Hangzhou City

• • Impression West Lake — Directed by the golden trio including Zhang Yimou, a love story performed with impressive special effects on the lake. There are two performances every night. Entertaining but not breathtaking, especially if you see some of the newer 'Impressions' shows. Starts from ¥260 with VIP and boat seats at even higher prices. Show lasts an hour and does not need language knowledge. — Hours: 19:30 (Winter), 19:45 (Summer) — Price: From ¥260 — Website: http://www.hzyxxh.com
• • Early morning bike ride — Start on the north side of the lake, and head west towards Zhejiang University, then down Lingyin Road past the Botanical Gardens and into Longjing Village. Keep heading West and south through the tea villages, bamboo forest, and scenic valleys to the river and cut over towards Six Harmonies Pagoda. Go back to the south end of the lake via the road right next to Six Harmonies, past the zoo, through the tunnels. Cycling is banned directly alongside the lake for about half of the way, so walking may be better if you want to see the lake.
• • Hangzhou Paradise Park — The largest travel and leisure holiday resort in Eastern China, covering an area of 80,000 m². It is the themed recreation area of World Leisure Expo Garden. Includes the Theme Park of Holland Village, the Theme Park of Marco Polo's Tour, Ecological Garden, Niton Hot Spring Holiday Village, Conference Center, Tennis Ball Club, Golf Club, Tiancheng Residential Holdings. Here, you can feel excitement and fun of the 108 meters high Sightseeing Tower which is the highest in Asia, the roller coaster, flying trapeze, ropeway, looting boat in rip current, pirate ship, etc. There are also exercises like bungee jumping, rock climbing and a space swing. — Address: No.92, Xianghu Road, Xiaoshan District — Directions: South bank of Qiantang River, twelve kilometers away from West Lake. You can take the No. K515 bus to get there — Hours: M-F 10AM–5PM, Sa Su 9:30AM–5PM — Price: ¥80
• Walk around the lake. It will take you about 5 hours of slow walking. The lake is not very big and there are two shortcuts (causeways) through it. You can also hire small non-motor powered boats (¥120/hour for personal boat with driver, or use the ferry services) to take you around the lake and to the two islands, which feature some interesting sites.
• Go hiking in the mountains. Hangzhou has the most accessible and interesting hiking environments within walking distance of any city. Purchase a topographic map, not difficult to find. Some suggested hikes:
• Start with the climb up to the Baochu Pagoda from Beishan Road. The trail passes the pagoda and continues on with a rock scramble and great views to a series of stone paths that follow the ridge. Keep going and relax, you can't get lost because this mountain is surrounded by main roads. There are temples, shrines and caves along the way with a sprinkling of tea houses. Stay with the high ground where you can and you should come out near the corner of Shuguang Rd and Beishan Rd in an easy 2 hours, with plenty of opportunities for side explorations. You can walk back or return by bus (be brave, as long as the bus is going inbound it will take you somewhere central. The fare will be ¥1-3 and services are frequent) or cab.
• Start at Wushan Square, at the southern end of Yan'an Rd, and walk south through the developed park land. Stay high, and pass the war memorial, stunning stone sculptures, down the large stairway to Wansongling Rd. Cross the road, turn left and 100 metres later enter the forest past a memorial garden. From here the stone paths lead inexorably south to Fenghuang Hill and then southwest finally to Yuhuang Hill, the summit of which contains a large temple complex and boasts marvelous views over West lake and the Qiantang River. Descend to the west, but beware the tricky circular road, to Hupao Road and take a bus back from the Hangzhou zoo bus stop. It will take a slow 4 hours. You will at times be geographically challenged, but soon you will get the drift of it, and be better prepared to tackle the huge mountain, forest and tea village areas to the south west of the lake. The complete circuit from Xixi Rd to Wushan Square via Northern Peak, Shi Peak, Wuyun Hill, Jiuxi, HZ Zoo, Yuhuang, Fenghuang Hill will take a party of regular fitness, with stops, 10–12 hours. Then for a hike with a difference, hike out to Meijiawu and stay at a guest house, returning the following day via a different route.
