Is touring West Lake too cliché? Here's how young trendsetters explore Hangzhou

Reported and photographed by reporter Zhang Kaiwen / Hangzhou

Before flying to Hangzhou, I randomly asked several friends and family about their impressions of the city—the answers were all “West Lake,” “ancient poetry,” and “retirement.” But after actually visiting, I discovered it’s a “top travel destination” that not only appeals to the elderly but also to young people. Think touring West Lake is outdated? Hangzhou actually has many new attractions worth visiting that will definitely max out the memory cards of all the trendy youngsters and ladies out there.

▲“Silk Union 166” attracts many young trendsetters to pay homage, with its transformed traditional factory building blending seamlessly with Western trends.

Dubbed the trendiest spot in Hangzhou, the “Silk Union 166 Creative Park” was formerly the Hangzhou Silk Printing and Dyeing United Factory. The old factory buildings have been turned into creative hubs for graphic designers and photographers. The bright red façade, Western-style graffiti walls, and colorful wedding studios stand out yet blend harmoniously against the traditional gray walls, making it a new hotspot for trendy visitors to snap photos. Jingjing and Miaomiao from Jiangsu love this artistic vibe, saying, “It’s not too crowded here—it feels really comfortable.” However, at “Peach Coffee,” you can still find traces of the factory’s past. “It feels like Taipei’s Songshan Tobacco Factory,” said Mr. Gao from Taiwan as he dined.

▲Peach Coffee retains remnants of the old factory.

Drive to the west bank of Gongchen Bridge to visit the “Qiaoxi Historical Block,” once the busiest land-and-water dock during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty. It witnessed the prosperity of the canal in its heyday and also endured the decline of the industrial era in the 1980s and 1990s. Holding a bowl of sweet rice wine and walking on the bluestone slabs while gazing at the blue-tiled wooden houses evokes a feeling of stepping back in time.

Nearby, the China Knife, Scissors & Sword Museum, China Fan Museum, and China Umbrella Museum showcase the history of Hangzhou’s Zhang Xiaoquan scissors, Wang Xingji fans, and Chinese umbrella culture. The most captivating is the “Handicraft Living Exhibition Hall,” where artisans from various regions demonstrate traditional crafts, allowing visitors to get up close and participate in the making process. Master Yu Wanlun, the seventh-generation inheritor of oil-paper umbrellas, is busy “threading flowers”—“The five colors represent metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, known as full threading, which usually takes three days to complete.” Nearby visitors watch intently, exclaiming, “I’ve never seen this even though I’m grown up.” Additionally, you can learn paper-cutting and embroidering shoes here—both educational and hands-on.

▲%The vividly colored 'Handicraft Living Exhibition Hall' lets visitors dive into traditional crafts./strong>