The country's only two century-old elevators are still in operation, one in Shanghai and the other in Harbin

​Perhaps you have also brushed the old elevator that is still in operation in the old building abroad. It is very rough and easy to close and pull by hand. Because it is too strange, the number of likes is not low. It's been 168 years since the cargo lift elevator has unknowingly entered our daily lives. Since 1901, when the first elevator in China was installed in Shanghai, only two century-old elevators are still in operation nationwide, one at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Shanghai and the other at the Grand Residence 1903 Hotel in Harbin.

The Grand Residence 1903 Hotel is located on the side of the Central Shopping Mall on Central Street, and its doors open on Dongfeng Street, so although people come and go on Central Street every day, not many people will notice the building. The name of the hotel directly indicates that the building is 119 years old, brick and concrete structure of the neoclassical style, still retains a strong Russian flavor. It was originally built to welcome visitors from the Middle East on the railway line.

Entering the hotel, the interior decoration is still resilient, gorgeous European style. In fact, in Harbin it is not uncommon. The interior is furnished with Russian paintings and antiques of various periods, each object has its historical background and introduction. In the center of the hotel lobby is this century-old elevator protected by a fence. As a "cultural relic" still in use, the century-old elevator is also a great selling point when promoting the hotel. From Soviet Russia to the Republic of China, from the Republic of China to Japan, from Japan to liberation, this building has been renamed and rebuilt several times, but this "antique" elevator has been fortunately preserved and is still in normal operation today.

a392b48709ca2f01a3b252c6ab2938e4If you want to experience the ride, you need staff to help you operate it; ​the staff, dressed in European tuxedos, will also duly introduce the history of the elevator. The elevators are the same age as the building, both born in 1903 and installed by Jews of the time; ​it is reported that because the hotel is a historic building, all the internal structure is not allowed to alter, only in the decoration and function of the transformation; ​the same goes for elevators. According to reports, the elevator door and car are original, only some mechanical parts, as well as the control system after the replacement of posterity.

In the antique elevator operation, you can see the transformation of the floor outside, which is extremely retro. Inside the elevator from the frame to the interior decoration is a completely dark tone of wood structure, faint yellow light shadow with a strong taste of nostalgia. This antique elevator should be maintained regularly, because there is no noise or shaking during the ride, from the first floor to the sixth floor and back to the first floor, the operation is extremely stable, and the feeling is not different from the original elevator, which is incredible. The whole journey took less than one minute, but it was a "cross-border greeting" 119 years apart.

The elevator is currently not used for daily use, only for guests to come to the hotel to experience for free, and there is also a history of the elevator. One hundred years ago, the city could have such an advanced elevator, is the city industry and commerce developed, modern fashion embodiment; ​one hundred years later, the antique elevator is preserved and still in use, which is also a function of the city's tolerance.

For more than a hundred years, this ancient elevator has transported all kinds of guests and luggage; ​in the day-to-day operation, it is still deducing its next hundred years. If you also come to Harbin Central Street, you might as well come to this century-old hotel to visit the century-old elevator.

Address: No. 16 Dongfeng Street, Harbin

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