• Visit the temples and pagodas. The most popular ones are Baochu pagoda, which is the tower-like one on a hill on the north side of the lake. This hill is a great hike, with excellent views of the lake and city, several smaller temples of a variety of religions, and Huanglong Cave on the northern slope of the hill. 6 Harmonies Pagoda, located on the river, is the largest and most imposing. A fun hike after the pagoda leads from the shores of the river, behind the pagoda, and into the Longjing tea fields near the tea museum. Lingyin Temple, on the west side of the lake, is also a large complex with a surprisingly devout crowd of worshipers. This area also has many excellent hikes, as well as a cable car to the top of Beifeng Hill (with another temple at the top). Finally, Leifeng Pagoda has been rebuilt and has escalators and elevators, while all that remains of the foundation is on display on the main level. Despite its lack of ancient Chinese beauty, the benches and gazebo-like structures surrounding the area make for a nice place to sit in the breeze, and it also has an excellent view looking in the opposite direction as the Baochu area.
• Go for a Run. The lakeside surrounds of gardens, parks, views and items of interest make a great backdrop to a run. Join the "Even If It Rains" running group of locals and laowei at 19:30 on Tuesday nights from the Maya Bar (across the road from the stadium in Shuguang Rd, at the traffic lights where Shuguang Rd. bends). Socialise after; it's a welcoming group. The local chapter of the Hash House Harriers is sadly in remission. The Vasque mountain race of approx 35 km through the mountains, tea fields and lakeside is held around October and in November is held the Hangzhou marathon, half marathon and lesser distances.
• Spend an afternoon at a tea house. A highlight of visiting Hangzhou is getting out to Manjuelong Village, (South of the lake on top of the hill) Longjin Village or Meijiawu Village, (west and further west of the Lake, respectively) to drink your tea. These villages have had a make-over and while can be busy at weekends they are still great places to while away an afternoon watching the tea being picked. The tea houses all serve very local food - pickled vegetables, chicken broth etc. - but often there is no menu; rather the owner will suggest what you should eat. Make sure you get a price for the dishes before you tuck in.
• Shopping -- see the "Buy" section for more info.
• The West Lake Golf Club near Six Harmonies Pagoda and Songcheng was designed by Jack Nicklaus.
• Boating along the Hangzhou-Beijing Canal is becoming more popular.
• • World Ice Arena — A full Olympic size commercial ice skating rink located in the MIXC mall, new Central Business District near the Qintang River. Weekdays have unlimited skating time for the entry price. Before 17:00, price is ¥50 and after 17:30 is ¥60. Weekends are ¥70 for 2 hour sessions. All prices include the new Canadian rental skate, use of locker, and all safety gear (elbow, knee, wrist and helmets). Professional coaching is available at the school reservations desk. Pro shop has an extensive line of figure skating equipment and apparel as well some novelty items related to skating. Located on the 4th floor of the mall. Management and some general staff speak English and Chinese. Ice is resurfaced every 2 hours by a new electric model 552 Zamboni machine. The surroundings are elegant and clean. There is a small cafe inside for snacks. The rink keeps a doctor on duty at all times to assist with minor injuries. The rink's entire refrigeration system is dramatically displayed with cool blue lighting and real time information can be viewed on an LCD screen. — Hours: Open 365 days a year from 10:30 to 22:00
• Go to a book shop. Hangzhou has several book shops, Xinhua bookstore on Jiefang road near the JieBai department store is the oldest bookshop. Boku bookstore at the intersection of WenEr road and HanCheng north road. It's a book lovers paradise. The PageOne bookstore in the MIXC mall also has a fairly sizable selection of English books.
• • Car Tour — Annoying electric cars that go full circle. For at least half the way around they will be on the same route as pedestrians and cyclists. They might politely announce you should step away but they also have a nice horn equipped and are not shy to use it. Basically ever since this tourist attraction was added walking around the lake is less fun but the tourists enjoy being carted around - it takes less time, you get tour info on the loudspeakers and it also is reasonably priced. There are also ¥4 per station options, but most carts are full going all the way around. The only saving grace of this 'attraction' is that they only go around clockwise. — Price: ¥40

