Traditional tourist routes
(zjol.com.cn)
Updated: 2003-10-09 11:57

East-bound Route of the Buddhist Country : A tour of water scenic areas and Buddhist holy lands including Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo.

East Zhejiang is a typical water country in South China, crisscrossed with rivers and dotted with lakes. The Zhoushan Islands are noted for their spectacular beauty of hills and the sea. People, who have their dwellings built by the water and bridges constructed with stones, maintain a unique way of life. The area is rich both in natural landscapes and cultural and historical heritages, where tourists will see integral harmony of ancient traditions with modern civilization. The scenic spots and places of the route include:

Shaoxing: Keyan Scenic Resort known for its grotesquely shaped stones and the Orchid Pavilion known as the calligraphers' sacred land; the Giant Buddha Monastery in Xinchang County .

Ningbo: Tianyige Library, the oldest of its kind in China; the Xikou Scenic Area and Tengtou Ecological Village in Fenghua; the Hemudu Culture Ruins from the New Stone Age in Yuyao .

Zhoushan: Mount Putuo, known as one of the four Buddhist holymountains in China. It is an island city.

West-bound Route of Famous Mountains and Waters: The route from Hangzhou westward along the Qiantang River, the Fuchun River, and the Xin'an River to the Thousand-Islet Lake, known as one of the golden tourist tracks in China. Major scenic spots and places of historical interest along this route include:

Hangzhou: Ancient papermaking workshops and book printing workshops in Fuyang; Fishermen's Wedding Ceremony and the Daci Rock, a scenic spot of Buddhist culture in Jiande; Fishing Terrace of Yan Ziling, a hermit of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and Yaolin Wonderland, a group of large caves rich in grotesquely shaped stalactites in Tonglu County; Rafting on the Tianmu Stream and West Zhejiang Grand Canyon in Mount Tianmu in Lin'an County; the Meifeng Islet in the Thousand-Islet Lake, the best place to enjoy the view of the lake in Chun'an County .

Jinhua: The Village of Zhuge in Lanxi, also known as the Eight-Diagram Village where descendents of Zhuge Liang (a famous ancient military strategist, 181-234) lived .

Quzhou: The Longyou Grottoes in Longyou County.
South-bound Route of Graceful Mountains and Rivers: This route stretches along the coast from Ningbo to
Wenzhou in the south. On the way, one can tour the three national scenic areas of Mount Tiantai, Mount Yandang and the Nanxi River. The Grand Buddha Temple of Xinchang, the ancient Guoqing Monastery in Mount Tiantai, the waterfall at the Shiliang Ridge, the Lingfeng Peak, the Lingyan Rock and the Greater and Lesser Dragon Waterfalls as well as a host of ancient towns along the Nanxi River are all outstanding scenic sites in the province. Major scenic spots along this route also include:

Jinhua: The Astrology Village in Wuyi County and the Square Rock in Yongkang County .
Taizhou: The Musical Cave .

Wenzhou: The islands in Nanji, the provincial scenic spots Yaoxi and Zeya, Mount Yandang, the Naxi River, fishermen's celebration activities in Dongtou County;
Lishui: Mount Xiandu in Jinyun County.

North-bound Route of Silk Home and Ancient Towns:

Tourists can take a bus from Hangzhou to Jiaxing where they may change to boat for a cruise along the ancient Grand Canal to Suzhou, another famous city in the country. Or they can set out from Hangzhou and go to Huzhou to transfer to boat for a cruise on the scenic Taihu Lake all the way to the tourist city of Wuxi in Jiangshu Province. This route takes tourists on a tour of what is known as the Home of Silk and Ancient Towns on the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain. On the way, tourists will find themselves in the countryside of idyllic charms featuring arch bridges spanning canals and streams. Along the way, tourists may take part in such activities as picking mulberry leaves, feeding silkworms, silk weaving, batik printing and dyeing. Major scenic spots and historical sites include:

Huzhou: The Little Lotus Garden built in 1924; in the ancient town of Nanxun, Fangzhanggang Silk Weaving Workshop, the Silk Businessmen's Gild hall .

Jiaxing: The ancient town of Xitang in Jiashan County; the North-South Lake in Haiyan County; What deserves special mention is the tidal bore on the Qiantang River, which offers a unique scenic natural wonder on the northern hemisphere and draws large numbers of visitors from China and abroad; the ancient town of Wuzhen in Tongxiang.

Close