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Old city still alive and well despite modern progress
By Xu Wenwen |
July 17, 2013, Wednesday
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WITH the opening of the giant, new Hangzhou East Railway Station, the old Hangzhou Chengzhan Railway Station, seems a relic, even though it is still in use and still a repository of the city's history.
Not only Chengzhan Railway Station, but also the lanes, narrow streets and roads around it comprise an important part of "old Hangzhou." It is an area where many generations of Hangzhou residents, both rich and the poor, grew up.
The place names are like snapshots of the city's past. Today's Chengtou Lane - cheng tou literally means the city's head - is located where the city's defensive wall stood before it was torn down during wars in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Before the walls were built, it was called Horse Lane because of the number of horsemen who lived in the area.
In the area, three bridges that cross the narrow Zhong River from south to north have curious names: Doufu No. 1 Bridge, Doufu No. 2 Bridge and Doufu No. 3 Bridge.
The word doufu in this case does not mean tofu, but a different Chinese character with a similar pronunciation meaning "comparing the wealth." It is said in olden times three wealthy people who liked to show off their money lived along the river. They each built a stone bridge in front of their house to flaunt their wealth - even though the distance between the bridges is only around 100 meters.
Those bridges now seem small and antiquated, but they have survived modernization, as have the two-story houses nearby.
The wood and brick structures remain while the buildings have been renovated into businesses ranging from modern cafes to snack stores. Shanghai Daily takes a stroll in the block.
Story Cafe
This cafe collects people's stories, thus the name.
The cafe is situated in a large, tall century-old wooden house and was opened by two young men in March. The men, who used to work as cameraman and a wedding host, said they chose the theme because they "like to hear people's stories," said Cheng Wei, one of the pair.
The stories are written underneath the glass tabletops. There are photos of people and animals, too.
One is the story of a 16-year-old boy in elementary school in a mountainous area in Gansu Province who might have to leave school because of poverty. Another is about a 24-year-old girl who got her degree in business management but has gone back for another degree in performance art. Another is about an abandoned dog who is now fat and happy after being adopted by a kind-hearted lady.
But the business partners said they want more. Customers are welcome to tell their stories and leave their photos with the cafe, and in the future, they plan to have a story room where people can walk in and videotape their stories. They plan to make a documentary from the videos.
The cafe is decorated in vintage style with posters of old Shanghai stars and old furniture. They don't have permission to serve food so they offer coffee and drinks.
Address: No. 46, Doufu No. 2 Bridge
Tel: (0571) 8792-5823
Jackson Curry & Pizza
Jianguo Road S. is one of the oldest major roads in Hangzhou, and today it still has many residential buildings. Old wooden houses there mostly house such businesses as noodle restaurants and breakfast restaurants.
When the Western-style Jackson opened there last year, it was very different from its neighbors. However, people soon accepted the small eatery and its reputation grew over the Internet.
Comments include: "The curry is so authentic," "the chips are tasty," and "the pizza is hand made."
The place is small - five tables and a bar with four stools. Yet people are willing to wait in line to get in. There's also take-out.
The eatery is run by Jackson Wang, who used to work in Western restaurants in five-star hotels.
The chef makes Indian-style curry, with options including chicken, beef, lamb, fish, shrimp and vegetables. Shrimp and chicken come especially recommended.
The shrimp curry is blended with fresh wasabi - the chef controls the proportions so the taste is refreshing and unlikely to leave tears streaming down your face.
Other curry dishes use classical Indian curry recipes with something unique added by the chef. One dish has vegetables soaked in yellow curry and topped with white coconut curry.
Jackson also serves thin-crust pizza. The signature dish is strawberry pizza - like Hawaiian pizza but with sliced strawberries and other fruit for a sweet taste. Other popular choices include satay chicken pizza and BBQ chicken thigh pizza.
Address: 219 Jianguo Road S.
Tel: 188-5818-1007
Chengliang Noodle Restaurant
The Chengliang Noodle Restaurant next to Jackson has been getting a lot of attention lately, and not just for its tasty noodles.
Owned by a Hangzhou native, the noodle shop has a large sign saying, "Anyone who's hungry can get a bowl of noodles for free."
On the day the shop opened, a woman street cleaner visited and said she forgot her money. The server offered her free noodles. Sometimes beggars come in for a free meal or people dressed poorly ask for a free bowl.
"I ask my employees not to ask why he or she doesn't have money, because that hurts people's dignity," said the owner, Zhang Chengliang, 50, who is a businessman and does not expect to make much money with the small eatery.
Prices for most guests are in line with other noodle shops in the area - 11 yuan to 29 yuan (US$1.80-4.70).
One yuan is donated by the eatery for each noodle bowl sold - the cashier drops a coin into a transparent box for each sale. Also, free tea is available at the restaurant.
