Suzhou has such a street, which is very popular because of its unique Japanese flavor, because this street named Huaihai Street highlights the strong Japanese flavor on the whole, and even once Some netizens said that this street is more Japanese than Japan!
However, such a street seems to be deserted now, So why does this happen? How did this street get on fire before?
-See it "rise up"-
This Huaihai Street is located in Suzhou High tech Zone, with a total length of 550 meters and a width of 10 meters, It was also rated as a national famous and characteristic commercial street in 2010.
in fact, This street was originally designed to provide convenience to Japanese employees working in Suzhou Because Suzhou, especially Suzhou High tech Zone, began to develop and construct in 1990.
In order to vigorously develop the economy, Suzhou introduced many foreign-funded enterprises, It has also attracted many Japanese foreign enterprises to invest or set up factories here Even the Japanese schools in Suzhou are beside Huaihai Street.
So since then, there have been a lot of foreign capital in the High tech Zone, especially many Japanese enterprises, such as Sony, Panasonic And other enterprises.
By 2020, The investment has reached 20 billion dollars For the sake of Japanese enterprises and Japanese customers of Japanese factories in the High tech Zone, this street was built and opened in 1994.
At the beginning, the street was very "simple" It is only spread among Japanese employees of Japanese enterprises in Suzhou, and occasionally attracts some people who like Japanese materials very much.
Some Japanese have opened flavor shops in this street, and some others Chinese catering merchants who know Japanese food , and gradually opened stores here.
So this street has gradually evolved into a well-known "Japanese style street" In 2010, it was also rated as a national and famous characteristic commercial street.
But with the gradual development of this street, In particular, many large-scale shopping malls have gradually settled in Longhu Suzhou Tianjie Huaihai Street, a street that has experienced more than 20 years, looks a bit shabby and has not received so much attention.
In order to promote the development of commercial economy, Suzhou Municipal Government has launched various theme activities, Focus on developing night economy 。
therefore In April 2020, this street will usher in reform The whole street started the reconstruction project, and after more than five months, it appeared in front of everyone with a new look.
The evening of the street opening ceremony was very popular, The whole street is basically crowded It is very lively.
And in the first half month of opening, The daily flow of this street is up to 100000 It is not only the official media that are promoting the street, but also many tourists who will release information about the street on various platforms.
even to the extent that At that time, it became the "top" information of all major platforms , has become a "must go resort" in the circle of friends. Even after the new opening, many people will still come here, and this street is still very lively.
So, Why is this street so popular?
-＜ Reasons for becoming an "online celebrity" ＞-
This Huaihai Street in Suzhou used to Hot , mainly due to the following reasons:
first The most important thing is that the scene is attractive The whole street is full of Japanese style from the gate, from the street to the buildings to the 50 or 60 shops and stores.
Especially on the street Street lights, billboards, light boxes, hanging atmosphere lights, cherry blossom parks And so on, they are all made of authentic Japanese aesthetic design. Greening, signs, thatched roofs, etc. are all very distinctive Japanese characteristics.
So it will attract many tourists to "punch in" here, some people say "The photos here have a sense of atmosphere" Some cartoon fans wearing Coseplay clothes will also come here to take photos
The second is the accumulation of profound knowledge. At the beginning, the market of Huaihai Street was set up by Japanese working in Japanese enterprises in Suzhou There were nearly 600 Japanese funded enterprises in Suzhou before There are about 4000 Japanese working and living in Suzhou alone.
Especially there is a Japanese school nearby, so there is a certain market , and many stores on this street have been open for more than ten years, even some have been open for more than 20 years.
There is accumulated customer flow, There are also many shops opened by Japanese Some stores even specially employ Japanese chefs and Japanese speaking waiters
In addition to daily materials, This street also has mutton hotpot, stewed noodles and many other delicacies So some people are attracted by the scenery and atmosphere, some are attracted by the food, and some are attracted to join in the fun.
So, Why is this street in decline now?
-Seeing its "tall building" collapse-
Huaihai Street in Suzhou was once popular among friends, and the whole street was also very lively, But nowadays, the flow of people on the street is falling precipitously compared with that before Some stores are even empty, but this fate seems inevitable.
