BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- When building an "exquisite city" becomes the foremost orientation of its urban renewal campaign, old streets in districts of Weihai City, east China are regaining vitality now.
Taking Weicheng District as an instance, the 3-square kilometer area comprising historic areas and idled factories and port zone underwent innovation- and preservation-centered renovation, equipping it with better environment for business upgrading and people's livelihood.
In Zhihai Port Bay, a versatile new urban complex that rose to popularity since this summer, a unique "whale leaping out of the sea"-shaped landscape is now before visitors' eyes as its frame plus super-long steel arch structure helps overcome difficulties in seaside anti-erosion.
Built on an old port area, the splashy urban complex offers people a splendid panoramic view of sea sight with its 40-meter-long floor-to-ceiling windows, nicknamed the "eyes of the giant whale", drawing an average of 10,000-plus visitors per day.
Taking Zhihai Port Bay as a starting point, urban renewal trends are sweeping the surrounding alleys and streets in Weicheng District, core of Weihai's urban renewal campaign.
On Qixia Street, a century-old street in Weihai, 17 old houses were rebuilt with original materials to recover their past appearance and refresh people's memory of famous local soup dish, performance, feast, marketplace, etc.
"Before the urban renewal, poor nearby environment always made us hard to do business," said a local time-honored restaurant operator, adding currently, his restaurant is reaping three times of the past's monthly turnover.
On Chinese Zodiac Street, cultural inheritance and commercial activity are now in an artful balance after a 15-month-long renovation. Apart from sculptures of zodiac animals and a stylish square, shrewd business planning precisely avoids homogeneous competition.
"After the re-opening of the street, my creative cultural products store became a popular destination for night-economy lovers, in particular the young tourists," said the store owner.
Alongside Xinweifu Road, historical sites with "Weihai in 1902"-related memories such as the old ceramic factory and shipyard were preserved via micro-renovation while 65 cultural businesses were introduced to spur cultural consumption.
Urban renewal is not rebuilding but refining, noted Li Ruiling, head of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau of Weihai, saying that the city preserved history and implanted modern functions into the old areas to make them places brimming with more warmth.
(Edited by Duan Jing with Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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