Zhongyang Dajie — Central Street — is the spine of old Harbin and the best place to feel the city's unusual history. The broad pedestrian boulevard runs north to the Songhua River and is lined on both sides with European-era buildings in styles ranging from Russian neo-baroque to art nouveau. It is unlike any other street in China.
Walking south from the river, the architecture is a genuine mix: old Russian-style facades housing KFC outlets, traditional bakeries selling sour rye bread and chak-chak pastries alongside bubble tea, and the occasional Soviet-era building interspersed with newer towers. The mix sounds discordant but works — Harbin has always been a city of contradictions. In winter the street is decorated with ice lanterns, and in summer it becomes a promenade for locals of every age. Madie Erdale's, an old Russian-style bakery dating to the early 20th century, still serves the city's traditional bread at the northern end of the street.