Hangzhou 杭州

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Boat maze of reeds and water villages west of the city.

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UNESCO lake of pagodas, causeways and arched bridges; boat or bike the shoreline.

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Buddhist temple founded 326 AD amid grottoes of Song-era rock carvings.

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Terraced Dragon Well tea fields; tastings at family farms.

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A World Heritage Site (inscribed in 2011): an urban lake with misty hills on three sides and the city on the fourth, dredged in succession by two of its governors, Bai Juyi and Su Dongpo; Su Shi's verse "wishing to compare West Lake to the beauty Xi Shi" made it a byword for Eastern aesthetics

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Su Causeway, 2.8 km long, was built from dredged silt when Su Shi dredged West Lake; six bridges span the lake, with peach trees and willows lining both banks—"Misty Willows over Six Bridges" is the top spring scene

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The 2002 rebuilt pagoda on the ruins of the old tower that collapsed in 1924 (traditionally the "Huangfei Pagoda" built by a king of Wuyue): a steel structure shelters the original pagoda site, an elevator inside runs straight to the top floor for panoramic West Lake views, and the gilt silver Ashoka stupa unearthed from the underground palace is a treasure of Buddhist art

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Xiaoyingzhou, the largest island in West Lake: piled up during Ming-dynasty dredging, with a grid-shaped garden layout of "an island in the lake and a lake in the island"; three stone pagodas stand in the water just off the island—the very scene on the back of the one-yuan banknote

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A remnant of a Southern Song official's private garden: the koi-filled Red Fish Pond is a family favorite, the peony garden blooms in spring, and on the imperial stele "Viewing Fish at Flower Pond" inscribed by Emperor Kangxi the character for "fish" is written with three dots instead of four, implying "fish are happier in water" (another reading: removing "fire" and keeping "water" as an auspicious sign); the stele pavilion is a popular photo spot

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A remnant of the Southern Song Quyuan (a wine brewery): in summer the lotus-variety garden hosts West Lake's main lotus show, with dozens of lotus species spreading across the water along winding bridges—the best spot to savor the imagery of "lotus leaves stretching green endlessly to the sky"

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Tomb and temple of Yue Fei, the Southern Song general famed for resisting the Jin (first built in 1221): the "Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty" screen wall is awe-inspiring; four iron statues, including Qin Hui, kneel in eternal penance before Yue Fei's tomb; the famous couplet "The green hills are honored to bury loyal bones; the white iron, guiltless, was cast into traitors" has been passed down through the ages; and the stele carving of Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong" is a stirring classic

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West Lake's largest natural island and the site of a Qing dynasty imperial lodge: the Xiling Seal Society, founded in 1904, is the highest academic body for seal engraving and epigraphy, hailed as "the foremost society under heaven"; Wu Changshuo was its first president, and its cliff inscriptions and displays of seals through the dynasties make it a sacred site of epigraphy

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A late-Qing private garden, "the essence of West Lake's classical gardens": the best-preserved private garden on the West Lake shore, it borrows the lake surface for its "mirror opening to the sky" vista; Liangyi Veranda, Jingsu Pavilion and the square pond with winding bridges are exquisitely scaled—a textbook of waterside garden design in Jiangnan

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Starting point of the Ancient Incense Trail: in Ming and Qing times pilgrims boated from the city to Maojiabu, landed there and walked up to Tianzhu to offer incense; the stone-paved "Incense Trail" and old water wharfs survive to this day

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A hiking valley where eighteen mountain gullies converge among the hills: from Linhai Pavilion to Yangmei Ridge, streams and stone paths intertwine, the "stream-within-a-stream" cascades are refreshingly cool, and in summer it is a refuge from the heat for Hangzhou locals

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A bamboo path a thousand years old: "Yunqi" (where clouds alight) is named for the cloud vapors that linger over Wuyun Hill; a sea of bamboo shades the sun and stone paths run tranquil, dotted with thousand-year-old sweet gum trees and a stele inscribed by Chen Yun

