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Crowning glories return to ancient royal street
By Xu Wenwen and Wu Huixin |
August 13, 2012, Monday
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Print Edition
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EVERY city has its own memory, often carried through the ages in its streets and roads. Hangzhou, described by Marco Polo as "beyond dispute, the finest and the noblest in the world," is no different, and among its thoroughfares, the Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty merits prime mention.
Royal Street was the name of Zhongshan Road M. during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when Lin'an - present-day Hangzhou - was the capital. It was so-named because it led to the palace and was frequently used by the royal court.
Therefore, in Lin'an, the center of trade and entertainment of the country during that time, the street was the principal axis of the capital, from south to north, connecting the palace, the homes of famous residents and well-known shops.
Even after the city lost capital status, the road remained Hangzhou's financial, political and cultural hub.
But by modern times, Zhongshan Road M. had become a long strip containing many hardware stores and a few time-honored brands, though with fewer and fewer customers.
However, once the street's regal history was revived the slide stopped. The local government sought to rejuvenate the street two years ago, and it is known both as the Royal Street of the Southern Song and Zhongshan Road.
Old brands which had left the street, such as Zhang Yunsheng Cloth Shoes and Zhongde TCM Pharmacy, were enticed back by local government to set up shop in their old locations.
Running 4.3 kilometers and covering 87 hectares, the street is comparatively narrow - around 13 meters - just as it used to be in past times.
The architecture follows the stone-paved Western and Eastern construction style introduced around a century ago.
Along the street are traditional and modern stores - including H?agen-Dazs and McDonald's - with neither style seeming out of place among the mixed architecture.
As the road is long, this guide to some of the sights on Hangzhou's Royal Street will be published over three consecutive Mondays.
Jing Yang Guan
Wan Long Ham Shop
These next-door stores are in buildings listed as protected historic relics because of their Western-mixed-with-Chinese architectural style.
But it's what's inside that attracts most visitors.
Jing Yang Guan, established in 1907, sells pickled cucumbers, dried vegetables, fermented soya beans and other preserved vegetables. The air in the store is heavy with the strong but not unpleasant salty smell of preserved food. "It smells like old Hangzhou," says a saleswoman.
Dubbed one of the four renowned pickled vegetable stores across the country, Jing Yang Guan's foods were given as tributes to Empress Dowager Cixi during the late years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Wan Long Ham Shop has a longer history - it was established in 1864 - and its hams were considered by many as the best in the country. One variety, known as "France," won the Special Award in 1929 West Lake International Expo.
At the shop, among the strong aroma of preserved meat, customers can buy intact hams, duck, sausage, dried squid and other packaged preserved meat. Staff slice the ham according to customer requests.
? Jing Yang Guan
Address: 87 Zhongshan Rd M.
Tel: (0571) 8782-4547
? Wan Long Ham Shop
Address: 79 Zhongshan Rd M.
Tel: (0571) 8702-8769
Botanicus
This Czech-brand store sells hand-made soaps, creams, essential oils, fragrances and herbal tea. These are imported directly from the Czech Republic and were on display during the World Expo Shanghai 2010 in the Czech Pavilion.
The decor of the store is also in a Czech style, and visitors entering the shop are struck by the pervading aromatic smell.
Dried flowers and special offers take center stage, while other commodities are arranged in shelves on both sides. Hand-made soaps and creams are classified according to the flowers used in their production. Lavender, rose and calendula are the main types.
Essential oils are star products here, with customers attracted by their purity. However, the price is higher than other brands, at about 300 (US$47) to 400 yuan per bottle.
Address: 54 Zhongshan Rd M.
Tel: (0571) 8720-7778
Wushanyi International Youth Hostel
Previously tucked away on a hill slope near Hefang Street, a year ago Wushanyi youth hostel moved to the Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty, becoming one of the few youth hostels in the city close to the railway station and West Lake.
The hostel is a neat property combining a Chinese exterior and a Western interior. The first floor is a spacious lobby, in green-and-white decor, with cozy chairs and public computers and a wall covered with train tickets, scenic area entrance tickets and postcards sent from old customers.
The lobby has a restaurant that provides Western dishes, and next to it is a snooker room.
