Louwailou Restaurant in Gushan Road 02 2018-01

Lou Wai Lou () is a traditional restaurant in

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, China, located on Gushan in the middle of the

West Lake The West Lake (; ) is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. Situated to the west of Hangzhou's former Hangzhou City Walls, walled city, the lake has a surface area of , stretching from north to south and from east to west. In the lake are four ...

. It was established in the 28th year of the reign of

Emperor Daoguang The Daoguang Emperor (16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanzong of Qing, personal name Mianning, was the seventh emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1848). It has been named a "

China Time-honored Brand China Time-honored Brand ( Chinese: ''Zhonghua lao zihao'' 中华老字号 or simply ''lao zihao'' 老字号) is a title granted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China to Chinese enterprises that existed before 1956, sell ...

" by the Chinese government.

History

The founder of Lou Wai Lou was a man from

Shaoxing Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou, Zhejiang, Taizhou to the south ...

, named Hong Ruitang. After moving to Hangzhou, he set up a base of operations on Gushan Road, vending fresh fish and seafood. After opportunities arrived, he started a full restaurant in the same location. The modern Lou Wai Lou restaurant was established in 1980, dubbed one of Hangzhou's "ten establishments". Later, Lou Wai Lou opened another location not far from the original called Shan Wai Shan. In 2012, the restaurant was owned by Shen Guanzhong. Lou Wai Lou has been described as a world famous restaurant and the most famous restaurant in Hangzhou. The restaurant has been named a "

" by the Chinese government.

Notable diners

Before 1949,

Wu Changshuo Wu Changshuo (, September 12, 1844 – November 29, 1927, also romanised as Wu Changshi, ), born Wu Junqing (), was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and seal artist of the late Qing Period. Life Wu was born into a scholarly family in Hu ...

, Sun Zhongshan,

Soong Ching-ling Soong Ch'ing-ling (27 January 1893 – 29 May 1981), Christian name Rosamonde or Rosamond, was a Chinese political figure. She was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, therefore known by Madame Sun Yat-sen and the "''Father of the Nation, Mother of Mode ...

Lu Xun Lu Xun ( zh, c=魯迅, p=Lǔ Xùn, ; 25 September 188119 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a no ...

Zhu Kezhen Coching Chu (; March 7, 1890 – February 7, 1974), also romanized as Zhu Kezhen, was a Chinese geologist and meteorologist. Life and career Born in Shangyu, Zhejiang, Chu received his secondary education at the Tangshan School of Rail and ...

, and

Yu Dafu Yu Wen, better known by his courtesy name Yu Dafu (December 7, 1896 – September 17, 1945) was a modern Chinese short story writer and poet. He was one of the new literary group initiators, and this new literary group was named the Creation Soc ...

had all dined at Lou Wai Lou. After 1949, the state leaders

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

, Chen Yi, and

He Long He Long (; March 22, 1896 – June 9, 1969) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and a Marshal of the People's Republic of China. He was from a poor rural family in Hunan, and his family was not able to provide him with any formal education. H ...

, and the celebrities

Feng Zikai Feng Zikai (; November 9, 1898 – September 15, 1975) was an influential Chinese painter, pioneering ''manhua'' () artist, essayist, and lay Buddhist of 20th-century China. Born just after the First Sino-Japanese War and dying just before the en ...

Pan Tianshou Pan Tianshou (; March 14, 1897– September 5, 1971) was a Chinese painter and art educator. Pan was born in Guanzhuang, Ninghai County, Zhejiang Province, and graduated from Zhejiang First Normal School (now Hangzhou High School). He studied ...

Zhao Puchu Zhao Puchu (November 5, 1907 – May 21, 2000) was a religious and public leader who promoted cultural progress and religious tolerance in China. Zhao was best known as president of the Buddhist Association of China and also one of the most r ...

, and

Jin Yong Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), was a Hong Kong wuxia novelist and co-founder of '' Ming Pao.'' Cha authored 15 novels between 1955 and 1972 and became one of the most pop ...

had all dined at Lou Wai Lou.

Notable menu items

* West Lake vinegar fish *Lady Song's fish soup *Longjing shrimp *

Beggar's Chicken Beggar's chicken () is a Chinese dish of chicken that is stuffed, wrapped in clay and lotus leaves (or banana or bamboo leaves as alternatives), and baked slowly using low heat. Preparation of a single portion may take up to six hours. Althoug ...

*Mizhihuofang *

Dongpo pork Dongpo pork (), also known as Dongpo meat, is a Hangzhou dish made by pan-frying and then red-cooking pork belly. The pork is typically cut into thick, approximately 5 centimeter (2.0 inch) squares, with an even distribution of fat and lean meat ...

*Crab roe oranges *Turtle broiled lamb *West Lake vegetable soup Lou wai lou fish

References

External links

Official website

{{coord missing, Zhejiang 1848 establishments in China Buildings and structures in Hangzhou Restaurants in China