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Narrow roads mix traditional flavors, chic scenes
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Narrow roads that comprise much of the old urban area of Hangzhou to the east of West Lake are worth a visit for the friendly, old-style atmosphere along some roads and the stylish stores that have moved to others.
Some of the old roads are only 10 meters wide, like in old times.
Touring Nanshan and Beishan roads are as essential for visitors to Hangzhou as seeing the Bund or Xintiandi are in Shanghai. These small, crisscrossing roads in Hangzhou have the same vibe as Shanghai’s traditional shikumen (stone-gate houses) neighborhoods — local, folksy and relaxing.
Kaiyuan, Huansha, Guohuo and Jiangjun roads are lined with flat buildings and old stores that feel friendly and welcoming.
While some of the city’s major roads, like Yan’an and Jiefang roads, cross the smaller roads, that has not taken away the serene, tree-shaded charm of the latter. Fashionable people and trendy stores have been attracted by the quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
While several of these roads are popular with tourists, Shanghai Daily has found some new, interesting places to visit.
Lao Hang BangPastry Store
This bright and fancy store with a vintage atmosphere sells Hangzhou pastry, tea and nuts that are good for snacks or as gifts.
Neatly designed packages of food are displayed on old-style Chinese wooden shelves lit with warm lights — it’s rare to see a traditional food store with such fashionable decor.
“Commercial advancement drives traditional culture away, when it should be carried on and developed,” said Li Jian, the store’s sales director. He said the company started a factory last year and opened their first store this year.
They mostly sell pastries made at their own factory, and since they do not use additives or preservatives, the pastries are fresh for only about a month.
Traditional pastries like crispy sesame cakes and crispy rice cakes are made according to modern preferences, with some labeled as containing less sugar (so they are not too sweet) and others no sugar (for those with health restrictions). Another traditional Hangzhou treat, osmanthus flowers cakes, are soft, a bit glutinous and appropriately sweet.
Their new line of Longjing pastries are best-sellers. They have a crust made of flour and some powdered Longjing tea, which is Hangzhou’s famous green tea. The stuffings are also quite authentically local: pomelo with Hangzhou small chrysanthemum, Chinese yams with osmanthus flowers, and roses with Longjing tea.
Longjing tea is sold in sleek metal boxes, and the best-seller is their own blend of osmanthus Longjing tea, 68 yuan (US$11.16) for 35 grams. All Longjing tea sold at the store includes its geographical provenance as proof of authenticity.
Address: 17 Guohuo Rd
Tel: 400-607-1231
Happy Flavor Creative Sushi and Cookie Store
Sushi and cookies may seem like an unusual bill of fare for a food store, but 25-year-old entrepreneur and chef Wu Wei has successfully gone from opening a food store on the Internet two years ago to a brick-and-mortar store opened with her partners on Kaiyuan Road a year ago.
What Wu makes is uncommon — the signature foods there include sushi cake, jackfruit and mango hand roll sushi, and fondue.
The sushi cake, invented by Wu, in 6-inch or 8-inch sizes, is a rice cake topped and embedded with several kinds of sashimi including salmon, eel and crab roe. The 6-inch cake is 178 yuan. The fondue comes with eight foods, including salmon, smoked duck breast, pasta and broccoli, priced at 88 yuan for two to three people.
Wu, who makes everything from scratch, also opened a factory this year to make cookies and cakes, without additives or preservatives, which are sold to many cafeterias in the city.
Address: 68-1 Kaiyuan Rd
Tel: 153-1466-5067
Newly opened Wushan Road’s north area
Wushan Road, a long, traditional lane that used to be home to many stores selling daily necessities as well as snack booths, has been almost forgotten by locals since construction of both Hangzhou’s Metro Line 1 and Hubin Intime Department Store covered the narrow lane in dust and blocked it with blue construction fences.
The lane finally reopened this fall, with the subway line finished last year and the second phase of Hubin Intime Department Store finished this year.
The strip is half the same and half different now. Its east side still has old buildings with snack booths and small stores offering daily needs — it’s still a place for nearby residents to grab a bite and buy cigarettes. While its west side, now a part of the Hubin Intime Department Store, has been refashioned in grey stone and glass and touts international premium brands.
The effect is like a Hong Kong city scene, especially when night falls: Illuminated high-end brands give a chic look to one side, and traditional red-and-yellow lights from noodle restaurants and foot massage parlors lure people to relax on the other.
Shanghai Daily suggests three places on the east side for a meal or as a lovely setting for photos. They are Wushan Grilled Chicken, a store that always has people queuing and sells out their grilled chicken every afternoon; Wushan Snack, a traditional snack store selling inexpensive Hangzhou treats and breakfasts, and Lao Zheng Beef, a local beef restaurant known for thin, delicious sliced beef.
Address: Wushan Road between Pinghai and Jiefang roads
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