Shangcheng District 上城区

History

The eastern foot of Phoenix Hill (凤凰山) inside the district was the seat of the prefectural government in the Sui and Tang, and the site of the Wuyue (吴越) palace and later of the Southern Song imperial palace. The district counts 92 protected heritage sites at various levels. From the Northern Song to the end of the Qing, the area was split between Qiantang County (钱塘县) and Renhe County (仁和县). Shangcheng, meaning "upper city", was created in May 1949; it lay in the south of the city then, and south was customarily called "up". In April 2021 the former Jianggan District (江干区) was abolished and most of it was merged into a new Shangcheng.

What to see

Hefang Street (河坊街) runs from Jiangcheng Road (江城路) west to Orioles Singing in the Willows (柳浪闻莺) at Nanshan Road, below Wushan Hill (吴山). With Zhongshan Middle Road (中山中路), the Imperial Street (御街) of the Southern Song, it formed Hangzhou's main commercial quarter from the Song to the early Republic. The Qinghefang (清河坊) historic block it crosses is a national 4A scenic area, with about a hundred shops including long-established brands, snacks and antiques.

Hu Qing Yu Tang (胡庆余堂), on Dajing Lane (大井巷), is the pharmacy founded in 1874 by the late-Qing merchant Hu Xueyan (胡雪岩). Its Qing shop-in-front, workshop-behind building takes the form of a Jiangnan courtyard house and covers more than 3,000 square metres. It houses the Hu Qing Yu Tang Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and it has been a national key protected site since 1988.

The Phoenix Mosque (凤凰寺), on the west side of Zhongshan Middle Road, is counted among the four old mosques of China's southeast coast. It was probably founded in the Tang or Song, destroyed at the end of the Song and rebuilt in the Yuan with money from Ala al-Din (阿老丁). The prayer hall dates from 1281 and has brick domes painted inside. First named Zhenjiao Temple (真教寺), it has also been called the Phoenix Mosque since the Qing, after the phoenix-like outline of its buildings, and it is still the centre of Hangzhou's Muslim community.

Getting oriented

Hangzhou's two main railway hubs, Hangzhou Station (杭州站) and Hangzhou East Station (杭州东站), are both in Shangcheng. Fifteen crossings of the Qiantang River, bridges and metro and road tunnels, lie within the district.

Highlights

• Hu Qing Yu Tang 胡庆余堂: Pharmacy founded by Hu Xueyan in 1874; national key protected site since 1988; houses a museum of traditional Chinese medicine.
• Phoenix Mosque 凤凰寺: One of the four old mosques of the southeast coast; prayer hall of 1281.
• Qinghefang Historic District 清河坊历史街区: Historic block on Hefang Street, a national 4A scenic area.
• Hefang Street 河坊街: With the Southern Song Imperial Street, Hangzhou's main commercial quarter from the Song to the early Republic.