First of all, this street full of Japanese flavor itself is It is set for Japanese personnel of Japanese enterprises in Suzhou , and most of them are Japanese stores, so the menu will be more catering to Japanese tastes.
So Most people come here to take photos Therefore, except for consumers who really like Japanese food, few consumers are willing to eat too single dishes after the sense of freshness.
And it completely copied Japanese style from beginning to end, It's all Japanese style and culture The sales model is relatively simple, forming a "online celebrity" location, but "online celebrity" usually blooms in a short period of time, and it is natural that it will not develop well after a long time.
Secondly, there are constant disputes, Because when the street was "hot", many people wore kimonos to clock in and take photos here He has also been searched many times for this reason. The act of wearing kimonos can cause considerable controversy every time.
Most netizens say that this is inappropriate and inappropriate, because the kimono is an important symbol of Japanese culture, In particular, thinking about the meaning behind the "kimono" will cause many people to dislike it.
And under the invasion of Japanese culture, Many young people are affected by the secondary culture After all, it is the Japanese culture, especially the Japanese animation, that has spread and exported to the world and left a deep impression on many young people.
Everyone has different aesthetics, which is understandable, but some people think kimonos are more beautiful, and some people will belittle our own culture and excessively pursue foreign culture. This culture is not confident, and this idea is very indignant.
More people believe that We should pay attention to the cultural invasion and the trend of our own cultural loss This situation can not be ignored. There is a similar street in Dalian besides the Huaihai Street in Suzhou, which is full of Japanese flavor.
This style street in Dalian Start construction in 2019, costing 60 trillion yuan It was jointly developed by China and Japan and was the largest Japanese style street at that time. It was even named "Shengtang · Little Kyoto". It opened in 2021 and was closed less than 10 days later.
because Spontaneous resistance from netizens, increasing controversy Therefore, the customs street in Dalian, which was just opened, began to close for rectification.
First, go Except for all Japanese elements Later, many stores in neighboring countries such as Mongolia and Russia were introduced and transformed into a "national style commercial street".
At the same time, the name was changed to "Jinshi Wanxiang Street" It was reopened in 2022, but it did not play a role. The whole street was empty most of the time, and even was selected as a pit refuge in Dalian.
Whether Dalian or Suzhou, History will not be forgotten Moreover, the historical problems between China and Japan cannot be ignored. It is good to do business. To master the appropriate ways and means, this "style street" in Dalian is a "lesson from the past".
So, How will Suzhou Huaihai Style Street develop in the future?
-Slowly transforming-
Huaihai Street in Suzhou today is much worse than before, Some stores were closed, some were transferred, and some Chinese restaurants were opened in succession , the atmosphere of this street is much worse than before.
And during the National Day, It can be seen from the naked eye that many stores are hung with national flags It seems that there are more "bosses" in China now, and there are almost no people on the whole street in the daytime, which is very deserted.
Usually, There are few consumers in this street, let alone people who punch in and take photos , only scattered delivery staff are running around
What's more, Suzhou itself is a city full of Jiangnan style, and also a tourist attraction. Suzhou itself has its own characteristics, which I believe everyone has heard of "There is paradise on the top, Suzhou and Hangzhou on the bottom" Suzhou has always been an ancient city.
In terms of scenery, Suzhou is known as "The Best Water Town in Jiangnan", Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, Ancient Town, Museum, etc.
We can not only see the long history, but also Various rich landscapes , the charm of this traditional Chinese architecture deserves careful consideration
In terms of food, Suzhou has Yangcheng Lake hairy crab, Taihu Lake hairy crab, squirrel mandarin fish Wait a minute, these seafood are fresh and healthy, and there are many flavors for more choices
If Huaihai Street does not make any changes, it is likely that the previous road will be re staged.
-Conclusion-
The Huaihai Street in Suzhou used to be popular for a while, but now the current situation is much worse than before, and we don't know how it will develop in the future.
What we need to know is : How dare we forget the history? When we accept anything new, we should be alert to whether it is a cultural invasion!
