The famed poet Lu You of the Southern Song Dynasty once described Zhongshan Road of Hangzhou as follows: “The streets were lit up like daytime; the sounds of bargaining were blown away ten miles by the eastern wind. Can you imagine how flourishing it was back in the Southern Song Dynasty?”

The scene was described in a more detailed manner by the writer Wu Zimu of the Southern Song Dynasty in his popular book The Note of Dreams: “In the streets of downtown Hangzhou, the sales were going on overnight. The night market lasted until the small hours while the crowds on the streets dwindled gradually. When dawn came with the ringing bell, the early birds were up and opened the morning market again.”

The Hangzhou government is planning to rebuild the booming scenery of the night market on the 1,400m-long ancient imperial street from Zhongshan Road south of the intersection with Wansongling Road to the intersection with Shiwukui Lane. The longest snack night market in China will be opened to the public by the end of December with operation hours from 5pm to 3am.

In a conference held last week, Wang Guoping, Secretary of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC, said: "As the capital city of the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou is evidently not the largest but definitely the most beautiful one in history. We are determined to build a leading model in protecting the historical heritage of the imperial city,” he said, adding the renovation of Zhongshan Road is one of the most essential parts of the project.

Once the snack night market opens, some sections of the main streets will be under traffic control to ensure the safety of pedestrians during business hours. Car parks will be provided in the neighboring vacant land and existing parking stalls in neighboring schools will be encouraged to be open to the public in the evening. More outlets for public bike rentals will be established as well, according to the Hangzhou government.

"Big roofs, water walls and timber frames are the characteristics of the architecture in the Southern Song Dynasty. The reconstruction of the snack night market shall display the cultural elements and architecture style of the Southern Song Dynasty," Wang explained.

Positioned to provide local snacks, the snack night market will become a tourism destination with food stalls, flea markets, antique shops and creative boutiques.

By Li Hui