Located in the city's Shangcheng district, more than 11,000 people once lived in the Mantoushan community.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Renovation of the Mituo Temple Park area began soon after Ruan's last neighbor moved away in April 2014, and was completed by the end of June this year.

The area's white walls and black tiles make Ruan happy now, she said.

Another group of residents to have benefited from Hangzhou's recent renaissance are those in the Mantoushan area who no longer have to use coal stoves and slop buckets.

Located in the city's Shangcheng district, more than 11,000 people once lived in the Mantoushan community. In the days of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), it was an imperial city, but it had been underdeveloped and unloved in recent years.

"Without modern toilets, community residents had to use slop buckets every day, creating hygiene and health problems," said Zhao Yide, Party chief of Hangzhou, in a recent interview.

Thanks to the renovations, families there now have flush toilets, and nearly 1,000 households are connected to gas pipelines.

In the overall face-lift of Hangzhou, 264 street renovation projects have been completed, which included the dismantling of 5,615 illegal outdoor advertising signs, and 10 million sq m of illegal buildings, as well as the renovation of more than 9 million sq m of residences, factory buildings and urban villages, Zhao said.