Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Moganshan
The hill station of
MOGANSHAN
, 60km north of Huangzhou, was popular
with the fast foreign set before the war and has recently resumed its former role as
a resort to escape Shanghai's stifling summer heat. The old stone villas and po-faced
communist-style sanatoriums are being restored and turned into guesthouses, bars
and cafés; it's lovely, actually, but get here sooner rather than later, before it all gets
overdeveloped. There's nothing much to do except for wander around the village
- which with its cobbles and neat gardens manages to look almost English - enjoy
the views and head out into the local bamboo woods.
Buses
from Hangzhou's North bus station take an hour and a half to San
Qiao, just before the little town of Wukang; a taxi the rest of the way will cost
around ¥30. If you're coming from Shanghai, change in Hangzhou. There's a
charge of ¥80 for entering the resort. Note that there are no
ATMs
in town,
A
so arrive with enough money to last your stay.
Accommodation
options include a surfeit of faded and functional Chinese-
style, two-star hotels; try the
Songliang Shanzhuang
, at the south end ofYinshan Jie,
the main road (
0572/803381;
2
), or the higher
Baiyun Hotel
(
0572/8033382,
T
T
www.mogan-mountain.com;
2
). The
Du Yuesheng Villa
, once owned by the
gangster himself (see p.179), is now operated by the Radisson; exteriors are period
and rather lovely, but the rooms themselves are ordinary, so it feels a little
overpriced (
W
0572/3033601;
7
).
Yinshan Jie is lined with
restaurants
offering local specialities such as wild
game, but the best place to eat is
Moganshan Lodge (
T
0572/8033011), a bar and
restaurant in a wing of the
Songliang Shanzhuang
. T The food, a ll Western staples,
is excellent - though you have to order in advance so that they can buy supplies
- and the helpful foreign owners will point you in the right direction for walks.
It's also the most conducive place for a drink in the evening.
T
Putuo Shan
An overnight boat ride south of Shanghai takes you to the island of
Putuo
Shan
, just twelve square kilometres in area and divided by a narrow channel
from the much larger Zhoushan Island. T The island has no honking cars or
department stores, only vistas of blue sea, sandy beaches and lush green hills
dotted with ancient monasteries, making it an ideal place to escape the noise,
traffic and dirt of Shanghai, with endless opportunities for walking. Although
bursts of local tourists at weekends and in summer threaten the serenity, you
should still be able to avoid the hordes if you schedule your visit on a weekday
or in the off season; the best times to come are April, May, September and
October.
Arrival, information and orientation
The island is long and thin, with the
ferry jetty
, where all visitors arrive, in the
far south; a ¥120 entry fee is payable when you set foot on dry land. A bout 1km
north from here is the main “town”, a tiny collection of hotels, shops and
restaurants, with a central square faced to the north by Puji Temple. There are
only a few roads, travelled by a handful of
minibuses
(¥4-6) which connect
the port with Puji Temple and other sights farther north.
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