Hangzhou is favored by many for its intoxicating scenery as well as the history behind these sights, which also accounts for the constant stream of people. If you wish for something unique to Hangzhou, but also with fewer tourists, then go off the beaten track and visit the following four scenic areas.
Longjing Eight Sights
Located in a valley northeast of Longjing Temple, Longjing Eight Sights borders Longjing Road to the northwest, West Lake Scenic Area to the north and the foot of Southern Peak to the southeast. The eight sights gained its fame for the fact that Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty visited the place for four times every time writing poems to praise the eight sights.
As the place is located inside a valley, it is warmer than other locations, so you will see the earliest blooming blossoms such as peach and plum. If you want to admire spring’s creations without the crowds, then Longjing Eight Sights is the place to be.
How to get there: Take bus No. 27 or 87 and get off at the bus stop of South Tianzhu (nan tian zhu: 南天竺)
Where else to go nearby: You can head to Longjing teahouse from Longjing Eight Sights. Longjing teahouse is a quadrangle courtyard where you can learn about the history of Longjing Tea, sip a cup of fragrant Longjing tea and savor tasty Hangbangcai (Hangzhou dishes).
Jiangyangfan Eco-Park
Jiangyangfan Eco-Park is located east of Hupao Road and north of Fenghuang Road. It used to be the dumping site for the West Lake dredged silt. After six years of exposure to sunlight, the over-several-hundred-year-old seeds of aquatic and terrestrial plants, buried inside the silt, have begun to grow and in doing so make Jiangyangfan an artificial wetland boasting of willows and aquatic plants, and the ideal place to be at one with nature.
The place is also home to various types of wetland landscape such as water forests, shallow water marshes, ponds and lakes, all of which offer a great feeding and living environment for birds, fishes, water birds and amphibians.
How to get there: take bus No. Y3, 62 (k62), 42 and 20 (k20) to the bus stop of Hangzhou Ceramics Market (tao chi ping shi chang: 陶瓷品市场) and then transfer to bus No. 139 to the park or walk for 10 minutes southwards along Fenghuang Road to get to the park.
Where else to go nearby: one can visit Hangzhou Cuisine Museum
Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi
Located at the southern foot of Wuyun (Five Clouds) Mountain, the Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi boasts not only straight and towering bamboo, but also an abundance of ancient trees set in greenery. Of all ancient trees around the West Lake, the majority are grown here.
How to get there: take bus No. 103, 324 or 658 to the bus stop of Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi (yun qi zhu jing: 云栖竹径)
Where else to go nearby: from Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi, one can ascend Wuyun Mountain and Langdang Peak, which is one of Hangzhou’s most beautiful hiking routes.
Orioles Singing in the Willows
In between Wangliu Pond and Wenying Hall in Orioles Singing in the Willows, there is a tranquil place where over 170 cherry blossom trees form a pinky haze; and when the breeze blows, pinky and snow-white petals fall to the ground like cherry blossom rain.
How to get there: take bus No. 1, 2, J5 or J7 to the bus stop of Orioles Singing in the Willows (liu lang wen ying: 柳浪闻莺)
Where else to go nearby: Xihu Tiandi
