About Hangzhou
What to see and do in Hangzhou
Weather in Hangzhou
Airport in Hangzhou
Visa
Hangzhou; (Postal map spelling: Hangchow) is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 kilometres (112 mi) southwest of Shanghai, as of 2004 the entire Hangzhou Region or Prefecture-level city had a registered population of 6.4 million people. The urban agglomeration of the Hangzhou metropolitan area has a resident population of 3,931,900 as of 2003, of which 2,636,700 are permanent residents. There are 1,910,000 residents in the six urban core districts.
As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake as the most well-known location.
Famed for its natural scenery, Hangzhou and its West Lake have been immortalized by countless poets and artists. The city was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty from 1127 until the Mongol invasion of 1276, during that time the city's population is estimated to have been as high as one million, making it the largest city in the world. Even Marco Polo claimed to have passed through, calling it "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world".
With the gradual silting up of its harbor, much of the city's trade and industry passed to nearby Shanghai, but the city still has a bustling population of 1.7 million and ranks as one of China's most popular tourist attractions.
What to see and do in Hangzhou
West Lake
Hangzhou's most famous scenic sight. Technically, there are "10 Scenes of the West Lake" and
"10 New Scenes," but they are overrated, and often seasonal (Snowfall Over Broken Bridge, etc).
Rather than make a checklist and walking back and forth looking for them, simply spend a clear
day wandering the circumference of the lake and the causeways, take a ferry to the islands, and
you will probably cover most of the sites anyway. The "West Lake" itself can be divided into
countless smaller sites, from Mr. Guo's villa to "Orioles Singing in the Willows".
The "West Lake Scenic Area" itself is very large. This section only covers areas in the immediate vicinity of the lake. Other spots are covered in later sections.
Lesser Yingzhou Isle (Three Pools Mirroring the Moon)' Built in the early 1600s, this is the largest island on the lake. When there is a full moon, candles inside the pagodas are lit, and in the candle light it appears as though you see the moonlight (if you are romantic enough to see it), hence the name.
Mid-Lake Pavilion' Bulit in 1552, it is the oldest island in Hangzhou. There is a Chinese inscription on the Qing Dynasty-era stone arch in which the Qing Emperor wrote "Chong Er", or "Endless Love".
Lord Ruan's Mound' This is a mound they made from piling up dirt after dredging the lake 200 years ago. However, it is not just a dirt mound. At night (summer), entertainment activities are occuring in the garden on the island.
Hubin Park' Hubin Parks 1, 3, 6 and probably the numbers in between are the parks between Hubin Road and the West Lake. Relatively newly-designed as the West Lake Tunnel that goes underneath was being built in early 2004, these parks are good to sit for a bit, buy ice cream or a newspaper, and most importantly hire a boat from the cluster of boat docks at each park.
Su Causeway' Almost 3km long, this causeway dates from the year 1189 and has a bunch of willows and peach trees. It is long north-south causeway that starts by the Shangri-La on Beishan Road and goes all the way down to Nanshan Road.
Bai Causeway' Starting at the eastern end of Beishan Road, this cause way leads to Solitary Hill and cuts off the distances between, say, Hubin Road and the Shangri La.
Solidary Hill And Zhongshan Park' Where Loud Wai Lou restaurant is located, this is the only natural island on the lake. At least 3 emperor's constructed palaces are here. Besides an expensive restaurant, the popular area is the home of the Xiling Seal-Engravers' Society, and the seals, calligraphy, engraving-masters, and relics that go along with it.
Yang Causeway' This is more than 3km long and one road west of the Su Causeway. It starts at the intersection of Beishan and Shuguang Road (which becomes Yang Causeway once you are south of this intersection); the causeway runs north-south. Yang Causeway includes Quyuan Garden (aka Qu Garden aka Qu Courtyard), which is the most popular spot to see tons of lotus blossoms (late spring > summer). The water area to the west of the top of Yang Causeway is Maojiabu Scenic area, with orchids blended into the water scenery. Another tourist spot on Yang Causeway is Mr. Guo's Villa, which was built in 1907 and is considered one of the most "classical" gardens in Hangzhou. At the southern end of the causeway, just before Nanshan Road, is a fish-viewing pond.
King Qian's Memorial, (Qian Wang Ci)' 5 kings of the Wuyue Kingdom are buried here in this memorial on the south end of the lake off Nanshan Road.
