You will find Temple of Soul's Retreat (Lingyin Temple) in a long, narrow valley between Peak Flown From Afar (Fei Lai Feng) and North Peak to the northwest of the West Lake at Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. The temple is without doubt a premier showpiece in the West Lake environs and is notable also as one of the ten most famous Buddhist temples of China. In 1961 the temple was listed for protection as a key provincial historical and cultural site and is considered a leading centre for research relative to Chinese Buddhist culture.

    Qinghefang Ancient Street is a section of Hefang Street which is located at the northern foot of Wu Shan Hill in Hangzhou. It is just several hundreds meters away from the beautiful West Lake. With an area of 13 hectares, the street is the only well-preserved part of ancient Hangzhou. As a miniature of Hangzhou City's long history, it is the best place to embody the historical and cultural character of Hangzhou.

    Qinghefang has been the most flourished street in Hangzhou since the ancient time. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Qinghefang with lots of shops, restaurants and teahouses was the center of politics, culture and commerce in Hangzhou. After so many years, it is still a prosperous business area in Hangzhou. Many famous century-old shops are located in this ancient street, such as Wangxingji Fan Store, Zhangxiaoquan Scissors, Wanlong Ham Stack, Huqingyutang Pharmacy, Baohetang Pharmacy, Zhuangyuan House, Wangruixing, Yiyuanjindian, Jingyangguan and Sheep Soup Restaurant among others.

    In April 2000, the government of Shangcheng District proposed their vision for Qinghefang. Their proposal was to protect the historical buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasty that were in Hangzhou along this 460m stretch of Qinghefang. The redeveloped Qinghefang Ancient Street now exudes an atmosphere of its past and is boastful of its street-culture, entertainment, commerce and the tours that are the attention of its citizens and visitors home and abroad. At present, there are 16 old-fashioned street lanes remained in Qinghefang Ancient Street, mainly including Zhongshan Middle Road, Hefang Street, Gulou Bay and Gaoyin Lane. From the layout, these lanes are primary from south to north and accessorial from east to west. Most of the existing old buildings in the streets are in the style of late Qing Dynasty's and the well-preserved 'four-corner buildings group' are the masterpiece example of traditional blocks of Hangzhou.  Viewed from the end of the block, it is visually pleasing combining both the static structures and the dynamics of the people milling about.