Hangzhou was one of the seven capital cities of classical China, and was an imperial capital between the 10th and 12th centuries. Located about 180 kilometers southwest of Shanghai, it acted as the southern outlet of the Grand Canal Waterway, which was constructed around 600 AD to connect imperial China, and which reaches as far north as Beijing. Hangzhou is a popular domestic visitor destination featuring the medieval-era landscaped West Lake, with forested hills and tea plantations to the west. Marco Polo visited in the late 1200s and liked the place. The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta visited around 1345 and stayed in the Muslim quarter. Kublai Khan invaded in 1276 at the head of the Mongol Army, overthrowing the Southern Song Dynasty that had used Hangzhou as its capital since 1132.

The West Lake

The fresh water West Lake is quite atmospheric with various historical sites and the forested hills off to the east. It will tick all your classical China boxes with mist-shrouded forested hills, pagodas, water lillies on the lake, landscaped garden islands, medieval temples, and at least on the east and north sides, large crowds. It is about a 12-kilometer circuit if you walk round the shore, although there are two causeways that provide short cuts. The lake was originally dredged in the 8th Century by the Tang Dynasty Governor (and noted poet) Bai Juyi, to provide a stable water supply, with many of the islands and causeways from the 10th-11th centuries, and many temples and gardens dating from the 16th-17th centuries, built for the aristocracy of the day. It gets quite busy around the east and northeast sides but the crowds thin out the further away from town you go.

There are various temples and pavilions by the lake, such as the 13th-century Buddhist Yuewang Temple, off Bishan Road on the north side. This commemorated Yue Fei, a general who served the Southern Song Dynasty. Further west is the Lingyin Temple, which also leads you into the forest park area. You can also head north inland to Baoshi Hill, which hosts the 10th century Baochu Pagoda. This small hill park facing the northeast lakeside is quite close to the city and so gets crowded; if you stay near the northeast corner of the Lake, it is a candidate for a short early morning walk while the air is fresh and the crowds are lighter.

Hangzhou Forest Park

A slightly more ambitious exercise is go for a hike or bike in the forest park to the west of the Lake. A few key areas in the north of the park include the (fairly busy) Lingyin Temple (http://en.lingyinsi.org), built in AD 326, destroyed and rebuilt multiple times and still an active Buddhist temple. The temple is about 4 km west of the northwest lake corner, reached along Lingyin Road leading into Lingyin Branch Road. It is one of China’s major temples and is surrounded by hundreds of medieval Buddhist stone carvings.  There are also the Three Tianzu Monasteries, the first dating back to about 600 AD, in the hills surrounding the temple. You could also continue west from there up the almost 2 km trail to Mount Beigaofeng (https://goo.gl/maps/15d858TKdyVuXvxPA), which is the highest peak (314 m) in the park.

Moving further south, you could head to the Nine Creeks waterfall area on Erlong Mountain, reached via the Yangmei Mountain Road (https://goo.gl/maps/YcABD78MWKY8U65NA). There are well-regarded if touristy tea plantations in the area (look for the Longjing or Meijiawu tea plantations), and Hangzhou’s tea and spring water are claimed to be a good combination. You can stop at the Longjing Dragon Well Village for a cup. A few trail suggestions are here: http://en.gotohz.com/homepage/whatisnews/201605/t20160511_141796.shtml

Wushan Scenic Area and the City God Pavilion

Overlooking the old town from the south is the forested hill and religious sites of the Wushan Scenic Area. The temple area contains the multi-story City God Pavilion and a series of smaller temples.

This area is also a good starting point if you want to head west to explore the Hangzhou Forest Park starting from the south side. The view from the top level of the Pavilion across the forest hills and the lake is impressive, albeit a bit grayed out with the smog.

There is an extensive model of Hangzhou at the time of the South Song Dynasty in the ground level of the Pavilion. Hangzhou is believed to have been the most populated city in the world in the 13th century, with around 1-2 million inhabitants.