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The Manjuelong osmanthus valley: famous far and wide since the Southern Song dynasty; around the Mid-Autumn Festival tens of thousands of osmanthus trees bloom together, wafting the scent of "osmanthus rain"—the main venue of Hangzhou's Osmanthus Festival

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A famous spring at the foot of Daci Hill: Hupao Spring is one of West Lake's famed springs; its water is clear, cool and mellow and never runs dry year-round; 'Longjing tea and Hupao water' are celebrated together as the two wonders of West Lake

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A hill on the north bank of West Lake: Baochu Pagoda survives in the style of the Five Dynasties Wuyue Kingdom (a solid brick pagoda about 40 m tall), standing gracefully on the summit like a hairpin on a beauty; the hill's igneous rock catching the sunset glow gave rise to 'Baoshi Liuxia' (Rosy Glow over Gem Hill), one of the New Ten Scenes of West Lake

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A tower atop Wushan (Chenghuang Hill): it showcases City God culture centered on Zhou Xin, city god of the Ming Dynasty; the pavilion commands views of both West Lake and the Qiantang River; 'viewing the City God from Chenghuang Hill' is an old Hangzhou folk custom

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The former site of Jujing Garden, an imperial garden of the Southern Song: tens of thousands of willows ripple like 'willow waves' along the lake, and 'orioles singing among the willows' ranks among the Ten Scenes of West Lake

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Founded in the first year of the Xianhe era of Eastern Jin (326 AD) by the Indian monk Huili, who marveled that 'immortals and spirits were hidden here', hence the name: expanded under the Five Dynasties Wuyue Kingdom into one of the Five Mountains of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in Jiangnan; the tale of Ji Gong (Daoji) taking vows here is a much-loved story

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A great temple at the foot of Nanping Hill, built by the Wuyue Kingdom in 954: 'Evening Bell Toll at Nanping Hill' is one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, and the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony is a Hangzhou year-end tradition

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One of the Three Tianzhu Temples, built in the Later Jin dynasty of the Five Dynasties period (Upper Tianzhu Faxi Lecture Temple): a Guanyin worship site famed online for answering prayers for love and marriage; the yellow-wall matchmaking photo spot (red walls, dark tiles and an incense burner) is highly photogenic

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An ancient temple of over 1,600 years, its five successive courtyards built up the hillside: hailed as the "Foremost Blessed Land of Qiantang," it pairs Buddhist chanting with tea culture; the Fuquan Tea House serves Longjing for leisurely sipping and conversation

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Founded by Tang-dynasty monk Taoguang: the Sea-Viewing Pavilion is the setting of Bai Juyi's verse "watching the tide from the prefecture pavilion" (the sea is no longer visible today — instead you get distant views of West Lake and the Qiantang River); a sea-viewing trail links the temple buildings, with the Golden Lotus Pond and cliff carvings as highlights

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A grand canal-side temple founded in 978 under the Song, billed as the "First Incense of the Grand Canal": the only temple in China enshrining the Kitchen God (Jianzhai Bodhisattva, guardian of the monastery kitchen); its bronze hall and bronze Buddha are masterworks of modern craftsmanship, and the night lighting design is distinctive

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The core growing area of West Lake Longjing tea: the "Eighteen Imperial Tea Trees in front of Hugong Temple at the foot of Shifeng Peak" were personally designated imperial tea by Emperor Qianlong — the story of his six tours of Jiangnan and four visits to Longjing lives on today

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The "Ten-Li Meiwu" tea village: 600 years of tea-growing history, a memorial room commemorating Zhou Enlai's five visits to Meijiawu, and tea-hill terraces stacked like a painting

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Manjuelong is known for osmanthus trees growing alongside tea plantations: tea rows shaded by osmanthus groves, village houses and mountain springs — a living village where tea and flower farmers work side by side

