Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bowuguan; Longjing Lu; Tue-Sun 8.30am-4.30pm; free), just north of the village proper. The
museum does an excellent job of documenting the history and culture of tea production in its
five buildings. Be sure to visit the beautifully decorated tea rooms of the different ethnic
minorities, one of the highlights here.
From the museum, take a taxi southeast to the lovely
Six Harmonies Pagoda
(Liuhe Ta;
daily 6am-6.30pm; charge; ask the taxi to wait for you). The pagoda, which stands near the
northern bank of the Qiantang River, was built in 970 in the hope that it might control the
river's mighty tidal waves (it has been unsuccessful). It was last rebuilt in 1900, but the interi-
or dates to 1123. The Song Dynasty pagoda may not have managed to stop the massive
tides, but it is still the traditional spot from which to watch the famous tidal bore when a wall
of water surges as high as 6m (20ft) down the Qiantang River during the autumn equinox in
mid-September.
Continue onwards via car to
Hefang Jie
, on the eastern side of West Lake. This shopping
street has recreated a Qing Dynasty setting; shops sell traditional local snacks, plus Chinese
knick-knacks and souvenirs.
Just off Hefang Jie is the gorgeous
Museum of Chinese Medicine
(Hu Qingyu Tang;
daily 8.30am-5pm; charge), a Qing-era building that is a working pharmacy and clinic, re-
putedly the oldest in China. Despite the name, there isn't much to the museum aside from a
few signs (in Chinese), but go in to see the period architecture, pretty courtyards, ornate
carving - and the doctors going about their business as they have done for a century.
Hangzhou's top evening attraction is
Impression West Lake
(
www.hzyxxh.com
)
a
dazzling music, dance and laser pageant created by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou and
performed nightly right on the surface of West Lake. The 70-minute extravaganza is based
on Legend of White Snake, a well-loved (and rather tragic) West Lake fairytale set in the
Southern Song Dynasty. A 1,800-seat amphitheatre and wooden boat are set up on the
banks of the Yuehu Lake Scenic Area (get a seat in the centre of the amphitheatre for best
views), and the lake itself becomes a moonlit stage against a backdrop of real-life pagoda-
studded mountains.
XIXI NATIONAL WETLAND PARK
West Lake isn't Hangzhou's only watery attraction. In the city's west, the
Xixi National Wet-
land Park
(Xihu; charge) covers 11.5 sq km of marshy wilderness. Designated China's first
national wetland park in 2005, it offers cruises through the winding waterways that are home
to 90 species of migratory birds. You can alight at various stops en route to wander along
nature trails lined with mulberry, hibiscus and persimmon trees, go freshwater fishing, and
explore the low-lying farming villages, nunneries and noblemen's residences.
DINNER BY WEST LAKE
