Hangzhou

West Lake

Hangzhou

The very definition of classical beauty in China, West Lake is utterly mesmerising: pagoda-topped hills rise over willow-lined waters as boats drift…

Lingyin Temple

Hangzhou

Hangzhou’s most famous Buddhist temple, Lingyin Temple was originally built in AD 326, but has been destroyed and rebuilt no fewer than 16 times. During…

Longjing Tea Village

Hangzhou

The lush, green scenery around this tea village up in the hills southwest of West Lake makes for a wonderful break from the bustle of Hangzhou. Visitors…

Jingci Temple

Hangzhou

The serene yet monastically active Chan (Zen) Jingci Temple was built in AD 954 and has been fully restored. The splendid first hall contains the massive,…

Six Harmonies Pagoda

Hangzhou

The 60m-high octagonal Six Harmonies Pagoda, dating from AD 1165 in its current form but first built in AD 960, is a stout pagoda that once served as a…

Hangzhou Old City Wall Exhibition Hall

Hangzhou

Hangzhou is famed for its lake, but the lake was once only a (glorious) appendage to a flourishing and magnificent city. The historic city of Hangzhou –…

China National Tea Museum

Hangzhou

Not far into the hills of Hangzhou, you’ll begin to see fields of tea bushes planted in undulating rows, the setting for the China Tea Museum – 3.7…

Qinghefang Old Street

Hangzhou

At the southern end of Zhongshan Zhonglu is this touristy, crowded and bustling pedestrian street, with makeshift puppet theatres, teahouses, and gift and…