Medieval City

Hangzhou’s old town sits just north of the Wushan Scenic Area and can be accessed by the Ding’an Road Metro stop. It is mainly bounded (east-west) by Hefang Street in the South and Ding’an Road in the North, and (north-south) by Huaguang Road in the West and Nansongyu Street in the East.

Hefang Street is pedestrianized and a bit touristy, but a good starting point. Gaoyin Street runs in parallel to the north is a good place to get lunch at one of it’s many restaurants and food stalls, that also line Shiwukul Alley and Zhongshan South Road towards the hill. Nansongyu Street is a tree lined former medieval roadway that has also many 19th and 20th century buildings from Hangzhou’s growth as a commercial center.

Nansongyu Street also has an interesting mosque – Arab traders worked in Hangzhou from the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) and the street was developed with modern office and commercial buildings in the 19th and 20th centuries as Hangzhou’s economy grew.

Logistics. I stayed at the Deefly Lakeview Hotel at 2 West Huancheng Road, on the northeast side of the lake which worked out quite well, as it was 5 minutes from the lakeside and under 10 minutes to the Fengqi Road metro station.

Airports. Hangzhou is served by Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, located about 30 km east of the city. While many people entering Zhejiang Province will fly into Shanghai, it is worth considering as a point of entry or exit and falls with the transit visa eligibility, discussed later. 

Metro. The Hangzhou Metro is an excellent way to get around the central city area east of the Lake and to access the main railway station. Note that the metro stations are quite large and also have a security check (including bag x-ray machine). As to cab and ride hailing alternatives, note that Uber does not operate in China – you can try the main Chinese provider, Didi Chuxing, but check online for the latest as far as obtaining an English version of the app. Logistically, note that all metro entrances have a security checkpoint (with baggage x-ray so don’t carry a bag unless necessary) before the ticket barriers.

Bikeshare. Bikesharing is popular and well-established in China, and Hangzhou has a good level of providers. This could be a good option if you want to explore deeper into the forest park area.

Rail. China’s high-speed rail system is comfortable, fast, cost-effective and well worth trying. The two main issues you should factor in include the high passenger volume it manages in a country of 1.4 billion people, and the airport-style security requirements at rail stations. This means you need to plan your journey and factor in time beforehand. Many trains are 100% occupied so unless you don’t mind a “standing” ticket, you should book in advance: trip.com is a useful website. Secondly, you will need your passport to buy or pick up your ticket, after which you will go through a security check (including baggage x-ray) where you will present your ticket and passport. The ticket is scanned again when you enter the platform via the boarding gate. If you book for a certain departure time, there will be a specific departure gate that usually open about 15 minutes pre-departure. If you allow 15 minutes to buy or pick up your ticket from the ticket office queue (there are self service machines with only Chinese language access), 15 minutes to enter the station, pass security and navigate to your gate, and then assume you get in line at the gate 15 minutes pre-departure, for your first time I would allow arriving at the station at least 45 minutes pre-departure. At post-journey arrival, at the larger stations you are sent through a separated (from the departures) arrivals level and put out into a pre-security area.

Your Chinese Language Skills. Lack of Mandarin Chinese language skills is not much of an issue; all public signs are bilingual Chinese/English – even the metro ticket vending machines have an “English” button on their touchscreen displays. Since China’s schools have had English language training from about 8 years of age for some time now, English is more commonly spoken to some extent.  However, you should still either pick up a basic language guide or go to the many Mandarin Chinese language Youtube offerings in advance of the trip.

Craft Beer. Craft beer has reached China, or at least it’s more expat and overseas travelled populations, and it’s worth trying. The Midtown Brewery, located in the Shangri-La Hotel at 6 Changshao Road does a great job with the West Coast standards.

Visas and Visa-Free Transit. You usually require a visa to enter China, however certain areas, including the greater Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, permit visa-free entry for transit purposes (i.e. traveling between two different countries) with up to 24, 72 or 144-hour visit periods, for citizens of 53 countries. As such, you could arrive at Hangzhou Airport and depart out of another approved international gateway such as Shanghai or Nanjing airports. Here is a useful summary of the conditions and you should check latest conditions with the Chinese Embassy or a visa service before you go: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/visa/free-transit-144-hours.htm