Hubu Alley
户部巷
The 'No. 1 Street of Wuhan Snacks': hot dry noodles, doupi, mianwo and thick soup rice noodles on a century-old breakfast street in Sikou Kou, at the foot of Yellow Crane Tower.
Hubu Alley lies in Sikou Kou in Wuchang, between Yellow Crane Tower and the Yangtze River Bridge. It is named after the granary of the Hubu (provincial treasury office) next door during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This 150-meter-long old lane has been Wuhan's most famous snack street since the 1990s and is billed as the 'No. 1 Street of Wuhan Snacks.' It is the best window into guozao, Wuhan's tradition of eating breakfast out and on the go. Must-try snacks include hot dry noodles (from Cailinji and Laoqianji), three-delicacy doupi (a savory bean-and-rice pancake), mianwo (rice-and-flour cakes), thick soup rice noodles served with youtiao (fried dough sticks), soup dumplings (from Simeiji), shaomei (a sweet pastry), duck necks (from Zhou Hei Ya or Jingwu), glutinous rice chicken, and huanxituo (sesame-coated fried glutinous rice balls). The alley has old photographs and sculptures that tell the story of Wuhan snacks, and the snack area has since spread along Ziyou and Minzhu roads. The alley is free to enter, snacks cost about RMB 5 to 20 each, so it's best to buy a little of many things. Locals recommend coming between 7 and 9 a.m. for guozao, when eating on the move is the tradition. Many shops stay open until 10 p.m., and the crowds are larger in the evening. Getting there: take Metro Line 2 or 4 to Jiyuqiao station, or Line 5 to Sikou Kou–Yellow Crane Tower station, about an 8-minute walk. From Zhonghua Road pier, take the ferry across to Hankou's Wuhan Customs pier (RMB 1.5), then walk 5 minutes. Suggested routes: have breakfast in Hubu Alley and then walk up to Yellow Crane Tower; or, in the afternoon, walk from Tanhualin, have dinner, and then take the ferry from Zhonghua Road pier for night views of the river. Notes: the alley is heavily commercialized and prices are higher than at neighborhood shops. Locals go to Liangdao Street and the old shops along Ziyou Road instead. It gets very crowded on holidays, so keep an eye on your belongings.
Opening hours
Approx. 7:00–22:00
Nearby sights
- Wuchang Riverside Park
- Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
- Yellow Crane Tower
- Wuchang Uprising Memorial (Red Building)
- Xinhai Revolution Museum
- Qingchuan Pavilion
- Former Site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute
- Liangdao Street