Hangzhou Trip in June '08

We went for a one day trip to Hangzhou. We took an Express Train (ticket starting with letter "T") from Shanghai South railway station (上海南) to Hangzhou railway station (杭州). It took us 1 hour and 50 minutes to reach Hangzhou. The ride was generally acceptable. For the return, we took a CRH Train (China Railway High-speed) that have a ticket starting with letter "D". The return was about 1 hour and 25 minutes as these trains are the fastest in China and much cleaner and more comfortable than the alternatives. In China, people call them “Dong Che Zhu” (“动车组”)

We had arranged for a car rental with a driver who took us to a number of key sites.

First Stop - West Lake (西湖)
Hangzhou is reputed for its beautiful scenery, rich historical sites, brilliant cultural relics, and famous native products such as silk and Long Jing Tea. An old Chinese saying "上有天堂, 下有苏杭" which means "In Heaven there is paradise, on Earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou". Marco Polo also called Hangzhou the most enchanting city in all the world. Hence, we had very high expectations of the World Famous West Lake - called the most charming and intoxicating beauty in Hangzhou.... We arrived at West Lake in the late morning but much to our disappointment, we found that the serenity of the lake wasn't impressive at all. Swarms of tourists crowded the pathway along the lake bank, with sellers loudly offering their merchandise and tour guides yelling into their microphones to their tour groups. It was all in a mess!!!!

Oppssss..... Did we conclude too early??? YES.. YES.. WE DID!!

Just because we had not done any homework before coming to Hangzhou (it was a last minute decision) and furthermore we were there for a day which really made a tight schedule for us. We thought that West Lake was "just that small stretch of lake" and nothing else.... As a result, we didn't know about all the sights around the lake. Later we realised that there are actually several renowned scenic spots around West Lake - Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon (三潭映月), Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds (双峰插云) and Remnant Snow on the Bridge in Winter (断桥残雪) just to name a few. You will be able to catch different pleasing views of the lake at different spots. We missed most of these opportunities!!!! Personally, I feel that the first and best way to experience West Lake is to enjoy it with a cruise. And we should have done it, right!!! What a bummer!!!!!!!!!! We only snapped a few pictures of West Lake from the lake bank, but fortunately were able to get more sweeping views from Leifeng Pagoda.

We settled down for coffee and ice-creams at a nearby Starbucks for a little while and people-watched.

Second Stop - Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔)
Leifeng Pagoda is one of the ten charms of West Lake and is famous for its folk tale, Legend of the White Snake. A touching love story of a scholar who fell in love with a beautiful woman but was unaware that she was a white snake. White snake had been imprisoned in the Pagoda for years by an evil monk, Fahai. She was then rescued by her son who caused the collapse of the pagoda. In one of the rooms in the Pagoda, there is a sculpture that continues along all the walls which relays the story of the Legend of the White Snake. The Pagoda also affords a mesmerizing view of West Lake. It was here that we realised West Lake has a different charm at various places/time. It is said that the Pagoda looks especially majestic when surrounded by the golden hues of the sun setting. Hence, these contribute to the enchanting reputation, Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow. It has also been renovated to allow for escalators up to the Pagoda but for return, you still have to climb the long stairs.

Panoramic View of West Lake


Golden Roof of Leifeng Pagoda

We had lunch buffet at Shangri-la Hangzhou (杭州香格里拉饭店). No pictures were taken as we were famished. We tucked in right away.... Food was just average, nothing outstanding.

Address: 78 Beishan Road Hangzhou (中国杭州市北山路78号)

Third Stop - Inquiring about Tea at Dragon Well (龍井問茶)
To satisfy our tea desires, the driver drove us to Inquiring about Tea at Dragon Well (龍井問茶) to enjoy the well-known Dragon Well Tea (Long Jing Tea - 龍井茶) - known for its four special features: green color, fragrant aroma, sweet taste and smooth even/flat appearance. This region is said to produce some of the most famous, highest quality and finest green tea in China. Furthermore, Long Jing Tea aids one's health in many ways and is is regarded as the elixir for health. It is used to deter food poisoning, refresh the body, stop cavities, fight viruses, control high blood pressure, lower the blood sugar level and to prevent cancer. And that's why it's so expensive. Along the way to Inquiring about Tea at Dragon Well, we saw many teahouses. Many farmers around the Dragon Well have turned part of their houses into teahouses so as to accommodate tourists, selling their tea products and rural style meal.

Legends have it that during one of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty inspection tours of East China, he stayed near today's dragon well plantation and drank tea there. The emperor was so delighted with the tea that he named it the Dragon Well tea. These 18 royal tea trees still stand there as a tourist attraction.

GUESS WHAT I SAW NEXT????

A "Tea Thief"!!!!!!!!!

After which, we had dinner at this restaurant which I couldn't figure out the first character of the name (see pic). Can someone please enlighten me? Anyhow, surprisingly, the food was not too bad, and we did enjoy it. The service on the other hand was just annoying. The waitresses seem to be engaged in their own small talks and ignored us during the whole time.

We decided to wander around with the remaining 1.5 hours. The driver suggested for the Night Market, a large marketplace which sells everything from curios and supposed antiques, to silk scarves and bags and lots of knick knacks, even sticks of deep-fried scorpions. This Night Market is somewhat similar to the Shanghai's Yu Yuan Bazaar .



Initially, we thought we weren't too impressed by Hangzhou but later we got to know that we didn't find the right places to visit....Will definitely visit and spend more time in Hangzhou next time. Coupled with all the knowledge on Hangzhou and West Lake now, I promise.... I will be a smarter tourist next time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We will have to try the local delicacies, Beggar's Chicken (a chicken baked in clay), Dongpo Pork (braised pork), Shelled Shrimp with Dragon Well Tea and West Lake Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce/Vinegar Sauce....
We will have to visit Silk factory, Six Harmonies Pagoda (六和塔), Yue-Wang Temple (岳王廟) - General Yue Fei (岳飛) Memorial Hall, Lingyin Temple (靈隱寺), Cruise and visit the remaining renowned scenic spots around West Lake.....
Will also try to take pictures of West Lake during Sunset......

Last bit of Shanghai coming up next......