Jianghan Road
Jianghan Road was originally named Guangli Alley, a dirt path about 300 meters long extending from the riverbank to Poyang Street. After Hankou was opened as a treaty port in 1861, the road was widened and paved with gravel, named “Taiping Road”. By the late Qing Dynasty, Taiping Road had been extended northwards to Hualou Street. In 1901, Liu Xinsheng, known as Hankou’s “Land King” or real estate magnate, donated a tract of low-lying land he had acquired through loans, situated around the Zhang Gong Embankment in Hankou, to the then British Concession. In recognition of his contribution, the British authorities named the road built in this area “Xinsheng Road”, which was the early form of Jianghan Road. Xinsheng Road quickly began to serve as a commodity distribution center between the Chinese-administered area and the concession, already showing initial signs of commercial prosperity. ...