Hangzhou

Places of Interest - China

introduction

Hangzhou is the capital city of the eastern province of Zhejiang. The city is one of the most famous and prosperous cities in China but mostly for the Chinese itself. The city is best known for the natural and green environment, with the Western Lake and the nearby Lingyin temple as a tourist attraction.

In addition, it is a very important transport hub a tourist city with a lot of history and as the most important admirer: Marco Polo who called it a Paradise.

highlights

West Lake:

There are countless lakes in China called West Lake but this is the most important and the others chose their name after this. The banks of the lake were already made ready and slowly cultivated in the 8th century. Temples were built, gardens laid out and bridges constructed between the several islands in the lake.

When Marco Polo saw the lake, it was the most beautiful water he had ever seen. In the 18th century the buildings and gardens on the island were owned by Kezier Qianlong - he used these as holiday palaces and used the beautiful gardens for entertainment. Today you can cycle around the lake and/or walk and enjoy the relaxed athmosfere. It’s possible to make a romantic boat trip.

Lingyin temple: see museums.

Other attractions:

Qinghefang Old street, Leifeng Pagoda and the Mausoleum of General Yue Fei.

Hangzhou-West-Lake-Laughing-Buddha-Park-Lingyin-Temple

history

In the 12th century, Hangzhou was the capital of the southern Song dynasty and Marco Polo described the city as one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen when he visited the city in the 13th century. It was the seat of the imperial court and an important center for trade, entertainment and the army. In addition, there lived also many artists and a large middle class in the city.

It already had more than one million inhabitants, which was much more than the average cities in Europe. Even when the Mongols invaded China and chose Beijing as the capital, the city remained commercially successful. But when in 1861 the "Taipings" fought with the Imperialist army around the city, about half a million people died and the city was left in ruins.

The few remaining monuments were then destroyed by the Red Guard. Because of the large number of inhabitants and the densely populated, often multi-storey wooden buildings, Hangzhou was particularly vulnerable to urban fires. Large parts of the city were destroyed in 1132, 1137, 1208, 1229, 1237 and 1275. At the city fire of 1237, 30,000 homes would have gone up in flames. Now most visitors come to see the “West-Lake” and the temples close to it.

tips & advice (2009)

There is a train and bus station in this metropolis. Buses to Huang Shan run from the western bus station Tianmushan Lu.

Huangzhou - Huang Shan: the trip takes about 4 to 5 hours and costs 100 Yuan. There is at least one bus at 8:00 and at 10:30.

Hangzhou-Monks-Praying-Laughing-Buddha-Park-Lingyin-Temple-Ceremony

Name: Lingsyin temple

Price: 35 Yuan

Time: 07:00 - 17:00

Content:

This temple is one of the highlights of a visit to the city of Huangshan. The complex contains several caves with Buddha statues, petroglyphs and is situated around a beautiful garden with flowers and plants. Also you can see various altars, statues and murals in different temples.

Especially the laughing Buddha attracts tourists but also monks from home and abroad. Even the shields of the turtles were used and have been painted. On the banks of the river you can discover petroglyphs everywhere and it is a journey of discovery into images and drawings. A must and very easy to reach from the city with bus "K7".

A specialty of the city are fried shrimps (Youbao Xiaren).

Name: Hostel Mingtown youth hostel

Address: 101-11 Nanshan Lu

Price: 45 Yuan (dormitory)

Phone nr. : 87918948

Content:

This very popular hostel is located on the lakeside but it’s quite a search to find it. There are different types of rooms and there is a very relaxed bar where you can have lunch and read a book. There is a bar, library, you can rent bikes and make reservations for tours and tickets for public transport.

In addition, it is a convenient location to visit the lake and the other major sites of the city. The price for the room was excluding toilet and shower and breakfast was not included. You can also rent camping equipment and there is internet.

Hangzhou-Laughing-Buddha-Park-Lingyin-Temple-Carving