Hangzhou is a city with a history spanning several millennia. The Chinese consider him the most beautiful not only in the country, but also in the world. At all times, Hangzhou was praised by poets and artists, great travelers left the most flattering reviews about it.
During its centuries-old existence, this ancient capital of China has accumulated a huge number of attractions. So there is no question of what to see in Hangzhou. The only question is which of the historical places and natural monuments to visit in the first place: ancient Buddhist temples or city walls, pagodas on a picturesque lake or tea plantations, architectural and park complexes or exhibition halls.
The richest cultural heritage, national and culinary traditions make Hangzhou one of the most interesting cities in China.
TOP 10 attractions in Hangzhou
Lake Xihu
Lake Xihu
Shrouded in ancient legends, Lake Xihu (or West Lake) is the main attraction of Hangzhou. Its coastal mountain landscapes are so stunningly beautiful, and artificial dams, bridges and islands are so harmoniously arranged that the lake is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
On the largest island of Gushan ("Lonely Mountain"), there is the richest Museum of Zhejiang Province, which contains more than 100,000 valuable exhibits (ancient pearl and jade jewelry, samples of ancient calligraphy, coins, silk, ceramics, etc.).
To see all the wonderful corners of Sihu, you need to rent a boat or buy a ticket for a pleasure boat. From the water, aerial pavilions and pavilions, graceful pagodas and arched bridges, lotuses, irises, orchids and camellias blooming along the banks look especially romantic.
Lake Xihu is so perfect that it was taken as a model for the arrangement of Kunming Lake in the park of the Imperial Summer Palace in Beijing.
Tea Museum
The National Tea Museum is the only museum in China fully dedicated to tea traditions and history. The museum has an unusual approach to organizing excursions. Visitors can not only view the exposition, but also take part in the tea ceremony, taste different varieties and purchase everything necessary for home tea drinking.
The museum has its own tea plantations, which are sure to take tourists, there is a training center, a library, several dozen rooms for tea ceremonies. 6 large exhibition halls are dedicated to different aspects of tea culture:
- The Tea Service Room displays a striking variety of tea ware and the materials from which it is made;
- The Tea History Room tells about what happened to tea in different eras;
- The National Friendship Hall contains memorabilia associated with famous visitors to the museum;
- The hall of tea traditions acquaints visitors with the centuries-old subtleties of tea etiquette;
- The Hall of Kaleidoscopes tells about the variety of tea varieties on the planet;
- The hall dedicated to the properties of tea will teach you how to store tea, how to preserve its wonderful qualities and how to ideally prepare an aromatic and healing drink.
Lingyin Xi Temple (Soul Refuge Temple)
Built in 326, the Soul Refuge Temple is one of the most influential and oldest Buddhist monasteries in China. During its existence, the temple complex has been repeatedly rebuilt, and today it consists of several halls with Buddha statues, a library, numerous pavilions for various purposes and an unusually beautiful area around the buildings. Each of the halls is decorated in its own way, but a calm and harmonious atmosphere reigns everywhere.
In the Lingyin Temple, you can see the largest in China gold-plated wooden statue of a seated Buddha. And the statue of the Laughing Buddha, installed near the temple, is said to bring great luck to everyone who touches it.
Luheta Pagoda
Luheta Pagoda
The Six Harmonies Pagoda (Luheta) is more than a thousand years old. Built of red bricks and precious woods, it is one of the tallest in southern China. The height of the 13-storey pagoda is about 60 meters, and in ancient times, the temple served as a beacon for navigation along the Qiantang River. Surprisingly, the pagoda was not destroyed or plundered for a long time of its existence and has come down to us in almost its original form.
There is a spiral staircase inside the building. Each floor is painted with vivid images of people, flowers, birds and fish. Around each tier there are balconies with railings, from where you can admire panoramic views of Hangzhou and the mountainous surroundings, as well as listen to the melodic chime of bells installed along the perimeter of each tier. Because of these bells, designed to scare away evil spirits, the tower was revered as the only structure capable of pacifying dragons - characters in traditional Chinese mythology.
Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine
This museum has no analogues in the whole of China in terms of its scale and variety of collection. The museum occupies the old historical building of the Hu Qingyu pharmacy. Since ancient times, healers "conjured" here over healing potions capable of curing a variety of ailments. And today thousands of Chinese residents and foreigners come here to see unique exhibits and works devoted to traditional healing.
