Hefang Street (Qinghefang Ancient Street)

Hefang Street traces its origins to the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279), when Hangzhou served as the imperial capital Lin'an and the street functioned as a commercial thoroughfare near the palace and government offices on Wushan hill in Shangcheng District. The street took its present name and character during the Ming and Qing periods, when it became lined with traditional shops, pharmacies and teahouses, several of which survive today as historic brands: Hu Qing Yu Tang, a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy founded in 1874, retains its original Qing-dynasty wooden shopfront and an on-site pharmacy museum. The buildings along the roughly 800-metre pedestrian street are predominantly reconstructed or restored in Ming-Qing vernacular style, with dark-tiled roofs, timber facades, and shopfront awnings, following a major restoration and pedestrianization project completed in 2002. Curatorially the street functions as a living commercial district rather than a museum, mixing souvenir shops and snack vendors with a small number of preserved historic pharmacies and craft workshops retaining original fixtures.