Hangzhou, the paradise in China

Guys, I was looking for going on a day trip just before flying to Turkey. One of my friends told me an ancient Chinese proverb:

“In Heaven there is Paradise, on earth Suzhou and Hangzhou.”

It means that Suzhou and Hangzhou were the finest and the most splendid places in the world.

As I’ve been to Suzhou before (the article will be published after this one), Hangzhou was the perfect place for a day trip as it is not far away from Shanghai.

In this article your gonna read about:

• A summary background info on Hangzhou,
• How to go to Hangzhou from Shanghai,
• Jingci Temple,
• The West Lake National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site,
• Su Causeway,
• Xixi National Wetland Park and viewing fish at flower pond,
• China National Tea Museum,
• and the people in Hangzhou that were captured throughout the whole day,

Let’s start the day trip and you’re coming with me…

BACKGROUND INFO ON HANGZHOU(杭州)

Before taking the train, let’s do some reading on Hangzhou…It is going to give you a clear idea on where we’re gonna go…

Hangzhou is the capital and the largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China.

It is an industrial city with various sectors like agriculture, textile, fine chemicals, medicine, information technology and many more…Even though Hangzhou is an industrial city, it is one of the greenest cities in China as well.

What is Hangzhou famous for in terms of tourism?

There are a lot to see in the city but the main attraction is the West Lake, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site and Xixi National Wetland Park. I am gonna tell you more about these places once we arrive.

What’s the weather like in Hangzhou?

Hangzhou’s climate is Humid Subtropical. Starting from June, it is affected by the heavy rains of the Asian monsoon. August and September is the season of the thypoons. Even though typoons don’t hit the city directly, Hanzghou suffers from it’s affects like strong winds, rains and sometimes landfalls. Winters are mostly cloudy but dry with rare snow.

HOW TO GO TO HANGZHOU FROM SHANGHAI?

Hangzhou is min.45minutes -max. 1 hour away from Shanghai by train.

You can either buy your ticket online (you may need to register your passport first), from one of the travel agencies or the ticket offices at the railway stations.

There are two railway stations:

Shanghai South Railway Station. You can go there by taking the subway, Line 1.

Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. You can go there by taking the subway, Line 2.

During the Chinese National holidays, this place is literally packed. But we are lucky as we are going on a weekday. Here is a shot of the station:

The ticket office is on the second floor. Here is the ticket line, not bad…One of my friends told me that in order to get a train ticket you need to carry your passport or at least a copy of it…But today as my passport has been in the process due to getting the work visa, I have a copy of some pages, but my friend Eduardo forgot his passport at home, instead he has his Spanish ID Card. Guess what happened? It worked…We have the tickets…

Let’s go to 8B Gate to wait for the doors to be opened…and ready to go…

Now going down to the platform…

I still have to take pictures while running too, right? That’s why it’s a little bit blurry. Here is our train…

It’s a modern one…clean and smells good…Not like the one I took for Yunhe Rice Terraces in Zhejiang Province.

The view from our window:

 Hangzhou Railway Station

And finally we arrived…You can carry your luggage easily while you’re going down stairs….

Well, Hangzhou Station is kind of packed…

As soon as you go out of the station, people will come to you and offer you a minivan, a tour package including a guide by showing you the cards/flyers they are holding.

Here is one of the  tour packages we are being offered…

The people in Hangzhou station…

A lovely kid who is tired of walking, is on the luggage ride…

Are you hungry? Wraps with potatos inside…

Can you guess which one/ones sells/sell food? Well, of course Burger King, what about the others? Nope, the others are related with games of chance.

Buying the return ticket at Hangzhou Railway Station

Before leaving the train station, let’s buy our return ticket…Upss! The lines here are longer than the ones in Shanghai…Well, we have to wait anyway…

But if you carry your own stool, that’s even better cause you can find yourself sitting on the floor like her…

It is really hot and humid makes it worse…Especially men sweat like that or…

They open a belly window…It’s quite common in China…With this sign you can understand that the summer is coming…

Did someone say personel space? Where? Better to forget the concept here…Yellow lines here are just for decoration…

Do mobile ventilators work? Better than nothing…

Finally it is our turn….The same worked here too, not saying anything about why we don’t carry our passports..As long as you have an ID card with a number on it, it works…But better to carry your passport in case of any surprises…

Look at the pos machines…Do you think that they use it? Nope…

As we arrived Hangzhou in the afternoon and need to go back in the evening, we don’t have the luxury to walk around and get lost…So it is better to get the best tour package deal in front of Hangzhou Railway Station…

I bargained with the lady in the light blue t-shirt. For six sights, she told me 150RMB(25USD) and I managed to convince her to sell the tour to us for 100RMB(16,6USD) in Chinese….She was telling me that my Chinese was good but it is their way to make me put my guard down…Let me tell you something: in China you bargain for everything till you think the price in your own currency…cause then you realize that you are bargaining for 5-10 USD and then you stop….

