Travel Guide: The city of Hangzhou

China is a country with a rich history that tourists are drawn to every year. But what are the top destinations to visit while there? If you are having a tough time deciding, The Hype magazine has teamed up with Stephanie Oswald the founding editor of Travelgirl magazine to tell you all about the city of Hangzhou, the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. It is home to 8-million residents and located just 50 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train. Hangzhou is well known for its natural scenery including UNESCO World Heritage site, West Lake, for its lush, mountainous vegetation and is along the silk road which was visited by Marco Polo.

Hangzhou blends the old with the new as it blends traditional China with conveniences of modern living. It is home to Lingyin Temple, one of the largest Buddhist temples in all of China and being along the silk road draws many historical aspects of the city. For example, craftsmanship in Hangzhou, such as tea production, silk production, fan, oiled-paper umbrella, and kiln making is a part of everyday like in the city. But what about the nightlife? Finding the perfect after dark spots from diverse bars and local watering holes to night markets is revealing as Hangzhou has some spectacular after hour getaways. So, come to the southeastern corner of China and visit Hangzhou and have an authentic Chinese experience that will sure to be one of inspiration that you will never forget.

So, you are joining me today from China?

China is paradise on earth and there’s a good reason for that because there’s so much to see here. It is so beautiful! The city is very cosmopolitan, but there are also so many beautiful scenery settings everywhere, from the tea fields to the mountains, to the temples. It’s gorgeous right!

Why is Hangzhou the must-visit destination in China?

Well you know it got a lot of attention last year when it was the host for the G20 summit, and that made people say – hey what is this place in the southeastern corner of China — and the reality is you know a lot of people have Beijing on their bucket list. You need to see the Forbidden City and need to see the Great Wall. A lot of people go to Shanghai for business, but if you want to have an authentic experience and see a part of China that has been kind of under the radar, this is the place to come because Hangzhou is it’s a perfect mixture of old and new. There is so many things to do for the leisure traveler. It’s also been recognized as a place where people can get business done as well.

So, they’re seeing more conferences. Come here — it’s a gorgeous place to bring your family. There’s hiking, there’s nature and there’s a lot of educational places as well. Two of the national museums are here, The National Tea Museum and The National Silk Museum, and I’ll tell you what, if you’ve been to a museum and you’re thinking — okay well museums are kind of boring — oh no, this place, the museums are more of an interactive experience. I was able to actually make some crafts myself! When’s the last time you went to a museum and you actually made something?

I did a little tie-dye yesterday at the national silk museum! I mean it was just really cool, because we think of tie-dye in the United States as something you know related to Woodstock or just kind of cut it out there. But here, when you go to the silk museum and you see the intricacy and how important silk has been for thousands and thousands of years, and you look at these amazing costumes, you see that there is a very delicate way that the tie-dye was used centuries ago. So, it’s a great reminder.

What are the must-see spots in four seasons?

Well every season you come here, you’re going to have a different experience and especially when it comes to the cuisine and the scenery. I know I keep talking about the scenery, but it’s hard not to when you look at these places. I’m sitting right now at the edge of West Lake at the beautiful Four Seasons Resort and this destination is one of the top destinations in all of China and probably the most famous right here in Hangzhou. There’s a list of top ten, top twelve and top 20 places you can walk around. There is hiking as well. There is a temple where you can climb to the top and get all the views, but every place here has a legend or a story attached to it.

So, for example, in the wintertime there’s a place called the broken bridge, and there’s a love story attached to it. I don’t have time to tell you the whole story, but it’s a great one! When it snows here everyone comes out and says they want to see the snow on the broken bridge, so that’s just an example. Also, the food! Every season there’s going to be something different. So, if you come in the springtime, The National Tea Museum has so much to see all year round. That’s when they harvest the longjing tea and longjing tea is the most famous green tea in all of China and it came from right here. So, in the spring, March especially, is when they harvest it, and now any time of year you can go. I was walking through the field yesterday and it’s just beautiful and a reminder of how important tea is.

They also involve other cultures. So, part of the museum is at the bottom of the hill and then the second part is at the top of a hill and these galleries are so well done. Also, they’re in English and in Chinese and other languages as well, but for US visitors you should know that there is so much here in English. So, you don’t have to feel worried that you’re not going to understand. The museum has displays like the tea museum. You will see a diorama that shows tea in Russia, tea in England, tea in Japan, as well as, explaining how important tea has been to the culture here in China. So, a really special place.

Where to hang out during the dark?

Well you know the nightlife here is incredible! There’s a lot of variety and really David, variety is the key to a lot of things here in Hangzhou. I mean there is a variety of things to do during the day, there’s a variety of things to do at night! Everything from local theater, to music concerts, to jazz clubs. It’s very safe as well. That’s something I knew is very important to us travelers and you can feel safe going out at dark. One place you might want to go just before it gets dark is somewhere along the edge of West Lake, because the sunset here is gorgeous. You’ve got sweeping willow trees and hibiscus and all kinds of just beautiful flowers. Seeing those weeping willow trees blowing in the wind and watching the sunset, it’s such a gorgeous inspirational view.

This is a place that artists, poets and writers have been coming to for centuries. Marco Polo talked about it. So, it’s nice when you come to a place like this and you realize, wow, this has been inspiring people for centuries and now it can be something inspirational for you too! Something else to talk about after dark. You know you want to go out to dinner, the cuisine here, very unique. We think about Chinese cuisine in the US and we have a lot of stereotypes. But here in Hangzhou the cuisine is very fresh. They’re very focused on giving you something that is seasonal.

Not only will you have different sceneries but you have foods that are in season as well so for example, right now the summertime Lotus is in season, so you will actually eat the Lotus and sometimes it’s got sticky rice in it. I mean it’s just different ways to prepare it but the chefs here are very focused on giving you whatever’s current, whatever is in season, because they want you to taste the freshness of the food. There’s not a lot of spices so you know. You here about that Kung Pao chicken back in the US — that’s not all you’re going to have when you come here to Hangzhou — you’re going have some amazing really delicious foods that’s incredible.

So where can we go for more information?

Well you know social media has changed the world of travel and it’s always a great place to start your research. You want to go online, check out everything that you can find. I highly recommend wherever you’re staying whether it’s someplace like this beautiful Four Seasons or anything like that. There are hostels here and there are all types of accommodations. Wherever you’re staying, work with your tour operator, work with your hotel ahead of time and let them help you plan your trip because that way you’re going to have the best experience possible. Hangzhou has a Facebook page that has a lot of information on it as well. So Facebook is a great place to start and I’m going to be putting out lots of information as well on my Twitter account which is @TravelgirlSteph if you want to follow me on Twitter.

I’ll be putting out some things there as well, but yeah, lots of information online, and also again don’t be afraid if you don’t speak Chinese, because people here are very eager to help. I recommend bringing along a guidebook and maybe a phrase book. There are a lot of them out there so even if you can’t speak the language, you can point to the phrase in your handbook or in your phrase book and people will help you as well. They’re very happy here. Hangzhou is known for having a great life and work balance and the people here — you can tell — just how happy they are, and how happy they are to introduce their region to visitors from all over the world.

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About the Author

David Morales is the Executive Editor of The Hype magazine. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, David has a background as an artist manager, writer, blogger, drummer, and in the human services industry. He is passionate about helping others, learning and has a deep empathy for the creative process. You can follow his social media @dcypherstudios