Bell Tower Street in downtown Taiyuan has witnessed the city's commercial development for more than 100 years. The 25 historical streets, 36 historical buildings, and 10 intangible cultural heritage items and their promoters in the block carry countless historical and cultural memories and highlight the cultural connotations of the city.

To better preserve Taiyuan's historical streets and ancient structures, the city launched a restoration project for the Bell Tower Street and its neighboring areas in April 2020.

According to Pu Jing, president of Taiyuan Architecture Design Institute, the restoration project, covering an area of 16 hectares, was implemented on the principle of "restoring old-time memories and inheriting historical cultures".

In addition to the rebuilding of the Bell Tower, a total of 32 old buildings were restored to their original appearances.

"The main characteristic of the ancient streets is a feature unique to the Republic of China period (1912-49), which gives people a nostalgic retrospective to their childhood," Pu said. "But structures in the later times still remain to reflect the evolution of history."