Here is our picture shows that everyone is happy….

The lady with the black bag is responsible from taking us to the minivan…The air-conditioned minivan makes you feel great when you’re overwhelmed by humid outside…

This store gives me an impression that it is a special store for girls working in IT sector….Probably not, right?

Here is our tour guide that cannot speak English! Well, again better than nothing…

Umbrellas are not seasonal accessories in China….Most local women have their umbrellas with them all year…When it rains, when the sun comes up…There are different style of umbrellas for rain and the sunny weather…

Bicycles are everywhere…

The little girl holding the baby…

JINGCI TEMPLE (Chinese: 净慈寺; pinyin: Jìngcí Sì)

Let’s have a look at the history of the temple first: Jingci Temple is one of the representative historic sites of Buddhism in the West Lake Landscape. It witnessed the outstanding status of Hangzhou as Buddhism realm in southeastern China during the period from the 10th to 13th centuries. Located at the foot of Huiri Peak, the middle peak of  Nanping Hill, it was first built by King Qian Hongehu of the Wuyue Kingdom (907-978) in the period of Five Dynasties in 954.

It was not only ranked the top of the more than 300 Buddhism temples around the West Lake but also was listed one of the 15 Zen sect Buddhism temples on the highest state level elected and affirmed by the imperial court of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

It has experienced repeated destructions and renovations since its foundation but has preserved the basic layout after its renovation in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Facing south, the temple includes a screen wall, the free life pond and three architectural complexes. The first complex includes a gate to the temple, main hall and two bell towers on the east and west sides. The second complex includes the Hall of Three Saints and wing houses on the east and west sides. The third complex includes the Hall of Saria.

Jingci Temple is still one of the most important Buddhist ashrams in the southeastern coastal areas of China.  Let’s have a look at how it looks….I am sure you realized the lion statue and the red lanterns.

Red lanterns as you can remember it from “Waking up to a brand new day in Yunhe Rice Terraces” as well, it is believed that they bring luck. The lion statue from Mystic Valleys of Xinchang-National Geopark, they protect the building and makes it stronger.

One of the monks in Jingci Temple…

The gardener is relaxing in the garden…

Here is the first complex:

The Buddha and monk figures…

A woman praying out loud from the book…

Here are the stairs leading you to the second complex…

The monks are discussing their daily rituals…

The people who visit the temple can read the books from the library…

The monk rushing to the meeting…

The bell in Jingci Temple

The dragon figure on the wall…

The flower shaped candles…

Guys, let’s explore a different route…Where do the monks live? Here is the route leads us to where the monks live…Let’s have a look at their lives a little bit…How do they dry their clothes, do they do any sports?

Drying clothes outside is a common thing in China and in the temples too…

One of the monks in Jingci Temple

Can you guess what he is thinking right now?

I am impressed to see that they do sports…Table tennis and badmintoon are the two sports that are really popular in China…

They like to take care of flowers for sure…Look at the pots…

This is the third complex  but it is locked for some reason today…

Now, it’s time to go and find our tour guide who has been waiting for us in the entrance…Such a great service(haha)

The policeman telling me “Qua dian” means “be quick”…

Belly windows are everywhere…

The sweet kid with his little bike and interesting hairstyle…

Umbrellas for the sunny days…What else do you see in the picture below? The man carries her GF’s bag which is one of the things you’re gonna see in Hangzhou as well as Shanghai.

The kids on mission: Exploring Hangzhou

The West Lake National Park, A Unesco Heritage Site

This is an awesome place! We’re on a Unesco Heritage Site…Let’s learn more about the West Lake…The West Lake National Park in Hangzhou is a harmonious blend of the natural beauty in the beautiful lake and hills, profound and splendid cultural relics and historic sites. As the centerpiece of the national park, the West Lake is cradled by hills in three directions. It covers an area of about 60km2 inclusive of 6.5km2 of waters. The West Lake reveals varied charming sceneries in the four seasons, at dawn or dusk, in sunny or rainy days.

The West Lake is endowed with beautiful hills and waters as well as dense woods with deep valleys. Besides, it is not only abundant in cultural relics and historical monuments but also in touching fairy tales and legends. Around the West Lake, there are 16 key national monuments, 22 provincial monuments, 24 municipal monuments, as well as numerous heritage sites under preservation, museums and memorial halls of various types, which add to its brilliance. The national park is one of the well -known domestic tourist resorts with historic and cultural significance.

Traditional Chinese boats on the West Lake…

As you can remember,  in China local people ask you to have pictures with them…That’s sweet, I like it cause then I can ask the same back…She is really lovely and kind…

Silent times…

The West Lake is a magical place….

Let’s have a look at a souvenir shop closeby…What do you think about the umbrellas?

