Hangzhou

While foreign tourists usually head to Hong Kong, Beijing, or Shanghai, China’s domestic tourists favor Hangzhou, a city that has been repeatedly praised throughout history as being the most beautiful in China. Chinese poets and writers have praised the natural beauty of this lakeside city over and over. While nearby Shanghai has usurped much of the area’s glamor and industry, Hangzhou, with its nearly two million strong metropolitan area, retains much of its charm, while also enjoying the rise of prosperity seen all along coastal China.

Most of the sightseeing in Hangzhou is focused on West Lake, the large and scenic lake beside the city. The temples and other spots can be crowded, but are well worth visiting. For foreign tourists visiting China for the first time, these temples and the lake will seem like all they have imagined of China come to life. The pagodas are directly from historical chinese paintings and woodblock prints.

Mid-Lake Pavilion is a great place to see the beauty of the surrounding lake while Lesser Yingzhou Isle is probably the most romantic. There are supposed to be ten “scenes” on West Lake, but there are actually many more places to see. Tourists can spend several days just wandering through the various islands, temples, and sights. Some of the larger islands have their own restaurants (though most are quite pricey).

There are some temples outside the West Lake area that are worth visiting. Six Harmonies Pagoda is one of the biggest. It is actually by the river, not the lake. The temple is beautiful. be sure to check out the grounds of this temple. There are model buildings that are supposed to be exact replicas of some of the world’s best known temples. It is kind of a touristy thing to see, but it is pretty amazing in its detail.

Tea drinkers will find their hearts content in the tea fields which lie to the west of Hangzhou. Along with being a scenic place to visit, tea can be purchased. It is newly harvested in the spring time, and, if you visit early enough, you can see the workers plucking the leaves at harvest time.

Despite a relatively steep entrance fee, Guo Zhuang, is the best and most beautiful garden in southern China. There are well manicured plants as well as an opportunity to gaze upon the West Lake in more than idyllic surroundings.

Hangzhou can sometimes seem crowded, but trips outside the city, or to places like Guo Zhuang can bring some privacy to enjoy this truly remarkable natural scenery.