"City of heaven..." a Hangzhou Travel Page by cheezecake_deli

Hangzhou has been famous throughout China for more than a thousand years. Founded approximately 2200 years ago, it developed rapidly in the sixth century AD as the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, becoming an important trade centre by the time of the Tang dynasty. When the Song dynasty's northern capital at Kaifeng was destroyed by the invading Jins, the emperor Gaozong fled south to Hangzhou, and the city became the capital of the Southern Song dynasty between 1138 and 1279. During this era, the population swelled to 2 million, and Hangzhou was the largest city in the world at this time. Commerce boomed, particularly the silk industry, and the arts flourished under imperial patronage. When the Mongols invaded in the late 13th century, much of imperial Hangzhou was destroyed, but the beauty of its West Lake remained. When Venetian merchant Marco Polo visited only a few decades later, he declared Hangzhou the "City of Heaven", the "finest and noblest in the world". Although the imperial seat of government had moved to Beijing during subsequent dynasties, Hangzhou - with its warmer climate, sophisticated culture and beautiful women - remained a playground for emperors. The city was a favourite of two powerful Qing emperors in particular, Kangxi and Qianlong, who commissioned the building of pagodas, villas and gardens around West Lake. The lake itself has been inspiration for countless Chinese poems, legends and paintings, and sites around Hangzhou are littered with literary references.

Today's Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities. It is not just a bustling tourist destination noted for its natural beauty, culture and history, but also an important centre of commerce as the capital of wealthy Zhejiang province. The presence of West Lake, right at the edge of the city centre, with its surrounding parks and hills, lends a special tranquility to the place. Most of the gardens around West Lake are free to enter. Away from West Lake, there are important cultural sites, including Feilai Feng ("The Hill That Flew Here"), Lingyin Temple and Yuefei Temple. Finally, Hangzhou is an important tea cultivation centre, producing the subtly aromatic Longjing green tea, one of the most celebrated teas in China. There is, indeed, no place in China quite like Hangzhou...

Hangzhou gets quite busy on Saturdays and Sundays, partly due to an influx of Shanghai residents escaping for the weekend. If you can time your visit during the working week, all the better. Hangzhou has one of the best tourist infrastructures in China (not surprising if you've been a top tourist destination for 1000 years!), and prices can be somewhat higher compared to less developed places, though not as high as Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong of course. On the plus side, there is a wide range of hotels, restaurants and cafes, and transportation is easy to use.

Top 5 sights:
1. West Lake and its surrounding gardens, pagodas, villas and other sights - which can occupy you for several days
2. Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng
3. Longjing
4. Yuefei Temple
5. Liuhe Pagoda