Leyu Old Street in the northeast of Zhangjiagang city, Jiangsu province, is a cultural symbol of the city. [Photo/sina.com.cn]

Leyu Old Street, located on the northeast of Zhangjiagang city, Jiangsu province, stands as a monument to the city's history over the past century.

Built in 1934 by local business tycoon Zhang Jianlu, Leyu Old Street is constructed in the architectural style of the Republic of China (1912-1949) period, with blue cobbled streets, wooden pillars and black bricks.

Its most prosperous period came in the 1930s, when the street was a commercial center with thriving stores lining both sides of the road.

However, war and upheaval caused the street to fall into disrepair over the following decades, until the local government pledged to renovate it in the early 1980s. In 1986, a flea market gradually took shape, selling distinctive local handicrafts from hand-made ladders and tin tools to old-fashioned timepieces.

The old street was listed as part of Zhangjiangang's intangible cultural heritage by the municipal government in 2007.

Nowadays, the street is more of a cultural symbol: It records the city's ups and downs and remains as beautiful as it was a century ago.