Holiday in Hangzhou

About Hangzhou

Hangzhou is the city that Marco Polo referred to as the 'most magnificent and noble in the world' — and even 700 years later, as the capital of Zhejiang Province and home to over 9 million inhabitants, it has lost none of that claim. The West Lake (Xi Hu), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, is the heart of the city and one of the most famous landscapes in China: mist-covered pagodas, willow-lined dam paths, lotus flower fields, and fishing cormorants on still waters — scenes that have inspired poets and painters for centuries. The area around West Lake is a network of temples, tea plantations, and historical sites. The Lingyin Temple, one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temples in China, houses rock reliefs from the 10th century and a 20-meter tall gilded Buddha statue. The Longjing tea plantations on the hills west of the lake produce China's most famous green tea: Longjing (Dragon Well tea), which has been cultivated here for over 1,000 years. A walk through the tea plantations followed by a tasting at a farmer's home is one of the finest experiences that China has to offer. Hangzhou is also the cradle of the modern Chinese tech boom: Alibaba, the world's largest e-commerce company, is headquartered here, and the city is considered one of the most digitized in the world — cashless payments work even at street stalls and in temples. At the same time, the historic Hefang Street district preserves the atmosphere of an ancient trading city with pharmacies, calligraphy shops, and snack stalls.