Hubin Road

This guide to Hubin Road in Hangzhou asks why there is no wall beneath your feet, when for centuries this exact spot sat inside stone fortifications keeping Hangzhou's own people penned away from the lake. It follows the decision in 1912, after the fall of the Qing dynasty, when officials in the new Republic judged the wall worthless and had the Qiantang, Yongjin and Qingbo gates torn down within a year or two, with nobody preserving so much as a gatehouse. You'll hear where the reclaimed stones ended up, and what they became instead of being hauled away and dumped. Look toward the water and picture the wall that once stood thick enough to stop cannon fire.