The tastes of literati? The surprisingly salty snacks of Hangzhou’s Hefang Street

Text and photos byOrange Dog Loves Candy

My childhood impression of mainland China came from the TV show “Exploring the Mainland” and Aunt Xiong’s soothing yet sleep-inducing narration. Five years ago, I set foot on the mainland for the first time, visiting Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou. The spicy flavors of each dish left a deep impression, but I was also amazed by the speed and scale of urban development—even though that year, I unfortunately found myself in the middle of the Sichuan earthquake. Who would have thought that my next trip to the mainland would be another five years later? This time, I visited Hangzhou, a city known for its scholars and poets. With only a tight three-day schedule, I didn’t have the chance to see the so-called “heaven on earth” scenery of “Up above there is heaven, down below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.” But I did manage to squeeze in some time—and stomach space—to try a few authentic local Hangzhou street foods. The experience was unforgettable, and this article will take you first to the bustling Hefang Street, popular with tourists, to sample some local flavors.

My impression of literati has always been that, while their flatulence might not exactly smell like roses, their tastes should at least lean toward the refined and artistic—something light and elegant. So, I had assumed that Hangzhou cuisine, being the food of literati, would be moderately flavored, with layers of taste that invite contemplation. But after walking through Hefang Street that evening, I realized I had overthought it all XD. There’s a line from the Hangzhou Daily that goes: [“For literati, dining has always been an elegant affair—you must believe that literati eat not just to fill their stomachs. Filling their stomachs is merely a side effect of eating. What literati eat is also never just ordinary dishes or plain rice. Even the same dish can taste completely different to different people. The flavor a literati tastes is bound to be vastly different from what an ordinary person in a back alley tastes.”] I thought that was pretty spot-on, actually XD.

Hefang Street is part of Qinghefang. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Qinghefang was lined with shops, teahouses, and restaurants, serving as the political, cultural, and commercial hub of Hangzhou. Today, walking into Hefang Street, you’ll find rows of mock Southern Song–style ancient buildings that recreate the ambiance of old-time streets. At night, it’s as lively as a night market in Taiwan, bustling with all kinds of food and entertainment.

One particularly dense snack street stands out—it’s less than 100 meters long but crams in at least 20 stalls. Each one resembles a display window, with less than a square meter of space, selling all kinds of local snacks. The middle section is for seating. The whole street is packed with people, yet there are only about nine or ten four-person tables. So it’s first come, first served—if you insist on being polite here, you’ll probably end up standing and eating until midnight. When you sit down, the table will likely be covered in leftovers from the previous diners, so you’ll have to clean it up yourself. There’s a trash bin under the table. If you’re squeamish about cleanliness, this night market alley might not be for you—there’s a McDonald’s in the next alley that’s cleaner and more comfortable.

There are electric fans overhead, but because of the crowding and the heat, you can only resign yourself to sweating buckets. In general, regardless of group size, only one person is allowed to go order food—otherwise, the table you’ve fought to secure will be taken over immediately. So it’s best to walk around first, decide what you want, and then send one person to order and pick up the food. The street isn’t long, so don’t worry about getting lost. Now that we’ve covered the basic dining rules, let’s move on to the main courses!!

First stop: 【Stall C39 - Chen Pinji’s Clay-Roasted Beggar’s Chicken / 30 RMB】Beggar’s Chicken originated in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Legend has it that beggars or thieves would steal chickens, wrap them in lotus leaves and mud, and roast them in hot embers. It’s said that when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty disguised himself and traveled to the south, he ended up ragged and destitute on the streets. One beggar chief, taking pity on him, gave him what he considered a delicacy—“Beggar’s Chicken.” Cold and hungry, Qianlong found the chicken surprisingly delicious. The beggar, too embarrassed to call it Beggar’s Chicken, made up the name “Prosperity Chicken.” Qianlong declared it delicious, and thus Beggar’s Chicken also became known as Prosperity Chicken.

Here, the Beggar’s Chicken is wrapped in lotus leaves and then coated with mud for roasting. They even give you a paper bag to carry it in. For 30 RMB (about 150 TWD), it’s pretty cheap—about the size of a spring chicken.

But the low price means simpler preparation and ingredients. Peeling off the scalding, charred lotus leaves and wax paper, you eat it with your hands. There’s no stuffing inside, but the chicken isn’t dry—it’s fragrant and flavorful.

What might make you frown, though, is the heavy seasoning—it’s quite salty—but still within my tolerance.

This first dish already made me wonder why Hangzhou cuisine is reputed to be light and delicate XD. It seems the taste preferences of literati and common folk do differ somewhat.

