Holiday Destination: Hangzhou

Hangzhou is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. It has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, due in part to its beautiful natural scenery. The city's West Lake is its best known attraction. When Marco Polo came to Hangzhou in the 13th century, he declared it to be the most beautiful and elegant city in the world. There is a popular saying Above there is heaven, below there are Hangzhou and Suzhou. Hangzhou's heavenly beauty attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to its exquisite West Lake area each year to enjoy the placid lake, beautiful gardens, reflecting pools, lavish temples and lakeside teahouses. Hangzhou began to prosper and flourish in the Tang Dynasty. It was the capital of the Wu and Yue States in the 10th Century during the Five Dynasties Period, and had its political heyday in the Southern Song Dynasty, when it served as the capital of China. Hangzhou witnessed a commercial boom in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which is continuing at present.

Climate

Summer 28.4 °C (83.1 °F), Winter 4.3 °C (39.7 °F)

Tourist Season

August or September is the best for visiting Hangzhou.

Accommodation

Hotels.

General Information Of Hangzhou

• Land Area: 6,505 sq mi (16,847 km2)
• Population: 87 Lakh.
• Capital City: Zhejiang.
• Language: Chinese and English.

Tourist Attraction in or Near by Hangzhou

West Lake

West Lake or Xī Hú is a freshwater lake located in the historic area of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Dī, Bái Dī, and Yánggōng Dī. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake. West Lake has influenced poets and painters throughout the ages for its natural beauty and historical relics, and it has been among the most important sources of inspiration for Chinese garden designers, as evidenced by the impact it had on various Chinese classical gardens. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, and was described as having influenced garden design in the rest of China as well as Japan and Korea over the centuries and as reflecting "an idealized fusion between humans and nature.

Ling Yin Temple Flying Peak

Lingyin Temple is a Buddhist temple of the Chan sect located north west of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China. The temple's name is commonly literally translated as Temple of the Soul's Retreat. It is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China, and contains numerous pagodas and Budddhist grottoes. The monastery is the largest of several temples in the Wulin Mountains, which also features a large number of grottos and religious rock carvings, the most famous of which is the Feilai Feng iterally the peak that flew hither.

Mausoleum of General Yue Fei

The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei is one of Hangzhou's most popular attractions esoecially with Chinese touists, perhaps because of the feelings of patriotism among many local people. The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei was nestled in Yue Fei's temple at the south foot of Xixia Mountain of Hangzhou City. Each day lots of Chinese visitors and even some foriegn tourists flock to the temple and tomb for paying their respect. Yue Fei was born in Tangyin of Xiangzhou in today's Henan Province. He was a famous national hero during the Southern Song dynasty. he became noted for his bravery and talent against against northern invaders. He was later betrayed by a court official, Qin Hui and wrongly executed. In 1163 his reputation was recovered and his body dug up and reburied at this Mausoleum.

Six Harmonies Pagoda in Hangzhou

The Six Harmonies Pagoda is nestled in the Yuelun Hill on the north bank of Qiantang River, 12 Km away from the center of Hangzhou City. The pagoda was first constructed in the third year of the Kaibao reign of the Northern Song Dynasty to conquer the tides of the Qiantang River.The present Six Harmonies Pagoda has 9 stories with 13 layers of eaves which were re constructed in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. The extant pagoda is octagonal, has thirteen storeys on the exterior but seven storeys on the interior. It stands 59.89 meters high, and is one of the tallest pagodas in southern China. The body of the pagoda was made of brick, but the roofs were built of wood. Inside the pagoda winding steps line the walls, leading to the top storey. Each storey has a square room wih its ceiling supported by brackets.

Hupao Spring

The Dragon Well Tea and the Hupao Spring water have been regarded as the two wonders of the West Lake. The Hupao Spring is nestled at the foot of the Baihe Peak of Daci Mountain, 5 km from the city of Hangzhou. Housed in the Hupao Temple, Hupao Spring is named after a legend. The legend says that,a monk named Huanzhong came and stayed here during the 14th year in the Tang Dynasty. Because of water shortage, the monk decided to leave the temple. But one night he dreamed of two tiger that would come here to dug a hole for the water. As expected from his dream, he found a spot coming with spring, hence, the name Hupao Spring. In fact, the Hupao Spring is formed by underground water coming via veins and cracks within quartz sandstone and abroad.

Qiantang River Bore

The Qiantang River is a southeast Chinese river that originates in the borders of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces and passes through Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, before flowing into the East China Sea through Hangzhou Bay. The lower stream of Qiantang River is known as Fuchun River, 285 mi long in Zhejiang province. An important commercial artery, it flows NE to the East China Sea at Hangzhou. The First Qiantang River Bridge in Hangzhou was the first steel bridge to span across a major river in China when it was built in the 1930s. The river is also the southern terminal of the ancient Grand Canal that links five major rivers in China from north to south, enabling traffic north to Beijing from Hangzhou via the Canal.

Wuzhen Water Town

Wuzhen is just about one hour's drive from Hangzhou City. Wuzhen with a history of over 1,200 years, still preserves ancient buildings and town layout.It used to be a water town. The river winding through the town was once the major tools of transportation for local villagers. But today the rivers are not so active as before. The town is now open to the public for tourism. Bridges of all sizes stride over the streams. The town is dotted with the ponds and green trees. People can have boating on the rivers. Wuzheng Town also has many famous historical cultural relics. Wuzheng Town is most noted for being the hometown of Mao Dun, a great literary master in modern China. Mao Dun's former living place, a building of the Qing Dynasty, is situated in the middle of Guanqian Street in Wuzheng Town. In 1988, it was listed by the State Council as a relic under the special protection of the State.

Accessibility

Bus Terminal in or Near by

Huashe Bus Passenger Transport Terminal

031 Country Road
Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China

Airport

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport: For International flights.

Railway Stations

Hangzhou Railway Station

You Yi Lu, Shang Cheng Qu
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Hangzhou East Railway Station

Tiancheng Road, Jianggan
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China