Xiaohe Straight Street (Xiaohezhijie Historical Block)

The entrance of Xiaohe Straight Street Historical and Cultural Block is located at the intersection of Hushu North Road and Xiaohe Road, adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and is one of the most completely preserved historical and cultural blocks in northern Hangzhou. A simple stone archway is set up at the entrance of the block, with the four characters "Xiaohe Straight Street" engraved on top, and couplets on both sides depicting the canal customs of the Xiaohe area. Entering the block, underfoot is the main street paved with bluestone slabs, with a large number of wooden residential buildings from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China preserved on both sides, with white walls, dark tiles, and wooden windows and lattices, retaining the original authentic old Hangzhou style. The block is about 300 meters long, with characteristic cafes, handmade workshops, independent bookstores, canal-themed restaurants, and guesthouses along the street. Across the river from Xiaohe Straight Street are Xiaohe Park and Canal Square, where visitors can enjoy the canal scenery and take vintage-style photos. The block is free to open with no admission fee.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Canal Pier Ruins are located at the southern end of Xiaohe Straight Street, at the confluence of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Xiaohe River, and are an important historical witness to Hangzhou's canal culture. The Xiaohe area, situated at the node where the "Xiaohe" tributary of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal joins the main canal, has been one of the most important cargo distribution centers in northern Hangzhou since the Ming and Qing dynasties. The existing ruins include the Qing Dynasty stone pier base, mooring stone piles, and old warehouse foundations, among which the deep grooves left by centuries of rope friction on the mooring stone piles are clearly visible, serving as physical witnesses to canal shipping history. The ruins area has now been renovated into an open ruin park, with explanation boards, old photo display walls, and historical maps. An ancient camphor tree over 150 years old is also preserved next to the ruins, which was where dock workers rested in the shade. At dusk, the ruins park is the best location for watching the canal sunset.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Old Post Office is located in the middle section of the block and is a post office building constructed in the early Republic of China period, also one of the most completely preserved modern post office buildings in Hangzhou. The building is a two-story brick-wood structure with blue brick exterior walls, wooden floors, and lattice windows, featuring a distinct public building style of the Republic of China period. Although the post office no longer handles traditional postal services, it completely preserves historical facilities such as service counters, post boxes, sorting tables, and old-style telephone switchboards, and has added a postal history exhibition area displaying the development from the late Qing private letter bureaus to modern postal services. The old post office building now houses a cultural creative shop themed "Canal Post Station," selling characteristic products such as Hangzhou-themed postcards, canal scenery stamp albums, and Xiaohe Straight Street custom postmarks. Visitors can buy postcards and have the exclusive Xiaohe Straight Street postmark stamped on-site. The second floor has a nostalgic book bar.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Handmade Workshop Cluster is distributed within the old residential buildings on the east and west sides of the block, and is a creative handmade space transformed from the original residential spaces. Over 20 handmade workshops have now settled in. The most characteristic is "Xiaohe Pottery Studio," hosted by a young couple, providing full-process pottery experience including wheel throwing, glazing, and firing, with works fired on-site for taking away. "The Blacksmith Shop" is a workshop centered on traditional metalwork, where visitors can experience forging simple iron objects. "Zhixia Dyeing Workshop" focuses on indigo dyeing and plant dyeing crafts. "Mokumo Workshop" provides small-scale woodworking experience. Each workshop has professional craftspeople for on-site guidance, requiring no foundation, suitable for families and handicraft enthusiasts. Workshop works are also sold to the public, priced from tens to thousands of yuan, all unique handmade products. Advance reservation for experience courses via each workshop's WeChat account is recommended.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Canal-Themed Restaurants refer to several characteristic dining shops within the block, most of which were converted from old residential buildings, preserving the original wooden structure buildings and courtyard yards, with a simple, elegant, and refined dining environment. The most representative is "Xiaohe Family," specializing in Hangzhou cuisine and canal boat dishes, with signature dishes including West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing shrimp, canal mixed fish pot, and Xiaohe soy sauce duck. "Canal Canteen" is a restaurant with a retro theme, with interior decoration recreating the style of public canteens from the 1960s-70s. "Xiaohe Cafe" was converted from the annex building of the old post office, preserving the original green doors and windows and postal mailboxes. Most restaurants have riverside seats where visitors can enjoy the canal scenery while dining. Reservations for weekend seats are recommended in advance.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Independent Bookstores refer to several small private bookstores hidden deep within the old residential buildings of the block, unassuming but each with its own characteristics. The most representative is "Xiaohe Study," converted from a two-story wooden structure old residence, with the first floor mainly operating literature, history, art, and Hangzhou local literature, and the second floor equipped with a reading area and small salon space. "Canal Study" is a characteristic bookstore themed on canal culture, collecting a large number of books on the history, geography, and cultural research of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Although these independent bookstores are small in scale, they have high book selection taste and quiet and comfortable reading environment. Most bookstores have tea seats where visitors can order a cup of tea or coffee. Some bookstores also provide accommodation services (bookstore guesthouses).

