The Huqingyu Drugstore is a state drugstore founded in 1847 by Hu Xuyan during the 13th year (1874) of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Huqingyu Drugstore took the imperial codex of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) as its basic source and chose the proven recipes of past dynasties. Famous for its self-prepared recipes, the drugstore was renowned for a long time both at home and abroad. The Huqingyu Drugstore and the Tongren Drugstore in Beijing, located in the south and the north respectively, are hailed as the two most-famous drugstores in the county of all time.

The Huqingyu Drugstore contains two rows of constructions: a business area in the front of the hall and a production workshop in the back. The whole construction, taking business needs into consideration, has adopted the architectural merits of the residence and garden south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It has a spacious and finely designed hall, as well as carefully-selected building materials. Its girders, supports and columns display carvings of exquisite patterns. The Huqingyu Drugstore is the only age-old store left in Hangzhou City to possess such an architectural style.