Hangzhou

Hangzhou, known for its natural scenery, including West Lake (西湖; Xīhú), has been celebrated by poets and artists throughout history. The city served as the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty from 1127 until the Mongol conquest in 1276. During this period, its population is estimated to have reached around one million, making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time. Marco Polo visited the city, describing it as one of the finest in the world. In 2011, the West Lake Cultural Landscape was designated a . Over time, as the city's harbor silted up, much of its trade and industry shifted north to nearby Shanghai. However, Hangzhou remains a bustling city with a population of approximately 8.7 million and continues to be one of China's most popular tourist destinations. Climate

The local language in Hangzhou is Wu Chinese, commonly referred to today as Shanghainese, though each city in the region has its own variation. Wu Chinese is spoken across a broad area, including much of East China, and is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin (Standard Chinese) or other Chinese dialects. However, most people in Hangzhou are bilingual, speaking both the local dialect and Mandarin. As a major coastal city, Hangzhou also has many migrants from other provinces who primarily speak Mandarin. For most interactions, speaking Mandarin will allow effective communication with nearly everyone in the city, except for a small number of elderly or rural residents. English is not widely spoken, though staff at higher-end hotels may have a basic understanding. It is advisable to have the names of your destinations written in Chinese to show to taxi drivers, and carrying a business card from your hotel is helpful for returning without difficulty.

By plane Airport transfers The airport is located approximately 30 km east of Hangzhou's city center, and the journey by taxi typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes. The fare for a taxi ride to or from the airport is around ¥90. When returning to the airport, it is a good idea to confirm with the driver if they are willing to take the trip before loading your luggage. The standard metered fare applies, with no additional fees for airport travel. A shuttle service (¥20) to/from the Xiaoshan Bus ticket office on Tiyuchang Road next to the KFC just west of Wulin Square. The shuttle bus also stops at the main railway station en route. Buses run every 30 minutes during the daytime and take about an hour; join the queue for your ticket at the booth just outside the exit before boarding the bus. Buses from the airport run 07:30 — 09:30: every 30 minutes 09:30 — 17:00: every 15 minutes 17:00 — 21:00: every 20 minutes After 21:00: every 30 minutes The times refer to waiting time from the first passenger boarding the bus. After all the seats are taken, the bus takes off within 30, 20 or 15 minutes. The Shangri-La Hotel also has a shuttle service to/from the airport for ¥50. Shanghai Airport The main international airport for the region is Pudong International Airport in Shanghai. There are direct buses to Hangzhou, which take a couple of hours, or alternatively, you can take a train to Shanghai and then use the metro or a taxi to reach the airport.

By metro The easiest way around Hangzhou is the metro system, with 13 lines and 270 stations operational, covering 516 km as of August 2024. By bus Hangzhou has an extensive bus network. Bus schedules, routes, and on-board announcements are all in Chinese. There are a number of bus types. As of 2012, these include: Routes without a letter prefix generally have no air conditioning (though there are some exceptions, like route 900) and should be avoided May–September. They are heated during winter. These generally cost ¥1-2. Routes with a "K" prefix are air-conditioned May–September, and heated December–February. These cost ¥2-3, except when both the air-con and heat are off, during which time the fare is halved. Routes with a "Y" prefix are designated tourist buses, and will take you to or from a tourist destination for ¥3-5. Routes with a "B" prefix are part of the new Bus Rapid Transit system. These are articulated buses that stop at dedicated BRT stations, which allow you to transfer to other "B" routes without paying an additional fare. The fare of ¥4 is paid on entering the station. These buses are roomier than the usual municipal buses, but are not much more rapid. Night routes (which have blue signs and are numbered K2xx) are ¥2.5. Most start running at 21:00 and end around 06:00. For those arriving in Hangzhou by train, note that bus K7 goes from the Hangzhou Rail Station to the West Lake for ¥1. Fares can be paid in cash (coins or bills, no change given), by using a dedicated bus card, or by tapping the same card used to rent bikes (see below).

West Lake (西湖 Xī Hú) Q2419742 The Ten Scenes of West Lake (西湖十景) include: Boat Ride. There are numerous providers of boat rides on the lake. The official tour operator sells tickets from official ticket stalls for boat trips covered by insurance, with clear pricing and which covers all parts of the lake. There are lots of private gondola rides with varying insurance coverage, range and prices. Temples, pagodas and churches Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, (圣母无原罪主教座堂 Shengmu Wuyuanzui Zhujiaozuotang) or simply "Catholic Church" (天主堂 Tianzhutang) is at 415 Zhongshan North Rd., near Tianshuiqiao (天水桥) bus stop. It holds mass in English every Saturday evening. Chongyi Church, (崇一堂 Chóngyī táng) is one of the largest Protestant churches in China. The name, translated into English, means "Worship the one and only true God." It was dedicated in 2005 and can accommodate up to 7,000 attendees, welcoming many international visitors and guest preachers including Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham. Confucius Temple— is a mixture of Confucius Memorial and Stele Forest. Hangzhou Confucius Temple is the center of Hangzhou citizens to memorize Confucius and site of holding related ceremonies. It is near to Wushan Square and featured of the classical gardens. Three Temples of Tianzhu Hill, (天竺三寺) — consists of Fajing Temple, Faxi Temple and Fajing Temple. They are quite close to Lingyin Temple.

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.

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.

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 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), and 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. Budget For budget restaurants, even near the lake, just head into an alley and get some food from a small restaurant or street-side stand. You should judge for yourself how sanitary the food is, but you generally do not need to worry about this in Hangzhou relative to other Chinese cities. These restaurants are all quite similar. If you like dumplings and have just come down the north side of Baochu hill (past the cave and in view of the soccer stadium), one option is to continue across Shuguang Road and up Hangda Road (0.5 blocks east and 1 block north) to Tianmushan Road.

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. Shuguang Road runs north from the north-west corner of the Lake.

Budget Mid-range You can find mid-range hotels all over the city, most of which will take foreigners. Try to bargain for a room. Ask how much they want for one night's stay, then say "what if I stay for 3 nights?" or something to that extent and it will become cheaper. Splurge

The West Lake is home to many biting insects that may cause allergic reactions in visitors from outside the area.

Shanghai — About an hour away by train. Suzhou — Around two hours away by bus (or train). Buses leave several times per hour from the bus station at northeast of city (¥68). Tianmushan — For a weekend timeout. Lake Tai is reasonably close, a common weekend getaway for Hangzhou residents. Huangshan or Yellow Mountain, in neighbouring Anhui Province, is a national park on the UNESCO World Heritage List Visit the Moganshan mountains to the north for a relaxing break.