Step into old Qinghefang.
Meet your costumed host and begin with a light introduction to daily life in the old quarter.
Cultural Experiences · Hangzhou
Qinghefang Private Cultural Routes
Choose a few hours of food, craft or herbal traditions.
Explore Hangzhou's historic Qinghefang quarter with a costumed host. Each three-hour route follows one theme, with tastings, demonstrations and things to make along the way.
Which route would you choose?
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Route 01
Herbal traditions
From museum shelves to the practical knowledge of herbs and scent.
- Apothecary museum and workshop
- A cultural demonstration of pulse-taking
- Fill a fragrant herbal sachet to take home
Cultural introduction only: no medical consultation or treatment.
See this route -
Route 02
Hangzhou food
The old quarter through tea, texture and small foods made in front of you.
- Tea demonstration, tasting and pastries
- Pound ma ci and make a sugar painting
- Lotus-root starch dessert to finish
Tell us about dietary requirements before booking.
See this route -
Route 03
Traditional handcrafts
From carved surfaces to objects made by hand, with the old quarter part of the route.
- Wood and stone carving, Southern Song foundations
- Make a round fan and a sugar painting
- A leather workshop visit
Workshops and activities are confirmed for your date.
See this route
How the visit works
Meet your host for an introduction to the quarter and your chosen theme. The route moves between streets, workshops and short activities, with time for tea and a final tasting or making session.
Stops and their order can change with opening hours, crowd levels and maker availability. We send your selected route and its inclusions before payment.
- Price
- US$298 per person, per route
- Duration
- Three hours per route
- Group
- Up to four guests; larger groups by enquiry
- Morning
- 09:30 to 12:30
- Afternoon
- 13:30 to 16:30
- Evening
- 18:00 to 21:00
Sessions are subject to partner availability. Tell us which route and time you prefer, and we'll check the date, language arrangements and meeting point.
Check Qinghefang availability
Route 01
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Herbal traditions
Read the history of Chinese medicine.
Explore an apothecary museum through tools, ingredients and the traditions that shaped local medicine.
Enter the apothecary workshop.
See how herbs are recognised, weighed and wrapped, with a cultural introduction to pulse-taking and herbal preparation.
Pause for a traditional optical show.
Look through a picture-viewing box and listen to a short local tune.
Taste tea and make sugar painting.
Take a tea break, then draw an edible picture with warm sugar.
Make a fragrant herbal sachet.
Choose aromatic ingredients and fill a small sachet to take away.
The medicine and pulse-reading elements introduce cultural practice. They do not provide medical diagnosis or treatment.
Route 02
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Hangzhou food
Begin with tea.
Watch a Chinese tea demonstration and taste selected teas.
Try traditional tea pastries.
Sample small local pastries chosen to accompany the tea.
Pound ma ci.
Use the wooden tools to pound glutinous rice, then taste the soft rice cake you helped make.
Make a sugar painting.
Turn warm sugar into an edible picture to enjoy or take away.
Learn how traditional sauces are made.
See the basic craft behind the sauces used in everyday Chinese cooking.
See a traditional optical show.
Look through a picture-viewing box and listen to a short local tune.
Finish with lotus-root starch.
Taste a smooth lotus-root starch dessert associated with Hangzhou.
Please share allergies and dietary requirements in advance. Final tastings are confirmed for your booking.
Route 03
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Traditional handcrafts
Explore wood carving.
Look closely at carved detail and work through a small wooden puzzle.
See stone carving.
Discover how hard stone is shaped into fine decorative work.
Read the street beneath the street.
Pause at visible Southern Song foundations and place the day's craft in a deeper layer of Hangzhou history.
Make a traditional round fan.
Create a small fan using materials and decorative techniques prepared for the session.
Make a sugar painting.
Draw with warm sugar and keep the finished edible piece.
Pause for tea and a traditional optical show.
Taste tea, look through a picture-viewing box and hear a short local tune.
Visit a leather workshop.
See the tools, materials and hand-finishing behind small leather goods.
Specific workshops and activities are confirmed for your date.
Photographs from the quarter
Views of Qinghefang's streets, courtyards and shopfronts, photographed in Hangzhou.
Questions about the routes
Is the price for our whole group?
The price is US$298 per person for one three-hour route. Your total is confirmed before payment.
Can we combine two routes?
Each route lasts three hours. Ask about combining two and we can check the timing and quote for your group.
Will we have a private host?
Yes. The route is for your own party with a costumed host. The streets, shops and venues may also be visited by other people.
Is English support available?
Tell us your language needs when you enquire. We confirm hosting and any interpretation arrangements for the selected session before booking.
What about food allergies or access needs?
Let us know before booking. The route includes old streets and visits to individual venues, so we check access and dietary arrangements for the activities you've chosen.
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Choose your Qinghefang route
Send your preferred route, date, session and number of guests. We'll reply personally within one business day and check the arrangements.