Lazy cat sculptures, painted felines on brick, the scent of freshly ground coffee and trendy new retail spots make Zhongshan Road feel like time itself has slowed. Young people pose for photos, linger over drinks and soak up a surprisingly romantic, vintage vibe. Few would guess this charming strip once housed an abandoned garbage station and a boiler room.

Built in 1919, the road has recently received a facelift from the Heping District, aimed at making the street a cultural tourism showcase. Small-scale urban renewal turned weathered brick into art canvases and rusty pipes into sculptural features, letting old and new strike up a lively conversation.

Careful renovations kept original faces of the buildings while giving them new life as tactile, tasteable, immersive places. By day, artisanal bakeries and coffee shops rule, by night live-music taverns take over, creating a relaxed city rhythm.

The pulse of city renewal now runs through these lanes. An old boiler house meets the scent of coffee, century-old walls echo with folk guitar, and Shenyang gains fresh, lively pages in its urban story.