Friday, December 26, 2008

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.

hangzhou, qinghefang roadThere 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.

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

hangzhou, qinghefang road, food streetOne 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.

hangzhou, qinghefang road, shoppingThis is the closed lane - with throng of visitors and lots of souvenir shops selling handicrafts and local snacks.

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

hangzhou, qinghefang road, lanternDespite 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!

hangzhou, qinghefang road, artistAnd like many cultural heritage places, there is the cluster of artists.

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

hangzhou, qinghefang road, sculptureBut 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).

hangzhou, qinghefang road, souvenirThere are also some interesting pens.

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

hangzhou, qinghefang road, green teaAnd 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.

hangzhou shopping yanan luI 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).

hangzhou shoppingAnd 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 :)

11 comments:

  1. Interesting place. I'm amazed by the sculpture artist! How talented!

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  2. @foongpc
    yes very talented & unique heh :) but i think soon to come, it will be copied too?

    btw, if not wrong, the customer paid 300 yuan for her sculpture. i think if we convert to rm, its a bit high? though if convert to other currencies, maybe ok.

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  3. 300 yuan is quite expensive! So this sculpture artist may be making quite a lot of money then. Maybe you should have your sculpture done! : )

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  4. U're still in China. Hope you're having a good time there.

    Just wanna let u know that I've completed what I had to do...but I cannot access my hotmail account (probably hacked) so I can't get to the mailing address you forwarded to me then.

    Can I just send it to the Quachee Entreprise address that is in the book? Please advise. Thanks.

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  5. @foongpc
    lol. not really into sculptures! haha

    @suituapui
    yes, thanks :)

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  6. I think I'll feel right at home here. :) It's so pretty! I feel inspired just by looking at the pictures.

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  7. Lovely! The naan bread vendor's outfit is interesting - just like in the movies. Do people dress like that there?

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  8. Wow, lovely place! Similar to what we see in Chinese kungfu movies. I wonder what local dishes the stalls sell?... Dog's meat? :)

    Enjoy your holiday there.

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  9. @宝茹
    u like shopping rite? hehe. but yes, this is a nice place - has the atmoshpere :)

    @happysurfer,
    i think its all for show haha. oh btw, yes, i think u already know, i was alone the whole trip - my first solo tour :)

    @neo
    well i dont remember dogs meat but i think there were some funny stuff haha :)

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  10. it was an indeed a nice area... traditional, good for tourist, but i do find it a bit tacky and touristy... nevertheless, wished i had more time on this area...

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Oh hey, thank you for commenting! :)