9 Great Attractions in China That Are Not on Your Itinerary, But Should Be (7-8)

Hangzhou:

1) Guo’s Villa (Guozhuang)
There are so many sites to visit around Hangzhou’s West Lake, it is hard to decide which ones are the best. Guo’s Villa is my favorite spot on the West Lake. The 10rmb (US$1.40) admission fee makes many visitors just skip over it in order to head out to the other free attractions on the lake, which keeps crowds down. The building itself is expansive and beautiful, with coy ponds, ducks, granite grottoes, and colorful plants.

Why go to a teahouse in China when you can have tea at Guo’s Villa instead? If you’re lucky, you can even get one of the lakeside pavilions to yourself for the tea, or at least sit on the lakeside platform and look out over the entire lake, past Su Causeway and on to downtown Hangzhou. The view is incredible, the breeze is fresh and the location is quiet. Bring some snacks if you can.

Having a tea picnic at Guo’s Villa

2) Yunxi Bamboo Forest (Yunxi Zhujing)
Hidden at the southern end of Meijiawu, Yunxi bamboo forest is another oft-overlooked attraction in Hangzhou. It was voted by Hangzhou residents as the best-maintained park in Hangzhou in 2006. The paths are not steep at the beginning, but gradually incline along a gushing stream towards the daunting Lion Peak. There are so many bamboo trees that it appears as if the trees are moving and you are standing still as you walk through the forest. Besides the bamboo, the forest is also home to numerous huge rubber trees, some of which are centuries-old.

The bamboo forest can make an excellent post-lunch stroll after getting lunch at a teahouse in Meijiawu Tea Village. For the more adventurous, you can continue climbing up Lion Peak after the bamboo forest, and eventually follow the ridge at the top of Lion Peak to make your way across to Longjing and back to the West Lake area. Lion Peak is also home to Hangzhou’s best Dragon Well Tea because of its altitude and location away from the pollution of downtown Hangzhou. Be warned: it’s a steep climb! A quiet temple at the top of Lion Peak, coupled with the exhaustion of the climb puts visitors at peace.

Posted at 11:54AM Aug 20, 2008 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[1]