The museum has an exhibition hall, a workshop for the manufacture of medicinal preparations and a restaurant with a special menu.
The museum exhibits ancient recipes, medical instruments, various ingredients for medicines, pharmaceutical utensils, including those found by archaeologists.
In a separate room of the museum, patients with various rare diseases are treated. This service is not available to foreigners. But on the other hand, you can buy unique medicines in your local store.
Baochu Pagoda
Baochu Pagoda
Among magnolias, peach trees and sakura trees, near Lake Xihu is the ancient Baochu Pagoda, built in 963. This unusual temple of stones and bricks stands on a granite foundation. Each next tier is smaller in area than the previous one, and the roof is crowned with a spire with an original lantern. Due to the absence of internal stairs, the builders managed to make the building of the pagoda gracefully narrow and soaring upward like a spear.
The building has been perfectly preserved to this day. The only big trouble with it happened in 1933, when, due to the fault of unscrupulous restorers, the building lost two tiers and decreased by 14 meters.
Despite this, Baochu is ranked among the most beautiful temples in Hangzhou. Thousands of tourists come here to admire this striking example of Chinese architectural excellence.
Yue Fei Temple
The sights of Hangzhou include a mausoleum temple, created in honor of Yue Fei, a Chinese national hero, an outstanding commander of the Song Empire. For his exploits and valiant deeds, Yue Fei was canonized. In the temple, built in 1221, lies the remains of the hero.
Yue Fei Temple was created in the national style, in the form of a pagoda, the roof of which has curved edges, and the entrance is decorated with hieroglyphs and statues of lions. A picturesque alley lined with sculptural images of prominent rulers and famous warriors leads to the temple, as well as statues of animals endowed with virtuous qualities in Chinese mythology - tigers, rams and horses.
Silk museum
The Hangzhou Chinese Silk Museum is the largest in the world. All of it is dedicated to the 5000-year history of silkworm breeding in China. The exposition of the museum is divided into several thematic spaces.
The "Hall of History" stores rare photographs, ancient tools found by archaeologists, samples of silk fabrics, the oldest of which date back to the 3rd millennium BC. Visitors are also introduced to the history and significance of the Great Silk Road. In the Hall of Weaving and Dyeing, the stages of silk production are shown, and in the Hall of the Mulberry Tree, the secrets of the silkworm are revealed. An important role is given to the Hall of Contemporary Achievements, which tells about the latest technologies and China's successes in silk production. There is a hall where craftsmen show the process of embroidery on silk. At the exhibitions and sales, which are regularly held within the walls of the museum, one can purchase unique silk products made according to ancient technologies.
The great channel of china
The great channel of china
The world's longest artificial canal stretches for 1,774 km and connects all 5 main rivers in China. Hangzhou is its southern terminus. The construction of the canal began in the 5th century, and its importance for the country was so great that all emperors and rulers spared no expense and manpower to expand it and create new sections. The Great Canal passes both the plain and the mountainous terrain, so a system of locks was invented especially for it in the 10th century.
For centuries, the canal has been the main transport artery between the north and south of the country and has also contributed to the development of cultural ties between different provinces.
As the Grand Canal is one of the most significant projects in ancient China, UNESCO has included it on its World Heritage List. Today, year-round navigation along the canal is open from Hangzhou to the north on a stretch of 660 km.
Hangzhou natural parks
The Chinese say "Above - paradise, below - Hangzhou", referring to the fantastically beautiful nature of this area. Among the many parks in Hangzhou, the following stand out:
- Huagangguanyu Fish and Flower Contemplation Park. Once upon a time, the emperors of the Song dynasty ordered to set up a garden with ponds at the foot of the mountains - for breeding rare species of fish and outlandish flowers. Now people come here to admire the amazing red fish in the pond and on the alleys with beautiful tree-like peonies.
- Songchen Park. The theme park dedicated to the Song dynasty (X-XIII centuries) is a national monument of China. The park reproduces the city of Hangzhou from the Song period. The grandiose theatrical performance "Poem of the Song Dynasty" impresses audiences with costumes, music, acrobatic stunts and special effects.
- Xi-Xi Wetland National Park. In this park with almost 2 thousand years of history, many, including the rarest, species of plants and animals are collected. Here you can rent a bike or swim on the lakes in traditional dragon boats.
- Park "Bamboo World". A real Chinese atmosphere reigns here: quiet backwaters with blooming lotuses, banks overgrown with reeds, bamboo groves, traditional temples.
