the city.

To better preserve and capitalize on this local cultural heritage, the Hangzhou city government launched a large two-year promotional campaign in early 2008, covering an 87-hectare area around the road.

The campaign is intended to establish the road as an international tourist destination, allowing the elderly to reflect on its history, whilst allowing more youthful visitors to experience the latest fashions. It is also designed to allow overseas visitors to get a feel for what it means to be Chinese, whilst Chinese tourists can experience various flavors from around the world, according to local authorities.

On September 30, just before the National Day holidays, the renovated road was re-opened as key part of the tourism initiative and was freshly designated as a "Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Street".

Party Chief of the Hangzhou committee, Wang Guoping, said the street inauguration was a major event in the city's history, and an innovative move towards protecting the widely acclaimed historic and cultural city, as well as the ideal gift to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China.

Whilst the road boasts a cluster of traditionally branded businesses, including a silk transaction center, handicraft stores, long-standing repositories of traditional Chinese medicine and teahouses with local Yue opera and tea art performances, a number of fashionable shops and international caf chain stores have also been added there - thus making it the perfect combination of the ancient and the modern.

Enjoying local cuisine on the road is also a major appeal for tourists, as the street is home to most of the restaurants in the city.

During the eight-day holidays, nearly 1.35 million visitors from home and abroad toured around the road, with a daily tourist arrival of some 170,000 people, generating some 8 billion yuan in business revenues, according to data from local authorities.

The highest daily tourist arrival was 280,000 on October 2.

(China Daily 10/21/2009 page13)