Hangzhou Shopping!

Qinghefang
One of the places to visit in Hangzhou is this area - which is a cluster of old historical buildings called the Qinghefang.

There are 2 parallel roads here - one open to vehicles. This is quite a popular tourist spot and even for locals, with many restaurants serving authentic Hangzhou cuisine.

And connecting the 2 roads are some small yet very beautiful lanes - big chinese words on white background can look good! :)

One of the lanes have dedicated stalls selling all the very local dishes - some looked quite good and some too unique. I didn't dared try any.

This is the closed lane - with throng of visitors and lots of souvenir shops selling handicrafts and local snacks.

This is a pretty road with all the shops in very authentic buildings, giving a good atmosphere.

Despite being a souvenir paradise, it is really a photographer's heaven - though I must admit, it does reminds me of something close to home. Haha!

And like many cultural heritage places, there is the cluster of artists.

These talented artists can even cut your face from the red paper - something rather new to me (usually, it's traditional forms that they create).

But the one that got the most attention from passerby was actually this - a guy doing a sculpture of the customer! (He actually had the glasses for the sculpture after that too).

There are also some interesting pens.

Another seller who got a fair bit of attention is this guy who was selling naan bread - which he heated up on the spot.

And of course, there is the unmistakable green tea, one of the 3 things that Hangzhou is famous for (the others - pearls & silk).

Yan'an Road
As I was running out of clothes (thinking that I'll buy some on my trip), I thought I'll drop by the place where the locals bought their stuff.

I asked the taxi to bring me - and he brought me to this bustling part of the city - Yan'an Road.

I didn't take many pictures here as the driver warned me to be very careful here (the second time I heard this).

Anyway, I realised that one have to check prices before buying & really bargain a lot here (and I mean a lot!).

I did buy a few things, though I didn't manage to really buy any t-shirts - as it's now winter wear season! (which I can't really wear back home).

And before I left, I went to nearby this busy street is the up market shops, with much less crowd. This is already near the lake.

*Today is my last day in Hangzhou and I'm heading to Wuzhen next. There are lots more I did here, which I'll share later :)