Hangzhou Attractions

West Lake
An old Chinese saying declares, "There is heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below." Centuries later, Marco Polo called Hangzhou the most enchanting city in the entire world. This is most evident in the West Lake area--the effective, if not geographic, center of Hangzhou. Hills embrace the lake on three sides; the city proper lies to the east. Ancient Chinese people praised the West Lake area as a land of intoxicating beauty. Su Shi, a poet from the Song Dynasty, likened the lake to Xizi, a Chinese Cleopatra, for its allure. The West Lake looks like a shining pearl inlaid on the vast land of China, reputed for beautiful scenery, a multitude of historical sites, brilliant cultural relics, and a profusion of native products. Legend has it that the West Lake was a heavenly jewel fallen to earth.

Lingyin Temple (Soul's Retreat Temple)
Lingyin Temple, or "Soul's Retreat Temple", is the most influential temple in South China, and is regarded as one of the 10 famous Buddhist temples in China. In its peak periods, tens of thousands of pilgrims came here every day. The temple was built in 326 AD when the Indian monk Huili arrived at the Peak Flown From Afar and, finding that the Peak was so outstanding and beautiful that he thought it was a retreat of supernatural beings. So he built the temple and gave it the name of Lingyin. The main hall in Lingyin Temple is about 34 meters (111ft) tall - incredibly high for a one-story building. In the center of the hall there is a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha with 24.8 meters high, which was carved from 24 pieces of camphor wood, and is the biggest wooden sitting Buddha in China.

Wuzhen Watertown
Wuzhen Town, in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, has a history of more than 1,000 years. Of the ancient residential houses, workshops, and stores still standing on the banks of the rivers, 169,600 square meters, accounting for 81.54 percent of the town's total floor area, have remained unchanged, lending an atmosphere of antiquity. Wuzhen Town is embraced by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal with rivers and canals crisscrossing the while town. Unique folk custom, Hua Gu Opera with local character, Shadow Play, and Gathering Pilgrim show the rich tradition of the locality. Wuzhen has many sites of historical and cultural interest.

Tiger Spring
As one of the three best-known West Lake springs, Tiger Spring is situated at the foot of Daci Hill southwest to the West Lake. “Dragon Well Tea” and “Tiger Spring water” are rated as two uniqueness of the West Lake. According to the experts, the mineralization of the spring water is as low as 0.02 – 0.15 gram in every liter because the water is seeping through quartzite contains little dissolved matters. Therefore, its water is pure and clear. And also tests show that the water is contributive to people’s health. Legend has it that there was not always water at Tiger Spring. Some 1,300 years ago, Xingkong, the founder of the site, had almost given up due to the lack of drinking water. However, one night he was told in the dream that soon two tigers would come to help him.