Wushan Square, (Wu Shan Guang Chang)' Wushan Square and Wushan Hill are a major town center in Hangzhou. The view from the top is excellent on a clear day, and there are also trails around the hills from behind the pagoda. The pagoda itself has been modernized with an elevator and nice open-air teahouse at the top, but the original bell is still intact and in use. This area also features easy access to Hefang Jie shopping street at the base of the hill, full of small pedestrian streets and shopping stalls. It is also extremely close to the West Lake itself.
Temples and pagodas
Six Harmonies Pagoda ' Down by the Qiantang River, about a 15 minute cab ride from the lake in light traffic, but it is a pretty road to drive down through all the tunnels and tea fields. Besides the pagoda itself, which is arguably the most prominent of all the temples and pagodas in Hangzhou, there is an adjacent park with hundreds of realistic replicas of the world's most famous pagodas, complete with mini-sized trees in front of the pagoda models.
Lingyin Temple ' Meaning "heart of the soul's retreat", this temple west of the West Lake is an active Buddhist temple at the bottom of a hill. Nearby you can take a chairlift to the top of the hill where there is another temple (walking up is also an easy set of stairs below the chairlift). This is one of the 3 oldest and most famous temples in China. There are hundreds of Buddhist stone statues carved into the cliffs in the "Peak Flying from Afar" section next door.
Leifeng Pagoda' Located on the shores of the southeast side of the lake and originally built in the year 977, all that remains of the original pagoda is the crumbling foundation, viewable from outside the glass case that it is housed in (Pagoda Remains Memorial Museum at the bottom floor of the pagoda). With escalators, elevators, and a totally new pagoda places on top of the foundation, there is not much to see within the pagoda itself; it was most recently rebuilt in 2000. However, the view of the city skyline is one of the best from here, and some of the smaller seating areas around the perimeter of the pagoda have a nice breeze and view of the structure. One of the 10 Scenes of the West Lake is "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow", but this is best viewed from a distance (across the lake) just after sunset. Keep in mind that the entry fee for the Leifeng Pagoda is very expensive ( RMB 40/person, Oct 2008) and it's not original, just rebuilt, so if your budget is not that huge, consider to not enter the Pagoda. You can still take pictures in front of it.
Baochu Pagoda, and the surrounding temples on this hill on the north side of the lake. You cannot climb the pagoda, the view and surrounding Baoshi Hill are awesome.
Jingci Temple' Off Nanshan Road, built in 954, the Jingci Temple has a huge 10-ton bell inside. Located on Nanping Road, they ring the bell 108 times here to ring in Chinese New Year. It is also rung every evening for much fewer times. Jingci Temple is the site of the legend of the miraculous well, which can be seen on the grounds of the temple.
Jade Emperor Hill, (Yuhuang Shan Gong Yuan)' One of the least-visited sites in Hangzhou despite its somewhat central location. The main temple on top of the hill is currently under reconstruction (Aug 2008), but still offers a wonderful view of the city and lake below, and has a restaurant next door. There is another temple partway up the hill. The area can provide a quiet escape and a nice hike, as well as the chance to visit one of the few Daoist sites in the area (most other local temples are Buddhist). It is located directly south of Leifeng Pagoda. The main entrance isn't far from the Silk Museum. If you are playing along with the "10 Scenes of the West Lake" scavenger hunt still, the one that applies to the top of this hill is "clouds flying over Jade Emperor Hill".
Gardens, forests, nature
Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea Fields, (Long Jing Cha Yuan), and other tea fields further west. These are best visited during the harvest period, usually from the first week of March till after May Holiday, when everyone is out in the field picking tea and the tea that you can purchase is of the best quality (tea crops from later in the year have had their leaves damaged by the rain).
Guo's Villa, (Guo Zhuang), is the best existing traditional private garden in Hangzhou. It is one of the garden masterpieces of Jiangnan (the lower region of the Yangtze River) thanks to its incomparable surroundings and the smartly managed garden space. The garden develops as you enter further into it with regular switches between tight, closed spaces and sudden, open ones. The key feature, or spirit, is water. Cleaverly juxtaposing shade and light, curved and straight, yin and yang, the garden of Guo Zhuang is a wonderful embodiment of the Chinese wisdom of Tao and the Way of Nature. The teahouse, Liang Yi Xuan (Belevedere of Both Good) sits in a prime viewing spot within the garden between two superb water "yards", one large and the other small. While there are plenty of "old villas" in China to visit-- and many are similar-- this one is also on the shore of the
West Lake. The RMB 10 entry fee keeps many people away, and you can have some tea (RMB 40) on the lakeside pavilions of the villa while avoiding the tourists.
