Revisit Hangzhou -her clear mountains; charming lakes

I hope Hangzhou grows into a global city and attracts more global tourists to appreciate her natural charms and human-made miracles.

In the second phase of the ancient poem “Jiangnan is Great” written by Bajuyi, he described:

 “Jiangnan is great;

 the most memorable place is-

 Hangzhou. 

 search for spiritual inspiration,

 in the mountain temple;

 watch over -

 tide up & down on-

 the pillow of pavilions;

 when can I visit it again?"

It’s just the eighth day of the lunar new year. Jiangnan's winter is usually chilly and windy with snow. However, when I arrived here this year, it was as warm as early summer. It seems that nature is pacing up, ahead of the season change at its full speed. 

I walked along the West Lake bank in the early morning. The mountain is clear and elegant; the lake is cool and charming; the plum trees blossom with colorful flowers; the dragon boats run through the water promptly. Quite a few ladies wore beautiful silk skirts, danced around, and did their morning exercises; some gentlemen practiced Kongfu, creating a vibe of energy in the surroundings. There was a legendary story about beautiful lady Xi Shi in ancient times, but I couldn’t find her sculpture on the river bank. Does she have one?  

In the mid-morning, it took me about two hours to take the long-distance bus from Hangzhou to “Qiandaohu” -"Thousands Islands Lakes"; because there are many beautiful islands and lakes there. Now it belongs to the Hangzhou metropolitan area. 

The city in that morning was quiet. There were very few people on the road. Standing in the street, you could capture the view of the remote mountain and mother river of Zhejiang province, immersing into the atmosphere of solitude; and infused with exquisite natural beauty. However, there are quite a few hotels and resorts, and construction walls block the views in some locations, which is a bit disappointing. 

When I approached the city center, the voice and noise broke down the quietness of the main island and shook me back to reality. Shops and restaurants were distributed across the street I felt hungry, trying to find some local gourmet food, but only seeing Western-style fast food chains. I was also a bit disappointed. How to integrate the art and science of management into a naturally beautiful environment with harmony? 

People still enjoyed the Lunar New Year holiday break here. In the mid-afternoon, as the train ticket was sold out I went to the other bus station to head back to Hangzhou. There were about two hours before departure time. I walked around the station, and found another great waterfront river bank; strolling over it, I could watch the sky- mountain-river connection; felt the natural world harmony; and appreciated the solitude of a great environment. It’s relaxing and enjoyable to spend a couple of hours walking, pondering, and observing elegant hills and translucent rivers on the island. When the returning bus passed through this big area later, I saw the very beautiful ecosystem lying in front of me, so pure, so clean, making me want to revisit here soon. 

On the morning of the second day, I visited the Hangzhou Museum; it introduced local art and history. I believe people in Hangzhou are proud of themselves for carrying on our ancestor's heritage. At the exit of the museum, I read the poem “Jiangnan is Great,” printed on the stone wall; appreciating the ancient poet-baijuyi's artistic insights and vivid depictions. 

On the third day, I visited the science museum located in the West Lake Cultural Square. There are many local families brought their kids to visit the museum. The ticket was running out very fast. the stranger lady helped me to get in because one of her family members didn’t come, so she gave that ticket to me; I truly appreciate her kindness, otherwise, I couldn’t get in, and would have been very disappointed. 

There are planet and space sessions also lots of interactive activities for doing physical or chemical experiments, a kids' playground, and a 3D cinema. I printed a small piece of ice cream with a 3D printer there; it’s not very cost-effective. I gave that mini ice cream to a little girl nearby as she was crying for the toy box, her mom thanked me and I also felt very happy.

There are a couple of museums moving out of that area but their logo were still there. I found a local art exhibition with a small collection of art, mainly exhibiting water-colored paintings and calligraphy.   

After that, I headed back to West Lake in the afternoon. The water is pure and translucent; the  mountains are spectacular and elegant, all of which shape a perfect landscape picture in the real world, delighting the large crowds of people walking on the river bank 

Nearby where I lived, there was a long walking street called South Song Dynasty Street. It looks very charming with strong oriental cultural themes, especially at night when the lights are lit up. People hung around to shop for gifts, taste gourmet, and play around. 

There is quite many scenery scattered across the city I won’t have enough time to go through all of them. I will absolutely revisit here again and again. And I hope Hangzhou grows into a global city, attracts more global tourists to appreciate her natural charms and human-made miracles.

Posted in: Global Trips