Hangzhou-Huangshan High-speed Railway, connecting Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province to Huangshan City in Anhui Province, was officially open to the public on Dec 25, 2018, with ten stations and 287 km in length. It travels at a speed of 250 km/h.
First Stop: West Lake
West Lake is undoubtedly the representative of the beauty of Hangzhou. Top 10 scenic spots of the West Lake enjoy widespread renown. Xixi National Wetland Park, located in the west of Hangzhou, is a rare natural wetland in the city with quiet environment and criss-crossing waterways, nicknamed as the kidney of Hangzhou. Both West Lake Broken Bridge and Xixi Wetland are picturesque and nice places for one to enjoy a leisure afternoon.
Must-eat Food: Hang Bang Cai or Hangzhou Cuisine is a must-try for visitors in Hangzhou. Located in the south of the Yangtze River, Hangzhou is popular for fish and shrimp dishes, which are picky to the original and fresh taste. West Lake Fish in Sweet Sour Source, Dongpo Pork, Longjing Shrimp and other famous dishes, are worth a try.
Second Stop: Fuchun River in Fuyang District, Hangzhou City
Lush mountains lie on both sides of Fuchun River. Clear water flows between mountains. The Fuchun River has been noted for its beautiful river scenery since Yuan Dynasty. A great painter named Huang Gongwang of the Yuan Dynasty lived in seclusion here for seven years and created the masterpiece of "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains". At the injection of Xuxi tributary even seated historic sites such as the Wu Zixu Ferry and Temple. Famous Chinese poets such as Xie Lingyun, Li Bai, Du Mu, Meng Haoran, Fan Zhongyan and Lu You had not only visited the small three gorges on the Fuchun River, but also created great masterpieces for the Fuchun River.
Third Stop: Qiandao Lake
Qiandao Lake, located in Chun 'an County in the western suburb of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, is 129km away from Hangzhou to the east and 140km away from Huangshan Mountain to the west. It is a back garden of the Yangtze river delta region and a lake with the most islets in the world – 1078 islets in total.
Must-eat Food: Must-eat Food: Food sourced from the lake and mountains around it are a must-try in Qiandao Lake, and the most representative one is Qiandao Lake Fish Head. In addition, dishes like the Fish Boll in Light Soup, Silver Fish Soup and Fish Head with Eight Ingredients are also recommended.
Fourth Stop: Longchuan
Longchuan is located in Jixi, an ancient city of Huizhou with flourishing literary culture. In front of the village, there is a tall and lofty Longxu Mountain. A stream (called chuan in Chinese) running through the village. Thus, the village got its name of Longchuan. Here located the Minister Hu Zongxian Residence which enjoys the reputation of "Huizhou First".
Must-eat Food: Jixi, one of the cradles of Huizhou culture, is known as the "hometown of Huizhou cuisine" with abundant natural delicacies. Ta Guo (挞粿),Jiaotou Noodles (浇头面), fried rice noodles, Yi Pin Guo (一品锅) pot dish will fulfill your taste bud.
Fifth Stop: Xidi and Hongcun Villages
It is located at the southwest of Huangshan City in Anhui Province and 11 kilometers away from Yixian County. The beautiful sceneries of Xidi and Hongcun Villages are self-evident. There are well preserved and maintained traditional dwellings in Ming and Qing styles. It looks like a village in painting. Four seasons create typical Chinese landscape paintings. White walls and rising cooking smoke reflects against waters. People who left Xidi and Hongcun Villages still keep an indelible feeling of Huizhou.
Mount Huangshan
An old Chinese saying goes "After the visit to Five Great Mountains, you don't need to see other mountains; After the visit to Mount Huangshan, you don’t need to see the Five Great Mountains." Mount Huangshan is one the top ten Chinese scenic resorts, among which the only mountain scenic resort. There are a total of 72 peaks. The main peak Lotus Peak is 1864 meters above sea level, among the top three peaks of Huangshan together with the Bright Peak (Guangming Ding, 1,860 m) and Celestial Peak (Tiandu Feng, 1,829 m).
Must-eat Food: While enjoy the scenery of Mount Huangshan, you can taste Anhui cuisine which is featured with frying, braising, steaming cooking methods and local food ingredients. Here you can try Smelly Mandarin Fish, Mao Tofu, Huangshan Baked Bread, Salted Huizhou Pork Slices (Daobanxiang) and others delicacies.