Tuesday, July 12, 2011

ZHEJIANG

(includes Hangzhou, Moganshan & Ningbo)

HANGZHOU
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
He Cha Guan – 77 Huimin Road (Shangcheng); 011-86-0571-8782-9711; finetea.cn; traditional teahouse renowned for green tea.
He Cha Guan – 15 Fayun Lane (Fayun Village); 011-86-0571-8797-9556; finetea.cn; traditional teahouse renowned for green tea; this outpost has fine antiques for sale, too.
Hu Pan Ju – 6th Park; 011-86-0571-8707-1746; among city’s oldest teahouses; on West Lake; ask for private room in back.

Bars & Nightclubs
JZ Club – 6 Liuying (near Nanshan Road); 011-86-0571-8702-8298; jzclub.cc; international jazz.
Reggae Bar – 131 Xeuyuan Road; 011-86-0571-8657-5749; considered one of best places to hang in Hangzhou, for what that’s worth.

Hotels
Amanfayun – 22 Fayun Nong (Xihujiedao); 011-86-0571-8732-9999; amanresorts.com; occupies Tang dynasty village.
Banyan Tree – 21 Zijinggang Road; 011-86-0571-8586-0000; banyantree.com; 72 villas and suites; within Xixi National Wetland Park mangroves.
Four Seasons Hangzhou West Lake – 5 Lingyin Road; 011-86-0571-8829-8888; fourseasons.com/hangzhou; destination spa and 2 pools up against lagoon; pavilions capped with peaked roofs; rooms have forest, garden, and/or lake views.
Fuchun Resort – Hangfu Yanjiang Road (Fuyang); 011-86-0571-6346-1111; fuchunresort.com; surrounded by mountains, lakes, and working tea plantation; Asian-inspired spa treatments; calming Eastern exercise; deluxe rooms, suites, superlative villas with views of mountains; lakeside lounge and restaurants; spa features signature treatments and home-made spa products.
Shangri-La – 78 Beishan Road; 011-86-0571-8797-7951; shangri-la.com/en; overlooks West Lake.

Restaurants
Dragon Well Manor – 399 Longjing Road (Xihu); 011-86-0571-8788-8777; longjingmanor.com; China’s Chez Panisse.
Huang Fan Er – 53-57 Gaoyin Street (Shangcheng); 011-86-0571-8780-7768; famous and old; serves characteristic Hangzhou dishes, such as Dongpo braised pork, bean curd with “8 delicious,” shredded perch soup with ham and ginger, stir fried prawn with Longjing tea, deep-fried bean curd crust, and yellow mud roasted chicken.
Longjing Manor (Dragon Well) – 399 Longjing Lu; 011-86-0571-8788-8777; 8 private dining rooms & no menu; very expensive; food based on sustainable slow food ideals, serving seasonal produce sourced from local purveyors; owner Dia Jianjun awarded Terra Madre organization medal in 2010 for contributions to preserving traditionally made & sourced food in increasingly industrialized China; notable for attention to natural ingredients & insistence on maintaining tradition Chinese culinary tradition; among best known dishes is wuming yingxiong, made by boiling stock from smaller crucian carp (like bouillabaisse) & then poaching fish in this broth.
Provence – 1 Baishaquan, 79 Shuguang Road; 011-86-0571-8797-6115; provence-hz.com; hearty French fare with great wine list.
Zhi Wei Guan Wei Zhuang – 10-12 Yang Gong Ti; 011-86-0571-8797-0568; worth special trip.

Services
Dragonfly Spa – 176 Nanshan Road; 011-86-0571-8706-3750; dragonfly.net.cn.
Yoga Summit – 3 Wushan (in temple complex on Wu Hill); 011-86-0571-8792-1011; yogasummit.com.cn.

Shopping
Insideco – 176 Nanshan Road; 011-86-0571-8706-7875; sells and ships Chinese-European furniture.
Oshadai – Unit 9D, 147 Nanshan Road; 011-86-0571-8702-6768; oshadai.com; Chinese-French designer Dai Di creates folksy accessories in lush hand-woven fabrics.
PH7 – Unit 9B, 147 Nanshan Road; 011-86-0571-8706-1735; jade, silver, and wood jewelry (chunky pendants and rings).