Hangzhou is one of the premier places to eat in China, and its local cuisine features dishes that consist more of pork and seafood rather than beef and lamb, as those are typically found in the north and west regions of China.

Typical Hangzhou specialties include dongpo rou (东坡肉 dōngpō ròu), an extremely fatty chunk of pork in a syrupy sauce, and cùyú (醋鱼 cùyú), which is fish with a vinegar sauce. There are some characteristic local snacks, for example, small steamed buns (小笼包 xiǎolóngbāo), Xiaoshan dried turnip (萧山萝卜干 xiāoshān luóbo gān), & noodles with preserved vegetables (片儿川 ''piàn'ér chuān''). In Wushan Square, you can find lots of food; the prices are cheap and the quality fine.

If you do not like Hangzhou cuisine, you can find plenty of excellent Sichuan, Shanxi, and Xinjiang restaurants throughout the city. There are also some Western restaurants, but those tend to be expensive.

The drink of choice in Hangzhou is tea, as the local Longjing (龙井, also Lung Ching, literally "Dragon Well") is the most famous green tea in China. Longjing is divided into seven grades, the two top being Superior (旗枪 qiqiang) and Special (雀舌 queshe), and the rest numbered from 1 down to 5. Prices for the very best stuff are extremely high— in 2005, a mere 100g plucked from Qing Dynasty emperor Qian Long's personal trees sold for over US$17,000 — but a few cups in a local teahouse shouldn't cost you more than a few dozen yuan. There is a wholesale market in Zhuangtang, however, most of the tea comes from trees outside of the "special" fields in Hangzhou. Prices are ¥15-1,000/500g depending on a multitude of variables.

Traditionally, tea from Longjing is best served with spring water from Hupao (虎跑, "Tiger Run"), which is located next to the West Lake. You might have to purchase the tea from the tea shop in Hupao, instead of bringing your own. It's about ¥20 per cup, but you get a thermal full of hot water with the purchase. Do consider mixing the leaves with bottled water, as construction project run off introduces chemicals other than water into the streams.

For bars, Nanshan Road all night every night should keep any visitor occupied. An up-and-coming part of town is on Shuguang Road has several old and new bars that are a little less hectic than those of Nanshan Road, including local expat hangout Maya Bar, packed-out local You To, rock music bar Travellers, and many more. Shuguang Road runs north from the north-west corner of the Lake. The Huanglong soccer stadium is full of dance / performance bars around the perimeter of the building.

