Leisure Opportunities

04-19-2006 4:54 EST (0148 GMT)

Hangzhou is famous for its waters and mountains; therefore, the key leisure resources are its natural landscape. Through effortsmade by so many generations, the plan of "one lake, two peaks, three springs, four temples, six gardens, seven caves, eight ancient tombs, nine streams, and ten sights" has almost been completed. Three newly completed projetcs, namely, the South Shore of the West Lake Project, the New Lakeside Scenic Locations Project, and the West Lake Westward Expansion, further contribute to creating a more elegant and magnificent new West Lake scene ... a picturesque view of lakes and hills. Thus, people can enjoy the inviting scenery almost everywhere in Hangzhou; the envy of all China.

Hangzhou, one of the famous six Ancient Chines Cities, possesses 64 historical and cultural sites under state, provincial, or municipal protection. For example, Linyin Temple, Yue Fei's Temple, "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon", Six Harmonies Pagoda, and Hu Qinyu Tang Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum, have strong appeal among the vast prospects of the city's leisure tourism. Furthermore, in recent years, many theme parks, such as Song Dynasty Town, Hangzhou Amusement Park, and Future World Park, provide a new and wide range of choices of leisure for the Hangzhou citizens. Recently, Song Dynasty Town Group has invested billions of dollars to build World Leisure Exposition Gardens. Together, these extensive and unique leisure amenities contribute greatly to establishing Hangzhou as the Oriental Leisure City.

There are two types of leisure resources,namely, core leisure resources and supporting leisure resources. The former is to attract leisure consumers' attention and influence their final consumption decisions; the latter, including caf¨¦s, pubs, and shoping malls, helps to build the atmosphere for leisure activities in which people enjoy themselves. In recent years, a great many of well-known international leisure corporations have poured into Hangzhou broadening tastes for residents and visitors alike. Supplimentary as the supporting resources are, they also show Hangzhou's leisure advantage when effectively associated with the city's unique tradition and culture.

On the outskirts of Hangzhou, there are many special resorts already built or soon to open, integrating countryside resources, mainly, lakes and hills, unique village sights and places of historic figures and cultural heritage. At the same time, these countryside resorts provide marvelous opportunities for the local people who often reside in small villages. Those resorts, (scenic spots like Mei Jiawu village, "Nine Greeks Meandering Through a Misty Forrest", "Bamboo-lined Path at Yunqui", "Home in the Mountain" in rural Hangzhou; "Happy Village" in Fuyang; "Mt. Qing Lake", "Home in the Clouds" in Lin'an; "Red Lantern in Grandma's House", "Seven Miles Sailing", "Daqi Mountain" in Tonglu), are taking shape and gaining popularity among the people of Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Jiangsu province. These add an additional layer to already popular leisure activities, which represent the regional features of the areas to the south of Yangtze River; for example, "tea sipping", "angling" and "drifting". These leisure countryside activities, together with typical rural sights such as mountain villages, farmlands and orchards, realize the mutual complementarities of city and countryside.

Source: Zhejiang Online

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