Introduction

Located at the northern foot of Wushan Hill, Hefang Street originated in South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD) when Hangzhou was the national capital. It is located just several hundred meters away from the beautiful West Lake and is the only well-preserved ancient street in Hangzhou with time-honored stores still in operation.

Hefang Street is renowned for its splendid historical and cultural characters. The old-fashioned street lanes still remain well preserved to this day, including Zhongshan Middle Road, Hefang Street, Gulou Bay and Gaoyin Lane. The street is full of Chinese craft stores, such as candy sculptors, old-fashioned movie players, paper-cuttings, which makes Hefang Street charming and lively. It is a good place to buy small local souvenirs. A large number of these long-running stores on the street are still patronized by locals and travelers, including Wangxing Ji, Zhang Xiaoquan, Wanlong Ham Shed, Hu Qingsheng Store, Fang Huichun Shop, and Mutton Shop Restaurant.

At the end of the street is a snack lane where visitors can find a large variety of delicious local snacks, and the roasted walnuts and "dragon-whisker" candy (龙须糖) are the most famous of these. There are also many famous time-honored restaurants, teahouses and shops. Generally, the tourists prefer to visit Hefang Street for shopping and eating since it is a classic destination to get to know and experience attractive Hangzhou.