Qilou Old Street in Haikou

Qilou Old Street in Haikou [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Haikou's Qilou Old Street is perhaps the most impressive example of arcade architecture in all of China. The oldest building, Sipai Building, dates back some 600 years to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It has won the title of the first batch of "China's Famous Historical and Cultural Street".

In the 1930s, there were 572 shops in 35 industries in Haikou. Renowned hotels and comprehensive entertainment places include the Daya Hotel and Taichanglong. 

In 1849, the earliest Qilou was built in the Sipai Building district. Due to the wide waters in the area in ancient times, the boats could directly get through. Thus, the entire Qilou district was extended to form a scale.

Although hundred years have passed, walking along the streets of Qilou, people can still enjoy the beauty of the buildings. Standing between two and four stories high, a Qilou has its ground floor set back halfway into the building so that it can be used as a storefront which is sheltered from both rain and sun. The upper floors serve as the living quarters, and extend over the pavement supported by columns. The exquisite carvings and decorations on the handrails, door frames and window frames are in the Baroque style. Qilou Old Street features a stylish fusion of European and Asian architecture, with Indian and Arabic influences. 

The Old Street is the symbol of Haikou, its buildings are mainly distributed in the Zhongshan Road, Deshengsha Road, Xinhua Road, East Jiefang Road, Boai Road, Changdi Road, Xinmin Road, Zhenxing Street and Daxing Street in Longhua District and Meilan District. In total, there are more than 200 Qilou buildings in the street, including 39 in Zhongshan Road.

Ticket price：free

Tel: +86-898-66200273

Transportation

Bus: No 3, 5, 6, 7, 14