Zhejiang
浙江 · Zhèjiāng
West Lake · Photo: Windmemories · CC BY-SA 4.0
1Cities
20Sights
3Stories
Cities in Zhejiang
2 daysHangzhou杭州West Lake, Longjing tea villages and a quick train from Shanghai.Top sights
西湖West LakeHangzhou’s famous lake, ringed by hills, pagodas and willow-lined causeways. A UNESCO World Heritage site.
灵隐寺Lingyin Temple and Feilai FengOne of China’s great Buddhist temples, below a limestone hill carved with hundreds of Buddhist figures.
雷峰塔Leifeng PagodaA rebuilt pagoda on the south shore, tied to the Legend of the White Snake, with wide views over the lake.
龙井村Longjing tea villageHillside tea terraces where Dragon Well (Longjing) green tea is grown, a short ride from the lake.
西溪国家湿地公园Xixi National Wetland ParkA maze of waterways, reed beds and old fishing villages on the city’s western edge, best seen by boat.Stories from Zhejiang
LegendsThe White Snake and Leifeng PagodaA snake spirit in love, a monk who stood in her way, and a real pagoda on West Lake that fell in 1924 and rose again.
Travelers of the pastMarco Polo’s City of HeavenIn the 13th century a Venetian called Hangzhou the finest city in the world. What did he really see, and what is still there at West Lake?
Food originsThe poet, the causeway and the porkSu Dongpo governed Hangzhou, saved West Lake and left his name on a causeway, and, people say, on its most famous braised pork.