Title: Hangzhou: Delightful Interlude

Hangzhou is one of China’s loveliest cities, just an hour’s train ride southwest of Shanghai. Built around the charming West Lake, it is famous for weeping willows, pagodas, elegant bridges, and pleasant walkways. Pronounced “Hawng-jo,” the city is one I had never visited before. So on our first full day in China, Paul and I made a day trip there and came back exhausted but happy.

This trip allowed me, once again, to trace the footsteps of Marco Polo. In his day, Hangzhou was called Kinsay, and it was the capital of China, with the palace of the emperor of the Southern Sung Dynasty. Marco was in Beijing when the Mongol army overthrew the Southern Sung emperor and completed their conquest of China. That moment is recorded in my book, Daughter of Xanadu. Hope you’ll read about it there!

Hangzhou is even more beautiful than I expected. Although the city surrounding West Lake is like any other modern Chinese city, with its skyscrapers and factories, many of the new apartment buildings have charming little turrets on top that make them much more attractive than most. Still, I expected a city like Suzhou, which has some beautiful gardens but is otherwise disappointing. In Hangzhou, the area around West Lake, where we spent the day, does not disappoint.

Our guide – who disproved the image that all Hangzhou women are beautiful! -- took us to the LeiFengTa, Thunder Peak Pagoda, which was rebuilt in 2002. It is a replica of a pagoda that stood on a hill overlooking West Lake for a thousand years, which was built in 977 and collapsed in 1929. Later, we realized why it was important to rebuild it: this pagoda is visible from many places and enhances the scenery.

Across street is a Buddhist Temple called JingCiShi, or Temple of Pure Grace. It has a huge statue of a seated Buddha and one of the largest bronze bells I’ve seen. But what impressed me was that it is clearly a working temple and monastery. We saw many monks, in gray robes and shaved heads, and the hall, with yellow cushions arranged in rows, where young monks are trained. Many of the Chinese tourists fell to their knees and bowed before the statues. Some, I’m sure, just do this to hedge their bets, figuring it might bring them good karma. Others, it seems, know something of Buddhism – a stark change from the anti-religion atmosphere of the early Communist years.

We took a long boat ride on the lake and got a chance to see many of the famous sites from the water. This was less pleasant than it sounds, since our guide barked out information about these sites, in an accent I could barely understand. Finally, I tuned her out and just looked out the window and enjoyed the view.

West Lake is crossed by two dikes, or causeways, raised walkways lined with willow trees. The longer one is named for the famous poet Su Dong-po, called the Su Causeway. After our boat ride, Paul and I left the tour and just walked along this lovely causeway. That was the highlight for us. Little stone paths along the waterfront, weeping willows, benches, flowering shrubs, marble bridges, lovers kissing.

The best of our visit was at the end: a terrific dinner at a restaurant with a window table overlooking the lake. Hangzhou is also renowned for its wonderful food, and we enjoyed the best, especially shrimp with longjing tea leaves and West Lake fish. Also, local “yellow wine,” made from rice, heated, with ginger. Perfect ending of a great day.