Hangzhou Botanical Gardens, (Zhi Wu Yuan), and flower nursery as well nearby. If you can't make it to Suzhou, these gardens aren't bad, especially in the spring and during the brief period when the leaves change in the fall. There is also a peacock farm, some nice ponds, and basically a wide range of plants and ecosystems to walk through. The redwood tree that Nixon donated during his visit has since died (in 2001).
Xixi National Wetlands Park. Opened in May 2005, this wetlands park is located in the extreme west part of the city past the west bus station. One of the easiest ways to get there would be to take a bus from Huanglong Soccer Stadium. While it may be somewhat out of the way and the road signs have the English translation as an uninviting "Xixi Swamp", this area is not to be missed, as currently the tourists are not too many, and it is a great way to see birds and other wildlife. The birds are especially beautiful and varied.
Dreaming of the Tiger Spring, (Hupaomengquan), is a spring as well as a scenic and historic destination. The area includes wooded pathways, streams, bamboo groves, tea houses, historic structures, as well as the spring itself and other sights. Admission is RMB 15. Tea brewed with the high-quality Tiger Spring water may be purchased for about RMB 20 a glass.
Hangzhou Zoo, (Hangzhou Dongwuyuan). It has pandas and everything and is conveniently located just south of the lake, but it is not recommended to visit most zoos in China, as the animals are exploited and treated poorly (generally speaking). At least stay away from the dog exhibit. This zoo is definitely one of the worst ones in China. Besides a few animals which have good cages (mostly water-animals) it has terrible conditions for the panda, most bears and other larger animals like the elephants. Still, they made improvements compared to a few years ago, and it seems it's mostly the missing support of larger investments that seems to hinder further development in a better zoo. The entrance fee includes a circus-style animal show with tigers, lions, bears and elephants that is particularly entertaining for children (if a little depressing for adults).
On the northern side of Baochu hill near the soccer stadium is Huanglong Cave (For "Scenes of The West Lake", this cave covers "Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green").
Early morning bikeride. 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.
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 RMB 80/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.
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 recently 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. 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 in the last 2 or 3 years 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.
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.
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.
Learn Tai Chi Chuan. Tai chi chuan is popular in China and as part of Chinese culture it has been highly evaluated by the whole world. But the problem is if you are from another country then the language would be a big gap. One tai chi instructor for you is James Xu. He is experienced in teaching foreigners tai chi (in English).
Hangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate with mild and moist weather and four distinct seasons. Average temperature in summer is 28.6 C(83.5 F), 3.8 C (38.8 F) in winter. Generally, spring starts in March; April and May are the best seasons for visiting with the average temperature between 9-15 C June, July, and August are the rainy season with frequent showers. The end of June to the early part of July, marks the start of the Meiyu Season (or Plum Rain Season, of about a month long rainy season, beginning in early summer when the plum fruit ripens in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River). In early August, typhoons often occur bringing heavy rain. During this period, you should bring an umbrella with you. Even if it does not rain, an umbrella is also a nice prop for photos you take at the West Lake. September and October feature excellent weather when clear skies and bracing air can be enjoyed almost every day. In winter, on the other hand, the city suffers severe cold since most places are not equipped with heating systems. However, Hangzhou is still a tourist capital of China; many travelers pour into the city, their numbers peaking during holidays and weekends.
January 2 C to 8 C
February 3 C to 10 C
March 7 C to 14 C
April 12 C to 20 C
May 17 C to 26 C
June 22 C to 29 C
July 25 C to 33 C
August 25 C to 32 C
September 21 C to 28 C
October 15 C to 23 C
November 9 C to 17 C
December 4 C to 11 C
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (IATA: HGH, ICAO: ZSHC) (pinyin: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Guoji Jichang) is the principal airport serving Hangzhou, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta region and the provincial capital of Zhejiang.
The airport is built on the southern shore of Qiantang River in the Xiaoshan district and is 27km away from downtown Hangzhou.
In 2008, Hangzhou airport handled 12,673,198 passengers, and became the 8th busiest airport in China. In addition, the airport was the 8th busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic and the 10th busiest airport by traffic movements.
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH), located in Xiaoshan District about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from downtown Hangzhou, has domestic flight connections with major Chinese cities, including Beijing (RMB 1150), Chengdu (RMB 1600), Chongqing (RMB 1360), Xian (RMB 1130), and Guangzhou (RMB 1050), and international connections with Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka.
