China/Hainan: Haikou – Zhongshan Road
By far the most famous old historic street in Haikou is the the Zhongshan Road. It was built in 1662 by an emperor from Qing Dynasty and it led to the city gates at the time. Over the years, the architecture changed into the Chinese-European colonial with multistory arcaded buildings and elaborate carved decorations. The entire Zhongshan Road is pedestrian now, full of cafes and restaurants and museums and souvenirs shops. There are also about a dozen brass statues depicting old Chinese life along the street. A must-do thing here is to sit and enjoy a freshly cut giant coconut, slowly sipping the juice with a straw for hours (like the Chinese do) or a couple minutes (like New Yorkers do).
