ROYAL Street of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) has been a place of business for almost 1,000 years.

For centuries merchants came and left, stores opened and closed, but the culture and commercial atmosphere of the street has remained.

Though it has been called Zhongshan Road M. in modern times, the name was changed to Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty two years ago after historians realized it was used by the royal court during the Southern Song Dynasty.

The past two Mondays, Shanghai Daily introduced two parts of the royal street, today the tour concludes with stories about the section from Huimin Road to Jiefang Road.

This section is more residential and features time-honored brands such as Shaozhiyan Brush Store, which opened in 1862; Bianfumao Cloth Shoes Store, which started in 1845; and Hangzhou Photographic Studio, which was established in 1929.

This section of the street also includes the former site of Zhejiang Xingye Bank and Yieh Yieh Commercial Bank. Wanyuan Silk Store also did business here before.

There is also a two-year-old sculpture of a family with members from four generations to commemorate the street's folk atmosphere.

While there may not be many boutique stores or knickknack shops, there are surprises hidden everywhere. They include sculptures of locals and celebrities, a sign revealing the history of a 100-year-old building and a boundary stone built in ancient dynasties.

This section also features many Islamic restaurants and a mosque as the street was popular with merchants from Arab countries since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Bianfumao Cloth Shoes Store

Traditional Chinese cloth shoes are for everybody in every season. Made of sturdy cotton, silk and velvet, the shoes can be dressy or casual.

Cloth shoes have been popular for centuries in China as they fit any type of foot because they simply take the shape of the foot they are on while the little strap makes the foot look smaller.

The shoes are also very comfortable.

Bianfumao Cloth Shoes Store is one of the best brands for the type of shoes. It opened in 1845 and quickly became popular because it used all new cloth to make shoes (many shops used recycled cloth).

Even in modern times after leather and other kinds of Western shoes flooded the market, the store has remained. It has made shoes for famous people including late Chairman Mao Zedong, former Premier Zhou Enlai and Peking Opera masters Mei Lanfang and Gai Jiaotian.

Today, the store also sells canvas and sports shoes.

Traditional women's cloth shoes cost 50 yuan (US$7.85) to 100 yuan, while men's cloth shoes (also called kung fu shoes) are sold from 150 yuan to 500 yuan because they are all handmade.

Address: 338 Zhongshan Rd M.

Kui Yuan Guan Noodle Restaurant

At the crossing of Jiefang Road and Zhongshan Road M., Kui Yuan Guan dubbed the "Noodle King of Southern China" was founded in 1867. It is a legendary establishment in the catering industry. For more than 100 years it has always been jammed during meal times.

The story goes that it wasn't busy when it first opened, but one day a student, who came to Hangzhou for a provincial imperial examination, ordered a bowl of noodles in the restaurant and changed its fate.

He stepped into the store, seemingly poor and with little confidence. Out of sympathy, the shopkeeper threw three eggs into the noodles for good luck. Each egg represented one of the three exams to be taken.

The student recorded the best test score and became a government official. He subsequently returned to the shop and inscribed the name Kui Yuan Guan on the restaurant, referring to the eggs that helped him to be a zhuangyuan (×′?a, No. 1 in the imperial examination).

The moniker attracted many future exam participants and people also came for the great-tasting Hangzhou-style noodles such as Pian'er Chuan (???ù′¨, bamboo shoot and pork noodle), and Fried Shrimp and Eel Noodle.

A bowl of noodles costs from 16 yuan to 388 yuan. Other dishes are also on the menu. It's always busy during meal times so it's best to arrive a little early to get a seat without having to wait.

Address: 154 Jiefang Rd

Shaozhiyan Chinese Brush Store

Chinese people invented a special brush to paint and write on semi-transparent rice paper. The quality of brush directly influences the quality of calligraphy and paintings.

Shaozhiyan Brush Store uses more than 70 procedures to make brushes, and the shop has been in existence for 150 years.

The small store only sells brushes, rice paper, ink and ink slabs, but if you are looking for an authentic Chinese souvenir a brush is a pretty good choice.

The store is trying to enlarge the market by tailor-making special items such as brushes made of a couple's hair, which in Chinese custom symbolizes a strong romance, and also brushes made of a newborn's hair to commemorate the birth.

Address: 298 Zhongshan Rd M.

Pang's Time

This 10-square-meter store that repairs clocks and watches was built in 1894. It is the only store that has never been moved along the street.

Look around the shelves and see a German clock that is more than 100 years old and other old clocks from Europe. They are part of the owner's clock collection and are not for sale. The shop only repairs clocks and watches, especially antique ones.

Pang Jiande, the owner, is the great-grandson of Pang Ziren, who bought the two-floor building to make as his home and store. Pang Jiande is one of few people in the country today capable of repairing antique clocks and watches.

However, the capable man is not having much success taking the business forward.

"I can't find an apprentice," Pang Jiande tells Shanghai Daily. "To be a repairman of antique clocks and watches, one needs to be smart and patient, but why would a smart and patient person do the job considering the low payment?"

Pang says the business is not doing well. He says he would be pleased if his son, now in elementary school, one day wants to take over the business, but adds he would not force him to be his successor.



Address: 303 Zhongshan Rd M.