Other sights in Hángzhōu
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A
Chinese Medicine Museum
Although pretty touristy, Hángzhōu's Qinghefang Old Street (Qīnghéfāng Lìshǐ Wénhuà Jiē) houses a host of attractive buildings, some of genuine antiquity, and can make for a fun wander. There are several pungent traditional Chinese medicine shops on the side streets. One, Húqìngyú Táng ( 胡庆余堂; since 1874), is home to the Chinese Medicine Museum, housed in a fabulous wooden courtyard building.
reviewed
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Seal Engravers’ Society
Connected to West Lake’s northern shores by the Bai Causeway is GushanIsland ( 孤山; Gū Shān), the lake’s largest island. You’ll find the intriguing Seal Engravers’ Society here, dedicated to the ancient art of carving the name seals (or chops) that serve as personal signatures. It’s housed in beautiful, shaded gardens on the slope of a hill. There’s an old teahouse at the top (pots of tea from Y20).
reviewed
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B
Hángzhōu Churches
Hidden away behind sheet-metal gates, the blue-and-white Catholic Church (Tiānzhǔ Táng; 415 Zhongshan Beilu; 中山北路 415 号; English mass 6pm Sat, Chinese mass 9am Sun) is a lovely building, with an effigy of a compassionate Mary above the door. The brick Protestant Si-Cheng Church (Sìchéng Táng; 132 Jiefang Lu; 解放路 132 号 ) is more Chinese in style.
reviewed
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C
Yue Fei Temple
Across from the entrance to the West Lake's 3km-long Su Causeway is Yue Fei Temple, bounded by a redbrick wall and dedicated to General Yue Fei (1103–41) whose tomb is here. Commander of the Song armies, Yue was executed after being deceived by Qin Hui, a treacherous court official. More than 20 years later, Song emperor Gao Zong exonerated Yue and had his corpse reburied at the present site.
reviewed
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D
Baopu Taoist Temple
In the forested hills above West Lake, reachable by a pleasant hike, is the striking tiled-roof, yellow-walled Baopu Taoist Temple. The temple’s first hall contains a statue of Guanyin in front of a Yin and Yang diagram; an effigy of Gehong ( 葛洪 ) – who once smelted cinnabar here – resides in the next hall, behind a fabulously carved altar decorated with figures.
reviewed
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E
Jingci Zen Monastery
East of the Su Causeway along the shore of West Lake, set against the hillside across the road from the Leifeng Pagoda, is the peaceful Jingci Zen Monastery; check out the vast effigy of Sakyamuni in the main hall and the magnificent 1000-arm statue of Guanyin (Buddhist goddess) in the Guanyin Hall ( 观音殿; Guānyīn Diàn).
reviewed
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F
Zhejiang Provincial Museum
Connected to West Lake’s northern shores by the Bai Causeway is GushanIsland ( 孤山; Gū Shān), the lake’s largest island and the site of the modest Zhejiang Provincial Museum, which introduces visitors to the region’s prehistory and history.
reviewed
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G
Chinese Academy of Art Gallery
On the eastern shore of West Lake, housed in the Chinese Academy of Art ( 中国美术学院; Zhōngguó Měishùxuéyuàn) is this excellent art gallery.
reviewed
