Hangzhou old Lanes – the Routes to History

Hangzhou’s Lanes – the Routes to History

Every city has ancient lanes, which are the routes to history, culture and an abundance of scenery. In Hangzhou, these historic lanes are usually clad with white-walls and black-tiled buildings with wooden windows, attics, courtyards and wells.

Xiaohe Straight Street ???? 
When the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal reaches the south side of Gongchen Bridge, it breaks into a one-hundred-meter-long tributary. Layers of white-walled and black-titled residential houses are built along the tributary and that’s how the famous Xiaohe Straight Street came into being. Starting from the Southern Song Dynasty, the place has been the distribution center of cargos from Southern and Northern China.

As a typical waterside residential area, Xiaohe Straight Street is full of commercial port culture, which is also represented in the “one river and two streets, and buildings facing the street, with the first-floor as shops and the second as the living space”.

The street is very quiet. Walking along the two-to-three-meter-wide street, free of bustling crowds and traffic, people are shut off from urban life and, instead, are accompanied by the old lifestyle of the Hangzhou people. In addition, the street is quite old-fashioned with many quaint restaurants and bars featuring red lanterns and old Chinese shop signs.

Address: Gongshu District, Hangzhou (??????)
How to get there: take bus No. 1 and 76 to the bus stop of Changzheng Bridge (???: chang zheng qiao)

Qiaoxi Historic Block ???? 
Qiaoxi Historic Block was once home to the poorest of Hangzhou people, who made a living by trading and working on the nearby boats, forming the most preserved canal-side ancient block since the Qing Dynasty. Featuring white walls, black tiles, narrow and deep lanes and bridges spanning the Grand Canal, Qiaoxi Historic Block is the only place in Hangzhou’s old downtown that best reflects the historical landscape of the Hangzhou Section of the Grand Canal.
Address: Gongshu District, Hangzhou (??????)
How to get there: take bus No. 1 to the bus stop of North Qinjian Bridge (????: qin jian qiao bei) and then walk for another 250 meters

Twenty-Three Lanes at Imperial Street ??????? 
Walk past the bustling Drum Tower deep into the lane, and what unrolls before you are scenes depicting the daily life of the old Hangzhou people. Here, residents wash and air their quilts by hand or do their hair in an old-fashioned way …
Address: Shangcheng District, Hangzhou (??????)
How to get there: take bus No. 8, 13, 59, 66, 71, 119, 189, 190, 195, 198, 208, 216, 280, 308, 315, 334, 352 and 801 to the bus stop of Drum Tower (??: gu lou)

Dajing Lane ??? 
Walk through the crowded Hefang Street and turn left and you will find in front of you Dajing Lane. Compared with the lively Hefang Street, Dajing Lane, which is only a stone’s throw away, is unexpectedly serene.

Dajing Lane gained its name and fame for the big well (Dajing in Chinese), which is reputed as “No. 1 Lane in Qiantang”. The buildings inside the lane are mostly built according to the landscape of a mountain. There are quite a few up-market cafés, restaurants and youth hostels, which have chosen to locate themselves here due to the attractive environment. Look carefully and you will find the marks left by history!

Address: Shangcheng District, Hangzhou (??????)
How to get there: take bus No. 8, 13, 59, 66, 71, 119, 189, 190, 195, 198, 208, 216, 280, 308, 315, 334, 352 and 801 to the bus stop of Drum Tower (??: gu lou)