But oddly enough, the same stall that sells Beggar’s Chicken also offers 【Korean Spicy Rice Cakes / 5 RMB】. Weak-willed as we were, we got some too—and these stir-fried rice cakes were definitely the highlight of the day.

The saltiness alone was the highest I experienced in my three days in Hangzhou, and the spiciness was so intense it felt like my mouth was about to erupt in flames. You could no longer taste the actual ingredients!! T_T I nearly burned my insides with the salt and spice, and my taste buds were completely numb.

Next up, 【Stall C38 - Huizhou’s Number One Oddity / Hair Moss Tofu / 10 RMB】. The stall’s name, “Huizhou’s Number One Oddity,” comes from when Zhu Yuanzhang (the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty) was defeated in Huizhou and fled to Xiuning. He ordered his attendants to find food, and they discovered some fermented, furry tofu hidden by refugees in a haystack. With nothing else to offer, they roasted the tofu over charcoal and served it to Zhu Yuanzhang—who found it surprisingly delicious. Elated, he later ordered hair moss tofu to be made to reward his troops, and it became a Huizhou specialty.

The “fur” on the surface is actually edible fungal mycelium grown through artificial fermentation. Here, it’s deep-fried like stinky tofu.

But despite its golden, crispy exterior, it has absolutely no foul smell. The tofu itself has a crispy crust and a firm, bean-flavored interior. However, the sauce drizzled on top is both salty and spicy—the spice I liked, reminiscent of the old-school Taiwanese street vendor chili sauce.

But the saltiness surpassed even that of the Beggar’s Chicken, making me love and hate it at the same time.

Another oddity is something called 【Pork Wrapped with Intestines / 15 RMB】. As the name suggests, it’s pork wrapped with intestines—but the outer layer of intestines is pre-boiled and marinated to the point of being overly salty. The intestine part is unbearably salty—I took one bite and never touched it again.

The third stop is 【Stall C40 - Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice / 10 RMB】. It’s kind of like a fried rice dish with glutinous rice, topped with small cubes of ham, green beans, and corn, served in a hollowed-out pineapple (a “pineapple bowl”). I was drawn in by its cute presentation, though at 50 RMB, the portion size is a bit steep.

It’s a bit of a shame that, due to the lack of good heating equipment and the fact that it was pre-cooked and then left to cool, the rice grains, while chewy, were slightly on the hard side. But the pineapple bits inside made for a decent combination.

The fourth stall serves grilled fresh oysters and scallops—but only appears after around 10:30 PM. This is actually sold in Taiwan too, but this particular stall is the kind that runs from the police.

It’s all grilled on the spot, with fierce flames shooting up. The scallops are piled high with seasonings. The steaming, juicy broth is super tempting, and the stall gets surrounded instantly as soon as it opens.

Other foods I regret not trying include 【Crayfish】, which were apparently all the rage in Hangzhou in the first half of the year—but sales reportedly dropped by two-thirds after a few people experienced health issues.

Then there’s this pitch-black 【Dongpo Pork】, which really made me curious about its taste, given how deeply—and darkly—it’s braised.

And I was also interested in this mango and almond dessert, but I was just too full that day.

Finally, there was the 【Crispy Skin Chicken】—another item I could only watch as it passed me by. There were so many things I wanted to try!! The skewers here are also very popular, especially the bullfrog skewers and braised rabbit head skewers, which I was dying to try.

This meal wasn’t the end of my culinary journey—Hangzhou has so much more to offer, and I still needed to save room to try other flavors. But there are two things to watch out for on Hefang Street’s snack street: there are aunties carrying bags and holding water or beer who will approach you nonstop, trying to sell you tissues, beer, or bottled water. Refuse once, and they’ll come back at you three more times.

But once you buy some, you won’t stop — so if you really want tissues, get them after you’ve eaten!! There are also about four or five homeless people around, so don’t worry if you can’t finish what’s on your table. If there’s anything edible left, they’ll just take it. (But I’m not encouraging you to waste food either, lol.) However, even the Korean stir-fried rice cakes here were too salty and spicy for those homeless dudes to even want them XD As for the flavors in this snack street, I asked one or two locals from Hangzhou and they didn’t seem too keen on eating here either. But my sample size is too small to say whether this is the general taste preference around Hangzhou. Still, it was pretty interesting for me — I’d probably come back to try more next time haha.

【Hangzhou Hefang Street Snack Street】
Address: Alley between No. 86-88, Hefang Street, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 11:30 PM
Consumption Tip: It’s recommended to bring your own tissues, water, or drinks

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