The Decompression of a Boomer

China trip – Part 4

Hangzhou is the second stop on our two week trip to China.

We arrive in Hangzhou on Saturday April 14, from Beijing, an 800-mile/ 4-hour journey by bullet train. Hangzhou is also about 170 km (105 miles) from Shanghai – a 45-minute commute by bullet train, so you could plan an extension tour to Hangzhou from Shanghai.

Why visit Hangzhou? It’s history is traced back over 2200 years to the Qin Dynasty. One of China’s 7 ancient capitals, it was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty in the 12th Century. Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the 13th Century, describing it as the ‘City of Heaven – the finest and most splendid city in the World.’

The population of Hangzhou today is about 9.4 million. A huge lake in the center of the city – West Lake – is considered to be one of the most beautiful sights in China. We stayed at the Shangri-la on the north end of the lake and spent the next two days exploring the area on foot. There is a paved walkway around the perimeter of the lake and also two causeways that cross the lake. Here is a graphic of the lake I took out of the Fodor’s travel book – Shangri-la Hotel is the red splotch!

We walked about 10 miles on Sunday, April 15, south across the Sudi Causeway and back around the west side of the lake on the Xishan Lu Causeway back to our hotel, then hiked up a hill behind our hotel. In other words, if you like to walk, Hangzhou is your Paradise.

Sunday, April 15 – We’ve headed out of the front doors of the hotel:

On the Sudi Causeway now – crossing the lake:

Temples, pagodas, pavilions and gardens surround the Lake.

Enjoyed these hilltop views of the lake and city of Hangzhou:

On Monday, our second full day, we walked through Solitary Hill Island, then across the causeway to the northeast corner of the lake. We had decided to visit the Chinese Medicine Museum and the China Silk Museum, located a few blocks into the city beyond the southeast end of the lake. Except we were too late to line up a driver. No problem! We’ll just hop on one of those extended golf carts we see ferrying people around – ride it around the south side of the lake and walk!

Oh! Except every one that goes by is already full of passengers … Well, we’ll just keep walking till one comes by (every 5 minutes or so) with open seats!

Full golf carts keep passing us by …

Huh. We finally arrive at a major junction where people get off- we all hop on and ride the cart across the causeway and along the south end of the lake. I snap a couple of photos along the way …

We hop off at the southeast end of the lake and walk a few blocks into the city, to the Museum of Chinese Medicine. Apartment buildings line the streets –

Of course you’re going to line-dry your delicates!

The walk to the museum turned out to be far more interesting than the museum. We walked through a busy street market

A pair of stone lions frame the entrances to buildings, a common ornament in Chinese traditional architecture. They indicate safety and luck – ward off evil spirits. The male stone lion stands at the left hand and the female at the the right hand:

You would often see young women walking together arm in arm or holding hands, even grown women. Heartwarming!

We’re at the Museum of Chinese Medicine now – here is a statue of SunSimiao –

the Chinese Medicine King, a famous pharmacologist of the Tang Dynasty – 581-682 AD – 1400 years ago!

From this museum we proceed to the China National Silk museum. Catch a bus!

Here’s a photo of the China National Silk Museum.

We learned a lot about silk worms and how silk is made and the history of the silk industry in China … But now, we’ve got to get ourselves back to the hotel!! Back on the bus!

We walked a few blocks from the bus stop to get back to the lake – on the south end of the lake now – we must catch another golf cart back over the causeway to the north side or we’ll be walking 5 miles! We walk a while with many full carts passing us by …

– until suddenly two carts arrive and we snag seats on the first one! Hop on the back rear-facing seat with me and enjoy the ride (and relief that we are spared the walk!)

Trying to figure out where we got on – where we are going – where to get off! Over the course of both days we covered nearly the entire perimeter of the lake.

Here’s a few more photos (and the Temple Eric is talking about):

To wrap up our second day, here’s another video I took toward the end of our ride along the west boundary of West Lake back toward our motel

And one more photo:

And that pretty much puts a wrap on Monday, our second full day in Hangzhou.

It is now Tuesday morning, April 17. We have spent the last 3 nights in Hangzhou and today we travel to our next destination, Guilin. We leave for the airport in about an hour – time for one last stroll along West Lake, back down the Sudi causeway, absorb a few minutes more of one of the most beautiful sites in China.

Here you see the view of our hotel overlooking the lake, the Shangri-la.

Great place for a selfie!

Okay, time to head to the airport. We have booked a plane to our next destination: Guilin! – Further inland, about 370 miles south-southwest. Ready for a new adventure?

Tags: China National Silk Museum- Hangzhou, Extended golf cart rides on West Lake, Hangzhou - China, Museum of Chinese Medicine- Hangzhou, Shangri-La Hotel in Hangzhou, Tomb of Yue Fei, Visiting China, West Lake- Hangzhou

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