Gongshu (Grand Canal North)

Gongshu sits on the northern reach of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal — UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. The Grand Canal is the world's longest artificial waterway, extending roughly 1,800 km from Beijing to Hangzhou; this district contains its southern terminus at the Gongchen Bridge, a 16th-century arch bridge that still spans the canal.

The Grand Canal walkway from Gongchen Bridge south through the district is one of the more atmospheric urban walks in Hangzhou — restored Qing-era residences, working canal traffic of small barges, modern footbridges crossing the canal at intervals, and stretches of canal-front cafe seating in restored warehouse buildings.

Liyuan was the Hangzhou silk and textile industrial zone in the 1950s–70s. The Industrial Heritage Park preserves the former mill buildings as a creative-industry zone with design studios, art galleries, and the cluster of small specialist museums covering the trades historically located along the canal: Knife and Scissor, Umbrella, Fan, Imperial Examination. Each is a 30-to-90-minute visit; visiting two or three combined makes a half-day.

Xiangji Temple, at the canal's southern reach, is a recently-restored Buddhist temple complex with a substantial pilgrim canteen. The temple's connection to the canal economy was historically as a stop-point for tribute-grain barges arriving from the south.