China News Service, Shaoxing, February 20 (Xiang Jing) Before noon, several riverside teahouses and pubs in the Cangqiao Zhi Street Historic District, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang were already full. The pedestrian street by the river is crowded, and almost every young tourist has a cup of rice wine and milk tea...During the Spring Festival this year, the steaming "national trend drink" set off new consumption in the old streets.
During this year’s Spring Festival, the new Chinese-style teahouse on the riverside of Cangqiao Zhi Street was packed with seats. Photo by Xiang Jing
Cangqiao Straight Street is named after the granary of the Song Dynasty. It is about 1.5 kilometers long and still retains many century-old gates. The unique style composed of rivers, houses and neighborhoods has always been a Jiangnan resort that Chinese and foreign tourists yearn for.
There is a large stone tablet at the entrance of Cangqiao Zhi Street Historic District, engraved with the 2003 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Region Cultural Heritage Protection Excellence Award. Twenty years have passed, and the "International Famous Street" has not only retained its old style and architecture, but also has a "place" for emerging fashion.
"This street is very simple and very fashionable." Kato, 25, is a "foreign son-in-law" from Japan. During the Spring Festival this year, he went to Shaoxing for the first time to experience the Jiangnan New Year. What impressed him most was Cangqiao Straight Street. I visited various taverns and said, "Shaoxing rice wine is very trendy. I tried the rice wine milk tea and rice wine latte, and they were very delicious. I will recommend them to more friends."
Shaoxing is one of the first batch of famous historical and cultural cities in China. It is also the capital of Chinese rice wine and the core production area of green tea in the world. It can be said that it has "poetry", "wine" and "tea". As the "New National Trend" continues to gain popularity, these regional characteristics have also been "captured" by young merchants, creating "good-looking" teahouses, pubs, and cafes on Cangqiao Zhi Street.
Standing at the Baozhu Bridge at the entrance of Cangqiao Zhi Street and looking out, the second old house on the left is a new Chinese-style teahouse. It is built near the river with white walls and black tiles. It is equipped with new "Chinese style" objects inside and is designed after Lu Xun. New scene themed by Mr. In the teahouse, customers gathered in small groups to "make tea" around the stove.
During the Spring Festival this year, the new Chinese teahouse on Cangqiao Zhi Street was decorated. Photo by Xiang Jing
As a young maker, Zhao Yunhong, the person in charge of the teahouse, said frankly in an interview that after taking over the old house in 2023, decoration became the biggest challenge. "The local government has strict standards for the protection of ancient houses. Pillars cannot be dismantled, beams cannot be used indiscriminately, and windows cannot be used indiscriminately." changes, so we only renovated it to a limited extent."
The fusion of old houses, new Chinese tea drinks, and waterside scenery has attracted many young people to pay for it. Zhao Yunhong also mentioned that contemporary young people are paying more and more attention to experiential consumption and care about atmosphere and relaxation. "Within less than half a year since its opening, the teahouse is full every weekend, and this year's Spring Festival is even more difficult to find."
A creative basket, a few red utensils, a pot of old white tea with tangerine peel... Taking advantage of the winter vacation, "Generation Z" Chinese teacher Wang Liya took her family to "check in" in Shaoxing. After visiting Lu Xun's hometown in Shaoxing, they arrived at Cangqiao Zhi Street as scheduled. Drinking tea in an "Internet celebrity" teahouse.
"While drinking tea, I watched the awning boats passing by outside the window. It was very leisurely." Wang Liya said bluntly in an interview that what attracted her most to Cangqiao Zhi Street was that it was "not overly commercialized" and "the combination of old house protection and commercial development" The space is relatively balanced. Sitting in the teahouse, you can not only feel the historical construction, but also appreciate the Jiangnan style." (over)