Wanyuan

This is an old construction near Hefang street.
I guess this was built in the late Qing dynasty when China was in a half-colonial state, so the building is a bit european styled.(this is just my guess)

Qian Tang Gate

So, this is the old Qian Tang gate which was built 1000 years ago.

Take a look at the backdrop, these shops and pubs were built in less than a decade.

Hmmm, actually I don't think these two fit into each other well. I think the gov should keep the morden constructions a little bit further from these historical sites.

Shengli Theater

It's not some mordern architecture, and it looks pretty shabby, but this is one of the most popular theaters in Hangzhou.
Built in 1934, Shengli theater has witnessed most of the ups and downs of this city.
Do you feel a sense of history?

Home of Yu Qian

This is Home of Yu Qian, locating at Qinhe Fang, it was first built in the Ming Dynasty. You can get to the place by taking bus No.8, get off at the Gu Lou stop.

Mirror For Spirits

ok, it seems we forgot Thursday's photo, haha, everybody is busy..

Look at this photo, it's a historical street under the protection of the local goverment, the photo was taken during the spring festival, these houses have been existed for more than half a century, but now they were teard down. (they may look a little ugly, but should have been preserved..)

take a close look I bet you are curious about the mirror hanging on the wall of each household, people say that in the ancient times, mirror can keep the ghosts away from your family.

pretty superstitious, but sometimes there are things modern science cannot explain.

It's another gloomy day here in Hangzhou, so here's hoping no matter where you are, keep a sunny feeling at least.

North or South?

Photo taken at Gong-chen Bridge.

To the south, the canal stretches its way to the heart of this city, heading towards Beijing; to the north, this is where this great canal ends (in the last post).

Which side do you prefer, north or south? I love this one(south) more.

I need a few days to deal with my papers, my partner will continue blogging.

Chanin

Three Years On

This is the same bridge as the one in the last post,now three years have gone, can you recognize it?

Some modern features have been added to it, a traffic light and some luminares, while the antiqueness still well-retained as four stone sculptures of "Baxia", in Chinese myths, one of the nine sons of Dragon King, also added.(I know dragon is synonymous with demons in some cultures, but here in China, the opposite is true.)

In that myth, it is said that Baxia can keep the Grand Canal away from natural disarsters and marine accidents.

I took lots of photos but chosed this one because I love the comparison between the moving cargo ship and this static old bridge.

Gong Chen Bridge

Happy Thursday:) Take a look at this, I have to tell you this is indeed an amazing bridge.

Stretching across the Grand Canal, Gongchen Bridge has a history of 377 years, that is to say, it was first built during the reign of emperor Congzhen in the Ming Dynasty. It has gone through several wars and reconstruction, this photo was actually taken before the latest repair in August 2005, and I'll show you a photo of its current condition tomorrow or maybe next week .

As you can see, it has three bridge spans, the one in the middle is 15.8 meters in diameter while the adjacent two 11.9 meters.

1631 AC, no wonder they say that it can bring you to a period beyond living memory.