Tourism And Landscape

TOURISM AND LANDSCAPES

Tourism ResourcesTraditional Tourist RoutesNewly Developed Tourist Routes Featuring Mountains and RiversSpecial ToursFestivitiesTourist ServicesZhejiang CuisineTourism Mementoes

Tourism Resources

Blessed with a wealth of varied landscapes well known throughout China, Zhejiang attracts tourists with over 800 scenic spots on land, over 200 on water, more than 100 ecological scenic spots, and over 100 sites of cultural and historical interest. Boasting the largest number of national scenic areas in the country, Zhejiang has 14 national scenic areas, namely the West Lake, "Two Rivers and One Lake" (namely the Fuchun River, the Xin'an River and the Thousand-Islet Lake), Mount Yandang, the Nanxi River, Mount Putuo, Shengsi Islands, Mount Tiantai, Mount Mogan, Mount Xuedou, Twin-Dragon Cave and Mount Xiandu. There are also 42 provincial scenic areas, 13 provincial tourist holiday resorts, such as the Xianghu Lake in Xiaoshan, the Oujiang River in Wenzhou and the Guiji Hill in Shaoxing, in addition to one national tourist holiday resort__the Hangzhou Zhijiang National Tourist Holiday Resort.Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province and one of the seven ancient capitals in China, is also a famous tourist city in China, renowned for the natural beauty and charm of the West Lake.

Traditional Tourist Routes

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.

Newly Developed Tourist Routes Featuring Mountains and Rivers

These routes offer tours along two directions covering all the 11 cities in the province. They feature a combination of natural landscapes with cultural and historical sites, which compliment and enrich each other. The picturesque landscapes tell stories of cultural and historic background, while culture and history are evidently rooted in the landscapes. These routes present visitors with unique cultural characteristics. Route A: This route begins in Shanghai and takes one to Tongxiang in Jiaxing when it enters Zhejiang, then to Hangzhou, Jiande (Thousand-Islet Lake), Jinhua (Lanxi River), Longyou in Quzhou, Xiandu in Lishui, Xinchang and Shaoxing, and back to Hangzhou again before it leads visitors out of Zhejiang. On the way, one can see streets running parallel with rivers, waterside residential dwellings in ancient towns such as Wuzhen, Xitang, and Nanxun, the graceful West Lake in Hangzhou, wedding ceremonies with unique fishermen's traditions, the Suspending Temple in South China and the Daci Rock in Jiande, Longyou Grottoes in Quzhou (which remains a mystery for its origin), and Mount Xiandu in Jinyun County (known for its grotesque peaks and rocks), and the ancient cultural city of Shaoxing ( known for its water landscapes, origin for rice wine and distinguished figures), and finally the mysterious Zhuge Village of Eight Diagrams in Lanxi of Jinhua. Route B: This route goes from Shanghai into the ancient town of Nanxun, passing through Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Mount Putuo in Zhoushan, Mount Tiantai in Taizhou, Linhai, Luqiao in Taizhou, Mount Yandang in Wenzhou, and returns to Hangzhou before one departs Zhejiang. On this route, tourists can visit four national scenic areas, namely, Mount Putuo in Zhoushan, Mount Xuedou in Fenghua of Ningbo, Mount Tiantai in Taizhou and Mount Yandang in Wenzhou, in addition to the ancient Great Wall in South China in Linhai, a nationally famous cultural and historical city.

Special Tours

There are also more than 20 special tourist routes for tourists to choose, such as some of those listed below:South China Silk Home Customs Tour, Ecological and Natural Landscape Tour, Calligraphy and Papermaking Tour, Tour of Century-old Shops, Thousand-Year Old Village Tour, Tour of Farmers' Homes, New Rural View Tour, Folk Sculpture Art Tour, Tour of Ancient Towns in the Water Country, and Tour of Zhejiang's Economic Powerhouses.

Festivities

Year 2003 is the Year of Chinese Cuisine Tours. To promote this tourism program, Zhejiang stages a series of activities, including the following: January, Chinese New Year Festival in the ancient town of Anchang in Shaoxing; March, Dragon Well Tea Festival and Hangzhou Tea Beverage and Snacks Expositions; April, Azalea Festival in Tiantai; May, China Stone Culture Tourist Festival in Wenling; July, International Sand Sculpture Festival in Zhoushan; August, Fairy Love Folk Customs Festival; September, China International Writing Brush Festival in Huzhou, China International Qiantang River Tidal Bore Festival; October, West Lake Expo, the Sixth International Fashion Ningbo, China She Minority Folk , and the West Lake Firework Show in Hangzhou; November, China Farmer Tourist Festival. Hangzhou will host the World Leisure Expo in 2006.

Tourist Services

Tourism facilities and tourist safety have been improving with each passing day in Zhejiang, along with the development of the tourism industry, visibly increasing the province's capacity of hosting tourists. The province is now served by 742 star-rated hotels, which is the second largest number in a single province in the entire nation. Among them, seven are five-star, 46 four-star and nearly 192 three-star hotels. The province operates 46 international and 601 domestic travel agencies. In 2002 they together hosted 2.04 million overseas tourists , showing an increase of 39 percent , and bringing foreign exchange earnings of US $930 million.

Zhejiang Cuisine

One of the major eight schools of cooking in China, Zhejiang cuisine offers combined flavors of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou. Each of the three sub-cuisine traditions is noted for its special flavor and taste, but they are all characterized by the careful selection of ingredients, emphasizing minute preparation, and unique, fresh and tender tastes. Zhejiang cuisine specializes in quick-frying, stir-frying, deep-frying, simmering and steaming, obtaining the natural flavor and taste. Special care is taken in the cooking process to make the food fresh and tender. Thanks to exquisite preparation, the dishes are not only delicious in taste and but also extremely elegant in appearance. Zhejiang cuisine is best represented by Hangzhou dishes, including Hangzhou Roast Chicken (commonly known as the Beggar's Chicken, which is especially delicious with a pleasant aroma of lotus leaves), Dongpo Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, Sistern Song's Shredded Fish Soup.

Tourism Mementoes

There is a wide range of tourism mementoes which originated in Zhejiang, mainly including Zhejiang silk, Hangzhou brocade, Quzhou Oriental magic mirrors, Hangzhou Wangxingji fans, Qingtian jade engraving , Zhang Xiaoquan scissors, Dongyang wood carvings, boxwood carvings, Shengzhou bamboo woven wares, Longquan celadon wares, Longquan swords, Ou embroidery (Wenzhou), Xiaoshan laces, Yueqing paper-cuts, Ou sculpture (Wenzhou), Huzhou Chinese writing brushes, celadonwares in imitation of those produced in the Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Kiln, West Lake silk parasols, and Shuanglin satin from Huzhou.

Source: Zhejiang Online