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The landmark bridge marking the southern terminus of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal: this three-arched stone bridge, built during the Chongzhen reign of the Ming dynasty, has spanned the canal for four centuries; "Gongchen" means "bowing in welcome to the emperor"

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A strip of teahouses and guesthouses converted from Qing dynasty "river wharf" houses: Xiaohe Zhijie's whitewashed walls, dark tiles and wharf stone steps preserve the fabric of old canal-side life, with quiet, artsy guesthouses and craft shops

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The imperial street known as the "Ten-li Heavenly Street" of Lin'an, capital of the Southern Song: Republican-era buildings such as the Wanyuan Silk Shop coexist with a water-feature strip down the center of the street, and archaeological cross-sections display street surfaces layered from successive dynasties

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A historic commercial street named after the residence of Zhang Jun, Prince of Qinghe in the Southern Song: Hu Qingyutang (founded in 1874 by Hu Xueyan, the "Medicine King of Jiangnan") is an ancient pharmaceutical complex and traditional Chinese medicine museum, Fang Huichuntang carries on the traditional Chinese pharmacy trade, and the Wushan Tongbao City snack market is full of lively local buzz

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The mansion completed in 1872 by Hu Xueyan, the "red-capped merchant" of the late Qing, billed as "the number one mansion of a late-Qing tycoon": bright corridors and hidden passages wind and interconnect, the rockery piled stones of Zhi Garden rank among the finest in Jiangnan, the nanmu-wood hall uses meticulously chosen timber, and East-meets-West glass windows and painted decorations display wealth at its peak

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Ruins of the Southern Song Deshou Palace (the palace where Emperor Xiaozong cared for Retired Emperor Gaozong), opened in 2022: conservation displays of the ruins plus digital reconstruction exhibits recreate the grandeur of Southern Song palaces, and the red wall 'palace willow' photo spot is Hangzhou's newest viral check-in point

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World Heritage Site (inscribed in 2019): the capital-city ruins of the Liangzhu culture (5,300-4,300 years ago), which substantiates China's 5,000 years of civilization — the rammed-earth platforms of the Mojiaoshan palace area, the Fanshan royal cemetery (where the 'King of Cong' jade cong was unearthed) and the city gate and dam display points are linked by sightseeing bus…

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The research and exhibition hub of Liangzhu culture: the building itself, designed by David Chipperfield as 'a handful of jade awls scattered on the ground', is an attraction in its own right; displays of the complete ritual-jade system of cong, bi and yue tell of hierarchy and belief in Liangzhu society

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The main hall of the Zhijiang Cultural Center, opened in 2023: all ten of the museum's signature treasures gathered together — the Liangzhu 'King of Cong' jade cong, the 'Remaining Mountain' scroll of Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains, the gilt Ayuwang (Asoka) stupa unearthed from the Leifeng Pagoda crypt, and more — a complete civilizational sequence of Zhejiang from prehistory to the modern era

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The world's largest museum dedicated to silk: three halls in one — Silk Road Hall, Intangible Heritage Hall and Fashion Hall — with full-chain displays from the origins of sericulture through the Silk Road to contemporary fashion; its 'National Silk' dyeing and weaving restoration techniques are renowned in international heritage conservation

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A national-level museum dedicated to tea culture: systematic displays of tea history and tea customs, with a distinctive comparative exhibition on the Japanese tea ceremony; the Shuangfeng branch is tucked among tea hills and the Longjing branch is near Longjing Village

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A panoramic exhibition tracing Hangzhou cuisine from the dining customs of Southern Song Lin'an to the modern-day table: the food models are astonishingly lifelike (Dongpo pork, West Lake vinegar fish, and Longjing shrimp all look real enough to eat), and after one visit you'll understand "why Hangzhou food is light, fresh, and gently sweet"

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The art museum on the Nanshan campus of the China Academy of Art (founded by Cai Yuanpei in 1928 as the "National Academy of Art"): the lakeside Republic-era buildings and exhibition halls form the core of the Nanshan Road art strip; major exhibitions run year-round (graduation-show season is the liveliest), and lakeside galleries and art bookstores cluster nearby

