City Guide - Hangzhou

30 November -0001

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HANGZHOU , capital of the province, southern terminus of the Grand Canal, and one of China's leading tourist attractions, lies in the north of Zhejiang at the head of Hangzhou Bay. The canal has been the instrument of the city's prosperity and fortunes, establishing it for more than a thousand years as a place of great wealth and culture. Apart from the fact that Yu the Great, tamer of floods, is said to have moored his boats here, however, Hangzhou has little in the way of a legendary past or ancient history for the simple reason that the present site

on the east shore of Xi Hu (West Lake), was originally under water. Xi Hu itself started life as a wide shallow inlet off the bay, and it is said that Emperor Qin Shihuang sailed in from the sea and moored his boats on what is now the northwestern shore of the lake. Only around the fourth century AD did river currents and tides begin to throw up a barrier of silt which eventually resulted in the formation of the lake.

Three kilometres west, away from the lake (bus #7 from Yuefei Mu to its terminus) are Hangzhou's most famous sights, scattered around Feilai Feng (daily 7am-4.30pm; ¥14). The hill's bizarre name - "The Hill that Flew Here" - derives from the Indian Buddhist devotee named Hui Li, who, upon arrival in Hangzhou, thought he recognized the hill from one back home in India, and asked when it had flown here. Near the entrance is the Ligong Pagoda , constructed for Hui Li. If you turn left shortly after entering the site, you'll come to a surprisingly impressive group of fake rock carvings, replicas of giant Buddhas from all over China. To the right of the entrance is a snack bar and beautiful views over the neighbouring tea plantations rolling up the hill.

The main feature of Feilai Feng, other than the crowds of tourists, is the hundreds of Buddhist sculptures carved into its limestone rocks. These date from between the tenth and fourteenth centuries and are the most important examples of their type to be found south of the Yangzi. Today you'll see the little Buddhas and other figurines dotted about everywhere, moss-covered and laughing among the foliage. It's possible to follow trails right up to the top of the hill if you want to escape the tourist hubbub.

As a busy resort for local tourists, Hangzhou has plenty of good places to eat , though there is nothing like the cosmopolitan range of either Shanghai or Nanjing. Cheap Yangzi and Northern Zhejiang cuisine abounds along Wushan Lu, one block east of and parallel to Yan'an Lu; as well as on Huabin Lu and Pinghai Lu, both on the eastern edge of the lake. Many Chinese tourists make it a point to visit one of the famous historical restaurants in town. Both Louwailou ( Tower Beyond Tower), on Gu Shan Island, or Tianwaitian ( Sky Beyond Sky), near Lingyin Si, serve local specialities at reasonable prices. A third, Shanwaishan ( Mountain Beyond Mountain), has garnered a bad reputation over the years. All three restaurants were named after a line in Southern Song poet Lin Hejin's most famous poem, "Mountain beyond mountain and tower beyond tower/ Could song and dance by West Lake be ended anyhow?"

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