Xiaohe Straight Street historical and cultural block is located in the north of Hangzhou, at the intersection of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Xiaohe River and Yuhangtang River. It is next to Xiaohe River to the east, next to Hemu Road to the west, next to Xiaohe Road to the south and next to Changzheng Bridge Road to the north. The Xiaohe Straight Street historical and cultural block takes Xiaohe Straight Street as center. The overall style and spatial characteristics of residential buildings and shipping facilities distributed along the canal and Xiaohe River are still basically preserved, with a certain scale. It should be one of the blocks with relatively complete overall traditional style among the historical and cultural blocks in Hangzhou.

Xiaohe Straight Street, used to be a busy wharf, is said to have many shops and lined with rice shop, cocoon shop, cloth shop, restaurants, teahouses and inns. Never see such a bustling scene, but can imagine that if back to the time, we will see a thriving scene no less than the great painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival. Today, Xiaohe Straight Street is characterized by residential buildings rich in canal elements of the south of Yangtze River.

The city has changed so fast, but Xiaohe Straight Street has been preserved as the "past" of Hangzhou. People living here are mostly old Hangzhounese in generations. If city also has life, the white walls, black tiles, wooden doors and windows belong to a corner of the Xiaohe Straight Street must be breathing. On both sides of the street, there is still the appearance of a hundred years ago, which truly reflects the living environment of the lower-class people along the canal in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The feelings of plain, real, dilapidated but warm old houses cannot be expressed by the new buildings made of steel and cement.

Xiaohe Straight Street is a niche tourist destination in Hangzhou, which is mostly an activity area for literary youth and nearby residents. Compared with the busy West Lake all year round, it is really too quiet, but with this quietness, it gives people a special decorous feeling belonging to historical and cultural block. Most of the buildings in Xiaohe Straight Street follow the canal commercial port culture, and the overall pattern is two streets along one river, with shops on the first floor facing the street and houses on the second floor, belonging to the typical pattern of shops down floor and houses upper floor. Along the path, almost every door is surrounded by flowers and green plants, full of natural and beautiful atmosphere. Once in a while, you will encounter a small shop. The signboard or decoration of the shop is also extremely artistic and low-key, which is integrated with the environment and not abrupt. Xiaohe Straight Street is not long, but the shops on both sides are all-inclusive. The piano shop, photo studio, coffee shop, dessert shop, small restaurant and even mahjong hall for residents to kill time, make the whole Xiaohe Straight Street a unique paradise hidden in the market.