Baixiang Street Historic District
Nestled between Wanglongmen and Taipingmen in Yuzhong District, Baixiang Street owes its name to a legend: a white elephant statue (Baixiang) faced a green lion (Qingshi) in Xuantan Temple, Nan’an District, across the Yangtze River, symbolizing “Green Lion and White Elephant Guarding the River”. After Chongqing became a Qing Dynasty treaty port, it attracted global firms like American Dollar Steamship Co., Japanese Nasshin Kiesn Kaisha, British Swire, and Jardine Matheson. In 1926, industrialist Lu Zuofu founded the Chongqing Minsheng Shipping Company here, and in 1929, wealthy businessman Huang Xizi established the Fuyang Shipping Company, with another influential merchant, Li Yaoting, opening the “Tian Shun Xiang” business. Dubbed “China’s Wall Street” for its concentration of guilds (cotton, silk, dried goods) in the 1930s, the district now revitalizes landmarks like Former Xinghua Private School (now Xiling Study), Shanxi Guild Hall (now Chongqing Historical and Cultural Museum), and Former Site of Chongqing Customs Office (now Intangible Cultural Heritage Center of Chongqing Mother City). It is home to projects such as intangible cultural heritage experiences, immersive theaters, history exhibitions, family education programs, and art galleries.