---
author:
    email: mail@petermolnar.net
    image: https://petermolnar.net/favicon.jpg
    name: Peter Molnar
    url: https://petermolnar.net
copies:
- http://web.archive.org/web/20210423114325/https://petermolnar.net/photo/a-hidden-gem-of-hangzhou/
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/36003160@N08/51134234645
- https://pmlnr.tumblr.com/post/671098677769715712/a-hidden-gem-of-hangzhou
lang: en
published: '2021-04-23T09:00:00+01:00'
tags:
- Hangzhou
- Xiaohe Street Historic Block
- 杭州市
- XiaoHe ZhiJie
- chinese architecture
- street
- lampion
- chinese street
title: A hidden gem of Hangzhou

---

![](a-hidden-gem-of-hangzhou.jpg)

On the last day of our 2019 China visit, we had an extra day which we
didn't have anything planned for in advance. This was deliberate: on
every single trip we ever made we ended up learning about some
fascinating places along the way, but in Hangzhou, this somehow didn't
happen. Plus is was raining, the whole day, so we decided to visit somee
museums.

Luckily our accommodation was close to a few museums, and so we decided
to walk. That walk suddenly brought a tiny, leftover "village" in the
middle of Hangzhou to us: Xiaohe Street Historic Block.

It's lovely, with slightly impossible places, like the coffee "house" -
Lareina's - we went into: imagine a small house, where the ground level
gets converted into a tea/coffee place, but it still feels like actually
walking into someone's home. We were also greeted by an unforgettable
little dog, who genuinely didn't want to let go of the new toy it found:
the strap of my backpack. Add some in some stereotypical countryside
American music, the rain, and you get something unrepeatable.