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A Song-dynasty-culture theme park opened in 1996 — "Give us one day, and we'll give you back a thousand years": The Romance of the Song Dynasty show unfolds in five acts — Light of Liangzhu, Song Palace Banquet Dance, Golden Spears and Armored Horses, Legend of Xizi (West Lake), and Charming Hangzhou — its sound, light, and staging with thousand-strong cast scene changes setting the national benchmark for theme-park theater, with annual attendance among the country's highest…

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A large amusement park beside Xianghu Lake in Xiaoshan: packed with thrill rides such as a suspended roller coaster and double pirate ships; a Maya-themed water park opens in summer

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A polar-ocean-themed park in Xiaoshan: beluga whale, penguin, and dolphin shows are the three headline acts; the polar pavilion's artificial ice-and-snow environment is convincingly realistic, and in high season arrive early for seats at the Ocean Theater

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China's first national wetland park (opened in 2005): a Jiangnan waterland of "a winding stream and a curl of mist at every turn"; its cameo in the film If You Are the One made it a household name

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A sound-and-light show at the CBD on the banks of the Qiantang River: the Civic Center building complex lights up in sync, putting the "Golden Ball" InterContinental Hotel and the "Sun and Moon Shining Together" skyline in one frame; City Balcony is the best viewing platform (river breeze with river views)

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A tide-suppressing pagoda built by the Wuyue Kingdom in 970: seven octagonal stories, 59.9 meters tall, its name "Liuhe" (six harmonies — heaven, earth and the four directions) chosen to subdue the Qiantang River tidal bore

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The Five Dynasties Wuyue Kingdom White Pagoda plus a heritage park on the site of the 1907 Jiangshu Railway: the pagoda is the only surviving Wuyue stone pagoda imitating timber construction; the rails and a green vintage train converted into a sightseeing line are social-media hotspots — industrial relics and an ancient pagoda share one park

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The main venue cluster of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games: the "Big Lotus", an 80,000-seat main stadium, is shaped by 28 petal-like steel canopy sections, while the "Little Lotus" tennis center's rotating petal roof is an engineering highlight

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Xiaoshan's "sister lake" to West Lake: a similar hill-and-water layout but far fewer visitors; cycling around the lake and boat rides are the classic activities

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Formed in 1959 when the Xin'an River Reservoir in Chun'an County was filled: 1,078 islands scattered across blue-green waters gave it the name "Thousand Island Lake"; with "the finest water under heaven", it is clean enough to drink directly

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Tonglu's twin landscape gems: the Fuchun River Small Three Gorges is the real-life setting of the painting *Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains*, and Yan Ziling Fishing Terrace commemorates the legend of Eastern Han hermit Yan Guang, who declined Emperor Guangwu's summons to office

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Jiande's landscape wonder: the Xin'an River, with constant 17°C water, creates fairyland-like summer-morning 'Baisha Strange Mist', and cooling off by the river is part of Jiande locals' daily summer life

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Lin'an's twin natural sights: Tianmu Mountain is dubbed the 'Kingdom of Big Trees'—its ancient Japanese cedar groves, over 1,000 years old, are the oldest trees in East China; a UN 'Man and the Biosphere' reserve, it is a natural cooling retreat in summer

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A waterside ancient town on the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal: Guangji Bridge is the only surviving seven-arch stone bridge on the canal; Emperor Qianlong's imperial stele and the Ming–Qing buildings of Shuibei Street are well preserved; the Loquat Festival (May) is its celebrated produce festival

Slow-braised pork belly named after the poet Su Dongpo, melt-in-mouth sweet soy glaze.

Century-old Hangzhou kitchen by West Lake, birthplace of 'happy marriage' dishes.

Old-town lanes of stinky tofu, osmanthus cakes and sugarcane juice.