Ticket Office:
No. 390, Tiyuchang Road, Hangzhou
No. 193, Qingchun Road, Hangzhou
CAAC Inquiry Number: 0571-85154259
There are airport shuttle buses between Wulin Men, the city center and the airport. One-way fares are about RMB 15 per person; Taxis cost about RMB 120 one way. High-speed buses direct to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (SHA) directly can be found at the Wulin Men CAAC Ticket Office. Every day six buses run between Hangzhou and Shanghai from 6: 00 to 15:00. The bus fare is approximately RMB 85 one-way.
There are also buses heading for Xiaoshan City (RMB 15), Shaoxing City (RMB 30) and Yiwu City (RMB 60).
Phase 1 of the airport occupies 7260 arces of land. It has a capacity of 8 million passengers and 110,000 tons of cargo a year and can handle aircraft as large as the Boeing 747-400. It has 1 runway of 3,600m in length and 45m in width. The passenger terminal can handle 3,600 passengers an hour and is 100,000 sq. metre in size (including an underground parking of 22,000 sq. metre). The departure level has 36 ticket counters, including 12 in the international side of the terminal. There are 2,900 seats in the departure lounge. The immigration and customs area occupies 9,500 sq. metre of terminal space.
The apron occupies 340,000 sq. metre of land and there are 12 jetways and 18 departure gates.
Maintenance facilities are certified to perform B-Check on all types of aircraft and C-Check on Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft.
Airlines and other destinations of Hangzhou
International
AirAsia X (Kuala Lumpur)
Air China (Busan, Seoul-Incheon)
Air Macau (Macau)
All Nippon Airways (Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita)
Asiana Airlines (Busan, Seoul-Incheon)
China Eastern Airlines (Hong Kong)
Dragonair (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong Express Airways (Hong Kong)
Japan Airlines (Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita)
Philippine Airlines (Manila)
Xiamen Airlines (Macau, Osaka-Kansai, Singapore)
Cross-strait charter
Air China (Taipei-Taoyuan)
China Airlines (Taipei-Taoyuan)
EVA Air (Taipei-Taoyuan)
Xiamen Airlines (Taipei-Songshan)
Domestic
Air China (Beijing-Capital, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Kunming, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie)
China Eastern Airlines (Beijing-Capital, Dalian, Guangzhou, Guilin, Kunming, Sanya, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Xi'an, Xiamen, Xuzhou)
China Southern Airlines (Beijing-Capital, Changchun, Changsha, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Guilin, Haikou, Harbin, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanning, Qingdao, Sanya, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Urumqi, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Zhengzhou)
East Star Air (Wuhan)
Hainan Airlines (Beijing-Capital, Guangzhou, Haikou, Taiyuan, Urumqi, Xi'an)
Grand China Express Air (Hefei, Taiyuan, Xi'an, Yinchuan, Zhengzhou)
Shandong Airlines (Dalian, Guilin, Jinan, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xiamen, Yantai)
Shanghai Airlines (Guangzhou)
Shenzhen Airlines (Nanning, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou)
Sichuan Airlines (Chengdu, Chongqing, Yichang)
United Eagle Airlines (Changsha, Chengdu, Dalian)
Xiamen Airlines (Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guilin, Guiyang, Harbin, Jinjiang, Qingdao, Sanya, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen, Zhengzhou)
Cargo Carriers
Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
To be able to travel to Hangzhou you need to have a valid China Visa, issue from your local government at the China Embassy, Chinese visa fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visa is further divided into the following 8 categories each marked with a letter: (1) Tourist and family visit visa (L-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for tourist purpose, family visit or other personal affairs.
(2) Business Visa (F-visa ) is issued to a foreign citizen who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, exchanges in the fields of science, technology, education, culture and sports, or attending various kinds of trade fairs or exhibitions, or short-term study, intern practice for a period of no more than 6 months.
(3) Student Visa (X-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for the purpose of study or advanced study for a period of six or more months.
(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.
(5) Transit Visa (G-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to transit through China on his or her way to a third country (or region).
(6) Crew Visa(C-visa)is issued to crew member performing his/her duties on board an international train, or on an international airliner, to a sailor on board an international ocean-liner or freighter, and also to their accompanying family members..
(7) Journalist Visa (J-visa)is issued to foreign journalists. J-visa has two categories: J-1 visa and J-2 visa. J-1 visa is issued to resident foreign journalists in China and their accompanying spouses and under-age children, J-2 visa to foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.
(8) Permanent Residence Visa(D-visa)is issued to a foreign citizen who has been approved by China's public security authority to reside in China permanently.
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