• Hangzhou China Silk Town on Tiyuchang Road. You can also get silk at other places in the city, but most of it will just be the fabric. It is open from 08:00-17:00 and is near the Zhejiang International Hotel. Bargain hard!
• Night Market (夜市) off Yan'an Road near Pinghai Road (right near Wushan) every night. Here you can find Mao memorabilia, jewellery, paper fans, pipes, luggage, handicrafts and other items that most Chinese cities have. Pirated DVDs and counterfeit handbags are for sale as well. You can also find a lot of those silk-screen printed paintings/embroidery things that the silk market also has. Bargain very hard - Many stalls sell the same stuff, so be prepared to walk away. Be careful buying "antiques" because they are probably new, and pearls. Often the pearl culturing process has been very short, and in fact the "pearl" is a plastic marble with only the thinnest of cultured skin.
• Electronics Markets (电子产品市场 - Running west-east in north-west Hangzhou on Wensan Road are several indoor, multistory electronics shopping centers offering all manner of electronics including desktop computers, laptops, computer software (licensed and un-licensed), cellphones, mp3 players, and hundreds of peripherals and storage media. Pirated DVDs and computer games are offered as well, and if you are obviously a foreigner, vendors will shout "DVD! DVD!" at you to urge you to browse their selection.
• Bird and Flower Markets - Several in town, Gucui Rd and Wener West Rd in the west, another on Jichang Rd in north, the interesting one is next to Wushan Square, downtown. On 3 or 4 floors, this market is stuffed with pets and plants. Also sections selling Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with dried snake and seahorse, huge dried mushrooms and other strange things.
• Tea - Dragon Well/Longjing tea is famous throughout China and worth getting if you like green tea. If you are staying with a Chinese host somewhere else in China after Hangzhou, bringing them a small box (or two) of higher-end Longjing Tea would make a great gift; however, these usually cost around ¥300/box (more at tourist stands). The Longjing village and tea fields area of Hangzhou (southwest of West Lake) are where Longjing tea is grown. Besides being worth a visit for the scenic sights alone, tea can be purchased here as well - fresh from the harvesters' bags if so desired. Many places across the city also sell tea, such as informal vendors and small shops easily identifiable by the boxes displayed inside or store names such as "西湖龙井茶" (West Lake Dragon Well Tea), as well as grocery stores and supermarket chains. Because of the fame of Longjing tea, fake and low-grade varieties exist. If you have no experience buying tea, purchase from a reputable-looking establishment or ask the advise of a knowledgeable native.
• Clothes - Hangzhou has literally hundreds of clothes and shoes stores. The largest concentration of these are on Yan'an Rd and especially Wulin Rd, making a straight line of clothes shops stacked on top of each other between Wushan and Wulin Squares. Another popular clothing spot is "Song Mu Chang" (松木场) just north of the lake on Shuguang Road. All of these places require bargaining and often have a lot of fake ripoff clothes. For the real thing, try the department stores (i.e. Hangzhou Tower across between Yan'an and Nanshan Roads). You can certainly find cheaper clothes stores scattered throughout the city as you get farther from the lake if you really like to buy clothes.
• Landscape paintings - There are several places to buy Chinese landscape paintings in the city, especially near Wushan Square and around the south/east side of the lake.
• Carrefour has a supermarket in the downtown area east of West Lake (on South Yan'an Lu). In addition its large selection of groceries, it carries a wider variety of Western foods such as cheeses and breads than most other grocery stores in the city. What this really means is a single aisle of Western brands and foods. Do not expect a large selection. This is also a good place to purchase western liquor. French Gin is as little as ¥55 per litre, Captain Morgan rum about ¥75 and Cointreau ¥135. How these prices are about half of duty free escapes this contributor.
• Trust-Mart (好又多) is a superstore chain Westerners may recognize as being similar to Wal-Mart. It's in the shopping center near the Yellow Dragon Sports Stadium north of West Lake and the Baochu Pagoda area, and has a large grocery section that boasts fresh meats, seafood, and produce as well as the normal selection of packaged food.
• Bicycles of all prices and qualities are available from bike shops scattered across Hangzhou. Bargaining is necessary at all but large chain stores, and generally one gets what he or she pays for (the cheapest bikes will begin to rust and break quickly). The indoor Electric Bike Market near the corner of Wener and Xueyuan Lu offers a huge assortment of electric bikes/scooters and batteries, and Trust-Mart (see above) also has a reasonable selection of bicycles and a small selection of electric bikes/scooters. Any bike, regardless of the value, will be stolen if left unattended and unsecured. Be sure to buy at least one lock (two for expensive scooters and bikes) to protect your purchase. Scooters may also require a locking frame to guard the battery from theft. A cycling club based in Hangzhou.
• Mall the MIXC mall located next to the Qintang River in the new Central Business District has an enormous collection of high-end luxury brands including LV, Armani, Ferragamo and the like, but also has Hangzhou's best market for imported foods. "Ole" is located in the B2 level of the mall and be prepared to spend big. The cinema complex on the 3rd, 4th and 5th levels has 12 screens including the largest of the two IMAX theatre's in the city. Also on the 4th floor is a full Olympic size ice skating arena open daily from 10:30-22:00. Ticket prices range from ¥50 for unlimited skating time on regular weekdays (¥60 after 17:30) and ¥70 for 2 hour sessions on weekends and holiday. Price includes new Canadian rental skates, use of free locker and all safety gear (elbows, wrist and knee protectors and use of helmets). The rink is modern, clean and well trained and friendly professional staff. The skating school is reasonably priced and geared entirely for beginners. The 30m x 60m ice is resurfaced every 2 hours by a Zamboni machine.
• The In Time shopping mall at the center of Hangzhou, the Yanan road. The first floor is the cosmetics selling floor. From floor two to floor six are all clothes selling stores. Floor two sells fashionable brands.
• • Hangzhou Tower — Hangzhou's first business and tourism complex--Hangzhou Mansion Mall. — Address: West Exhibition Road and North Huan Cheng Road, Xi Cheng District — Hours: 9:30-21:30

=

The easiest way around Hangzhou is the metro system, with 3 lines and 78 stations operational, covering 82 km as of June 2018. (Seven additional lines are under construction.)

Famed for its natural scenery, Hangzhou and its West Lake (西湖; Xīhú) have been immortalized by countless poets and artists. The city was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty from 1127 until the Mongol conquest of 1276. The city's population is estimated to have been as high as one million in those days, making it the largest city in the world at the time. Even Marco Polo claimed to have passed through, calling it beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world. The West Lake Cultural Landscape has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011.

With the gradual silting up of its harbor, much of the city's trade and industry passed north to nearby Shanghai, but the city still has a bustling population of 8.7 million and ranks as one of China's most popular tourist attractions.