4 Best Shopping in Hangzhou, Eastern China

Also known as Qinghefang Historic Block, Hefang Street is a lively, crowded pedestrian street that's not to be missed on a visit to Hangzhou. Restored old buildings are beautifully illuminated at night and house tea shops, traditional apothecaries, and boutiques selling qipaos (traditional silk Chinese dresses), scrolls, calligraphy, and wooden fans. Artists draw caricatures, candy makers sculpt sugar into art, blind masseurs alleviate tension, and storytellers re-create ancient Chinese legends. Start at Wushan Square and walk west. At night the glowing Chenghuang Pavilion, perched on a mountaintop next to the square, is enchanting.

On either side of a nearly 4,000-foot-long pedestrian street, the stalls and shops of China Silk Town sell silk ties, pajamas, and shirts, plus silk straight off the bolt.

The Wushan Night Market has stalls selling late-night local snacks as well as those purveying accessories of every kind—ties, scarves, pillow covers—knockoff designer goods, and imitation antiques. It's open nightly from around 6.

A few blocks north of the China Tea Museum, the Xihu Longjing Tea Company has a nice selection of the famed longjing (Dragon Well) tea.