Sights & Sites
Ancient Longmen Town – 50 kms outside Hangzhou; town known for ancient folk culture; many ancient architectural specimens.
Ancient Paper-Making Village – 21 East Jiangbin Road, Fuyang
 (Zheijang); village demonstrates ancient Chinese arts of papermaking and printing; process involves every detail from bamboo cutting and slicing to books’ final thread-binding.
Baoshi Hill – West Lake Scenic Area (north side); 30-minute hike to summit; Buddhist grottoes carved into hillside; make sure to see Baochu Pagoda.
China Academy of Art – 218 Nanshan Road (Shangcheng); 011-86-0571-8716-4630; jwc.caa.edu.cn; masterfully planned by Chinese architect Wang Shu; worth seeing for architecture alone.
Fuchun Peach Garden – Xukou town; beautiful trees, recreational facilities, and tranquil waters.
Guo Zhuang (Fenyang Bieshu or Villa) – Yanggongdi (by Sudi Causeway); built in 1851 and opened to public in 1991, after being restored; 2 sections (1) Living in Quietness, where owner lived, and (2) Sky in Mirror garden, with pond surrounded by roofed corridors (lang), bridges, rock-work, trees, and flowers.
Liangzhu Culture Museum – 78 Liangbo Road, Liangzhu Town, Yuhang District (Zheijang) [Note: may have moved to new, contemporary location, notable for architecture as well as contents.]; 011-86-0571-8877-0700; Liangzhu Culture (3000 BCE) archeological objects and valuable relics; Neolithic Yangtze River Delta people’s handiwork (black-burnished pottery, ivory, jade, lacquer, and silk).
Lingyin Temple – 1 Fayun Alley, Lingyin Road (Xihu District);011-86-0571-87968665; lingyinsi.org; built in 326 CE at Lingyin Mountain’s foot; main hall extending 33.5 ms h; Sakyamuni statue carved out of 24 camphor wood pieces and laughing Buddha covered in gold.
Liuhe Pagoda – Zhijiang Road (Xihu District, at Yuelun Hill’s foot, facing Qiantang River); 011-86-0571-8659-1364; literally 6 Harmonies Pagoda; originally constructed in 970 CE during Northern Song Dynasty.
Longjing Tea Culture Village – valley straight out of Chinese watercolor, farmers harvest and sell Hangzhou’s famous Dragon Well (longjing) tea.
Sky Waterfall – 35 kms outside Fuyang; inside ancient cave; water rolls down in steps.
West Lake – West Lake Scenic Drive (Xihu District); 011-86-0571-8717-9617; hzwestlake.com; divided into 5 sections by 3 causeways; numerous temples, pagodas, gardens & artificial islands; UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.
Yun Qi Zhu Jing Bamboo Forest – 31 Hupao Road (Wuyun Hill); 011-86-0571-8709-1265; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon filmed in part here; name “Yunqi Zhujing” literally means “haze staying on path zigzagging in bamboo forest”; winding path twists from foot to mount top.
Zhejiang Art Museum – 138 Nashan Road; 011-86-0571-8707-8700; zjam.org.cn; interesting mix ancient and contemporary arts.



HUZHOU (includes Moganshan)
Hotels
Moganshan Lodge – Sonliang Shanzhuang (Yin Shan Jie); 011-86-0572-803-3011; moganshanlodge.com; lovely.
Naked Stables Private Reserve – 37 Shangxiazhuang Village (Paitou Town); 011-86-0572-803-3011; nakedretreats.cn; tree-top villas with Jacuzzis, set on balconies overlooking mountains.
Le Passage Moganshan – Deqing; 011-86-0572-805-2958; lepassagemoganshan.com; French rustic atmosphere; 12K rose bushes.

Sights & Sites
Moganshan – Deqing; mogan-mountain.com; former elite playground; known for cool climate in summer.



NINGBO
Sights & Sites
Ningbo Museum – 1000 Shounan Middle Street; 011-86-8281-5533; nbmuseum.cn; also known as Yinzhou Museum; history and traditional custom in Ningbo area; designed by architect Wang Shu; concept is combination mountain, ocean, and water; Jiangnan residence features integrated into design by decorations made from old bamboo and tiles.

No comments:

Post a Comment