Xiaohe Park is located south of Xiaohe Straight Street, on the west bank of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and is an open urban park converted from the former site of Hangzhou Changzheng Chemical Plant. The park officially opened to the public in 2022, and its design cleverly preserves the original industrial heritage of the chemical plant, including reaction towers, delivery pipes, and oil storage tanks. These facilities and equipment were artistically transformed into visually striking industrial-style landscapes, making it a model case of industrial heritage preservation and reuse in Hangzhou. The park extends along the canal bank line, with waterfront walkways, waterside platforms, viewing pavilions, and leisure lawns. The most famous attraction in the park is the "Eye of the Canal" — a circular viewing platform built on the foundation of an old oil storage tank, from which visitors can get a 360-degree view of the canal and Xiaohe Straight Street. The park seamlessly connects with the Xiaohe Straight Street Historical and Cultural Block. At night, the park lights up, and the industrial heritage is outlined by warm lighting.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Guesthouse Cluster refers to over ten characteristic guesthouses distributed within the block, all converted from original old residential buildings by the canal. On the basis of preserving the original building structure (wooden beams, blue bricks, courtyards, and decorative windows), modern accommodation facilities and design concepts are integrated, achieving the renovation effect of "repairing the old to look like the old." The most characteristic is "Xiaohe Family Guesthouse," converted from a late Qing Dynasty three-courtyard residence, preserving the complete courtyard and main hall. "Canal Side Youth Hostel" is a cost-effective guesthouse for young tourists. "Xiaohe Moonlight Guesthouse" focuses on a romantic theme. Guesthouse prices range from 200 to 800 RMB, requiring advance reservation on weekends and holidays. Guests can mostly enjoy free breakfast provided by the host and have the opportunity to hear the host tell historical stories and family memories of Xiaohe Straight Street.

The Xiaohe Straight Street Ancient Bridges refer to several ancient stone bridges spanning the Xiaohe River (the tributary that ultimately flows into the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal from Xixi Wetland), among which the most representative are "Xiaohe Bridge" and "Kangjia Bridge." Xiaohe Bridge is a single-arch stone bridge built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, with the bridge body constructed of local bluestone, bridge railings carved with simple scroll grass patterns, and the bridge top ground paved with old stone slabs that have become smooth concave surfaces after centuries of pedestrian traffic. Standing on the bridge, visitors can simultaneously see the confluence where Xiaohe River winds into the canal, the Canal Square on the opposite bank, and the distant Gongchen Bridge. Kangjia Bridge is a flat beam stone bridge with a wide and flat deck and stone railings on both sides. The ancient bridge area is free to open all day.

The Xiaohe Straight Street night view refers to the charming nightscape effect presented by the block after the evening lights are turned on (around 18:00). The block's nightscape design adopts the concept of "repairing the old to look like the old, seeing light but not lamps," with all lamps hidden within the wooden structures, eaves, and tree clusters of the buildings. Warm yellow light reflects the white walls into soft ivory color, the bluestone pavement surface glows with slight luster, and the red lanterns along the street gently sway in the night breeze. The best viewing route for the night view is walking from the block entrance to Xiaohe Park, passing the old post office, handmade workshops, restaurants, and bookstores. The industrial heritage night view of Xiaohe Park is especially worth seeing. At night, the pedestrian flow on Xiaohe Straight Street is less than during the day, making it more quiet and pleasant. It is recommended to have a canal-themed dinner and then slowly enjoy the night view.