Hangzhou
At Hangzhou’s heart lies magnificent West Lake, lined with some of China’s great temples, pagodas and gardens in a city that became the imperial capital of the Southern Song and one of the most important cities in Chinese history.
Hangzhou is a city where landscape, culture and history blend into one another. At its heart is West Lake, surrounded by a landscape of causeways, bridges, islands, pavilions and pagodas shaped over centuries. Willows touch the water, green hills encircle the lake and every season gives it a different appearance. This scenery influenced generations of poets, painters and garden designers across East Asia and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the twelfth century Hangzhou, then known as Lin’an, became the capital of the Southern Song dynasty and one of the world’s largest and most prosperous cities. Its imperial palace, markets, teahouses and temples attracted merchants, scholars and artists. The Grand Canal, linking northern and southern China, also helped establish it as a centre of trade and culture.
The hills west of the lake produce Longjing, or ‘Dragon Well’, one of China’s best-known green teas. Among the plantations and villages, visitors can discover traditions of cultivation, picking and hand-roasting passed down through generations. Nearby are Lingyin Temple, caves filled with Buddhist sculptures and wooded valleys that keep nature within easy reach of the city.
A tour of Hangzhou moves between the lake’s quiet scenery and old streets, temples, teahouses and modern neighbourhoods. Here nature is not simply a backdrop, but part of the city’s history, culture and everyday life.
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