Pishi Street

皮市街

The most bohemian small street in Yangzhou's old town, lined with the Fusheng Ji bookshop, independent cafés, and guesthouses in old houses, and popular with young visitors for citywalks and photos.

Pishi Street runs through the central old town of Yangzhou, from Wenchang Middle Road in the north to Guangling Road in the south, about 700 m long. It takes its name from the leather-goods workshops once clustered here in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Blue-brick houses and alleys line both sides, and the area was once the living quarters of literati including Zhu Ziqing. In recent years, independent bookshops such as Fusheng Ji and Biancheng Bookstore, along with cafés, craft shops, and renovated guesthouses, have made it popular and earned it the nickname “Yangzhou's literary street,” in contrast to the bustling commercial Dongguan Street. A suggested route: start at Wenchang Pavilion, walk south along Wenhe Road to the north entrance of Pishi Street, and browse as you sip coffee, stopping at Biancheng Bookstore (Yangzhou antiquarian books and cultural products) and Fusheng Ji. Alleys on the west side lead to the Former Residence of Zhu Ziqing (No. 27 Anle Lane, free admission, with displays of his life). To the southeast you can connect to He Garden and Xuningmen Street. In the evening, walk along Guangling Road to the Old Grand Canal at Nanmen for night views. The street is free, with no fixed admission fees. A walk takes about 1–1.5 hours, and with coffee and a visit to the residence, allow about 2 hours. Getting there: take a bus to the Wenchang Pavilion or Pishi Street stop; He Garden is about 1 km away. Notes: the street is short, so don't expect too much; its appeal is the atmosphere. Cafés are often full on weekends. The roads around Wenchang Pavilion are in the city center, with pedestrians and vehicles mixed together, so watch your step. Some old houses are private residences, so do not enter them without permission.

Pishi Street

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