Reception staff speak functional English and free wifi is available in the shared dorms and communal areas.
Address: 22 Zhongshan Rd M.Tel: (0571) 8701-8790
Royal Street was the name of Zhongshan Road M. during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when Lin'an - present-day Hangzhou - was the capital. It was so-named because it led to the palace and was frequently used by the royal court.
Therefore, in Lin'an, the center of trade and entertainment of the country during that time, the street was the principal axis of the capital, from south to north, connecting the palace, the homes of famous residents and well-known shops.
Even after the city lost capital status, the road remained Hangzhou's financial, political and cultural hub.
But by modern times, Zhongshan Road M. had become a long strip containing many hardware stores and a few time-honored brands, though with fewer and fewer customers.
However, once the street's regal history was revived the slide stopped. The local government sought to rejuvenate the street two years ago, and it is known both as the Royal Street of the Southern Song and Zhongshan Road.
Old brands which had left the street, such as Zhang Yunsheng Cloth Shoes and Zhongde TCM Pharmacy, were enticed back by local government to set up shop in their old locations.
Running 4.3 kilometers and covering 87 hectares, the street is comparatively narrow - around 13 meters - just as it used to be in past times.
The architecture follows the stone-paved Western and Eastern construction style introduced around a century ago.
Along the street are traditional and modern stores - including H?agen-Dazs and McDonald's - with neither style seeming out of place among the mixed architecture.
As the road is long, this guide to some of the sights on Hangzhou's Royal Street will be published over three consecutive Mondays.
Jing Yang Guan
Wan Long Ham Shop
These next-door stores are in buildings listed as protected historic relics because of their Western-mixed-with-Chinese architectural style.
But it's what's inside that attracts most visitors.
Jing Yang Guan, established in 1907, sells pickled cucumbers, dried vegetables, fermented soya beans and other preserved vegetables. The air in the store is heavy with the strong but not unpleasant salty smell of preserved food. "It smells like old Hangzhou," says a saleswoman.
Dubbed one of the four renowned pickled vegetable stores across the country, Jing Yang Guan's foods were given as tributes to Empress Dowager Cixi during the late years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Wan Long Ham Shop has a longer history - it was established in 1864 - and its hams were considered by many as the best in the country. One variety, known as "France," won the Special Award in 1929 West Lake International Expo.
At the shop, among the strong aroma of preserved meat, customers can buy intact hams, duck, sausage, dried squid and other packaged preserved meat. Staff slice the ham according to customer requests.
? Jing Yang Guan
Address: 87 Zhongshan Rd M.
Tel: (0571) 8782-4547
? Wan Long Ham Shop
Address: 79 Zhongshan Rd M.
Tel: (0571) 8702-8769
Botanicus
This Czech-brand store sells hand-made soaps, creams, essential oils, fragrances and herbal tea. These are imported directly from the Czech Republic and were on display during the World Expo Shanghai 2010 in the Czech Pavilion.
The decor of the store is also in a Czech style, and visitors entering the shop are struck by the pervading aromatic smell.
Dried flowers and special offers take center stage, while other commodities are arranged in shelves on both sides. Hand-made soaps and creams are classified according to the flowers used in their production. Lavender, rose and calendula are the main types.
Essential oils are star products here, with customers attracted by their purity. However, the price is higher than other brands, at about 300 (US$47) to 400 yuan per bottle.
Address: 54 Zhongshan Rd M.
Tel: (0571) 8720-7778
Wushanyi International Youth Hostel
Previously tucked away on a hill slope near Hefang Street, a year ago Wushanyi youth hostel moved to the Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty, becoming one of the few youth hostels in the city close to the railway station and West Lake.
The hostel is a neat property combining a Chinese exterior and a Western interior. The first floor is a spacious lobby, in green-and-white decor, with cozy chairs and public computers and a wall covered with train tickets, scenic area entrance tickets and postcards sent from old customers.
The lobby has a restaurant that provides Western dishes, and next to it is a snooker room.
Reception staff speak functional English and free wifi is available in the shared dorms and communal areas.
Address: 22 Zhongshan Rd M.Tel: (0571) 8701-8790
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