Zhang spent 150,000 yuan to tastefully decorate the shop in Japanese minimalist wooden tables and chairs. The walls are covered with photos from his travels to 34 countries and regions.
Address: 209-1 Jianguo Road S.
Not only Chengzhan Railway Station, but also the lanes, narrow streets and roads around it comprise an important part of "old Hangzhou." It is an area where many generations of Hangzhou residents, both rich and the poor, grew up.
The place names are like snapshots of the city's past. Today's Chengtou Lane - cheng tou literally means the city's head - is located where the city's defensive wall stood before it was torn down during wars in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Before the walls were built, it was called Horse Lane because of the number of horsemen who lived in the area.
In the area, three bridges that cross the narrow Zhong River from south to north have curious names: Doufu No. 1 Bridge, Doufu No. 2 Bridge and Doufu No. 3 Bridge.
The word doufu in this case does not mean tofu, but a different Chinese character with a similar pronunciation meaning "comparing the wealth." It is said in olden times three wealthy people who liked to show off their money lived along the river. They each built a stone bridge in front of their house to flaunt their wealth - even though the distance between the bridges is only around 100 meters.
Those bridges now seem small and antiquated, but they have survived modernization, as have the two-story houses nearby.
The wood and brick structures remain while the buildings have been renovated into businesses ranging from modern cafes to snack stores. Shanghai Daily takes a stroll in the block.
Story Cafe
This cafe collects people's stories, thus the name.
The cafe is situated in a large, tall century-old wooden house and was opened by two young men in March. The men, who used to work as cameraman and a wedding host, said they chose the theme because they "like to hear people's stories," said Cheng Wei, one of the pair.
The stories are written underneath the glass tabletops. There are photos of people and animals, too.
One is the story of a 16-year-old boy in elementary school in a mountainous area in Gansu Province who might have to leave school because of poverty. Another is about a 24-year-old girl who got her degree in business management but has gone back for another degree in performance art. Another is about an abandoned dog who is now fat and happy after being adopted by a kind-hearted lady.
But the business partners said they want more. Customers are welcome to tell their stories and leave their photos with the cafe, and in the future, they plan to have a story room where people can walk in and videotape their stories. They plan to make a documentary from the videos.
The cafe is decorated in vintage style with posters of old Shanghai stars and old furniture. They don't have permission to serve food so they offer coffee and drinks.
Address: No. 46, Doufu No. 2 Bridge
Tel: (0571) 8792-5823
Jackson Curry & Pizza
Jianguo Road S. is one of the oldest major roads in Hangzhou, and today it still has many residential buildings. Old wooden houses there mostly house such businesses as noodle restaurants and breakfast restaurants.
When the Western-style Jackson opened there last year, it was very different from its neighbors. However, people soon accepted the small eatery and its reputation grew over the Internet.
Comments include: "The curry is so authentic," "the chips are tasty," and "the pizza is hand made."
The place is small - five tables and a bar with four stools. Yet people are willing to wait in line to get in. There's also take-out.
The eatery is run by Jackson Wang, who used to work in Western restaurants in five-star hotels.
The chef makes Indian-style curry, with options including chicken, beef, lamb, fish, shrimp and vegetables. Shrimp and chicken come especially recommended.
The shrimp curry is blended with fresh wasabi - the chef controls the proportions so the taste is refreshing and unlikely to leave tears streaming down your face.
Other curry dishes use classical Indian curry recipes with something unique added by the chef. One dish has vegetables soaked in yellow curry and topped with white coconut curry.
Jackson also serves thin-crust pizza. The signature dish is strawberry pizza - like Hawaiian pizza but with sliced strawberries and other fruit for a sweet taste. Other popular choices include satay chicken pizza and BBQ chicken thigh pizza.
Address: 219 Jianguo Road S.
Tel: 188-5818-1007
Chengliang Noodle Restaurant
The Chengliang Noodle Restaurant next to Jackson has been getting a lot of attention lately, and not just for its tasty noodles.
Owned by a Hangzhou native, the noodle shop has a large sign saying, "Anyone who's hungry can get a bowl of noodles for free."
On the day the shop opened, a woman street cleaner visited and said she forgot her money. The server offered her free noodles. Sometimes beggars come in for a free meal or people dressed poorly ask for a free bowl.
"I ask my employees not to ask why he or she doesn't have money, because that hurts people's dignity," said the owner, Zhang Chengliang, 50, who is a businessman and does not expect to make much money with the small eatery.
Prices for most guests are in line with other noodle shops in the area - 11 yuan to 29 yuan (US$1.80-4.70).
One yuan is donated by the eatery for each noodle bowl sold - the cashier drops a coin into a transparent box for each sale. Also, free tea is available at the restaurant.
Zhang spent 150,000 yuan to tastefully decorate the shop in Japanese minimalist wooden tables and chairs. The walls are covered with photos from his travels to 34 countries and regions.
Address: 209-1 Jianguo Road S.
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