SU CAUSEWAY

Time to walk through Su Causeway…Su Causeway is the longest series of bridges crossing over the West Lake in Hangzhou. It is named after the Song Dynasty poet, Su Dong Po, who was then the governor of Hangzhou. Su Causeway consists of 6 bridges and you can see a lot of beautiful trees and flowers along the way.

The people in Su Causeway…

The traditional Chinese rowboat…

Captains of the boats chatting….

Flower Ladies…

Isn’t it amazing?

It’s time to get on our boat….

Do you know what is written on your t-shirt? She says no…

Another traditional Chinese rowboat…We’re gonna see a lot along the way….

This sign she makes means “ok”.

Our boat and the lovely teenagers in our group…

A great place to have pictures…

My lovely friend wanna have another picture with me…

Three bridges in Su Causeway…

You see, having a boat trip is a must experience when you come to the West Lake, Hangzhou.  Let’s watch the view for a while…

This is the same boat as ours…

Next time I’ll go to this temple…

Umbrellas and hats are important as you can see…Most of the Chinese woman don’t like to be suntanned…Therefore they also use them to stay white….Most of the creams have whitening ingredients in them too…Having a white skin is one of the beauty criterias in China.

There are small islands on the West Lake…Look how green it is…

The clouds have started to block the sun….Perfect opportunity! Cause I like to take pictures on cloudy days…You can capture the beams of sun light coming through the clouds…

That’s what I am talking about ….

The West Lake is seriously big…

The development area of Hangzhou…

Another traditional type of Chinese boat…

You see how famous this place is…

Our tour guide…

I love this hat…Do you remember the one I tried in Yunhe Rice Terraces…

Not only women use umbrellas, men do too!

What kind of bird is this? Can you guess?

Our boat…This is the end of our boat tour…

One of the canals….

It is believed that when you jump on from one fish to another here, it brings you luck…

Little cuties…

Viewing fish at Flower Pond

Famous as a scenic spot for observing flowers and fishes…”Viewing Fish at Flower Pond”, a component of the West Lake Cultural Landscape, is listed one of the “Ten Poetically named Scenic places of the West Lake”.

It is located in the north-west of Yingbo Bridge on Su Causeway, between the Lesser South Lake and West Inner Lake. Initially it was the private garden-villa of a palace named Lu Yunsheng of the Southern Song Dynasty(1127-1279), evolved into its present from in 1699 and was renovated in 1869.

 Xixi National Wetland Park ( 西溪国家湿地公园) 

This is the only national wetland park in China. It covers more than 1,150 hectares…The park has beautiful ponds, lakes and swamps. It has more than 1,180 years history…Next time I’ll come to observe the life of a water village here…

Red Carp Pond

As one of the main attractions of the park, the one-hectare pond keeps a few thousand red carps.

I loved the place…

I wanna use this rowing boat if only it had the oars…

These are perfect places to read a book, to have a picnic, to run…well I wanna swim too but I don’t think that it’s allowed…

I have many favourite spots and next time I’ll stay longer and spend more time…

Look at how lovely she is…

Can we eat the bananas and the pear?

We were looking for you Mr. Squirrel…Finally saw one…

One of the canals in Xixi National Wetland Park.

Our tour guide is walking out of the park, so I guess we are heading to China Natioanal Tea Museum…Before that look at a Kitty lover’s car…Would you like to have a car like that?

CHINA NATIONAL TEA MUSEUM

This museum is the only one in the country with the tea theme. The National Tea Museum was opened in 1991. It is located in Longjing (Dragon Well) Village. It covers an area of 22,000square meters… Besides being a museum, it serves as a research institution which often holds conferences on tea and its culture.

Let’s try one of the teas in the museum.

The fruit sellers outside China National Tea Museum…

The bicycles in Hagzhou

The local people in Hangzhou…

We had our dinner in a local restaurant and bargain for the food…We got 4 dishes and 40RMB (6.7USD)  in total…I also told them that I don’t eat pork but of course they forgot it and brought one of the dishes mixed with pork…So we paid 30RMB(5USD) in total…Little cuties having their early dinner too…

You can only see this view in China…The lady on the motorcycle taxi with her dog…I love to catch these moments…

 On the way back…

We are trying to catch our train…

The Chinese man is offering Eduardo chicken feet…The only thing I can say about it is, it has a heavy smell…I have to admit that I haven’t tried it yet and I am not curious about the taste either…In China it is common to eat chicken feet, pig feet…

You can even charge your phone’s battery in the train…

Finally arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Staiton…

No one takes the stairs…

Hello everyone…

 Final thoughts on Hangzhou

Hangzhou is one of the paradises on Earth, for sure…This is a must seen place when you come to China…

I’ve seen that one day for Hangzhou, of course, is not enough and I’ll come here again and again…

Let us know what you think about Hangzhou by leaving a comment down there…