Zhejiang Tourist Attractions | 20 Best Things to Do in Zhejiang

Vivid Statues in the Grand Hall at Lingyin Temple

Magnificent Palace of Meicine Buddha at Lingyin Temple

With a long history of 1,700 years, Lingyin Temple, or called Huangjue Temple or Temple of the Soul's Retreat, is the oldest and most famous Buddhist temple in Hangzhou and one of the largest and most visited Buddhist temples in China! Lingyin Temple is not only one temple but a cluster of ancient temples with giant Buddhist statues and luóhàn (arhat) in a variety of poses, which are extremely astonishing.

Lingyin Temple is the most popular highlights of the Feilai Peak Scenic Area (Fei Lai Feng). Besides the temple, this peak also offers over 335 appealing Buddhist sculptures carved on the rocks on the two sides of a tranquil stream! You can just follow the path along the stream to appreciate the carvings up close! Please note: Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak are charged in separate, but you are required to book the ticket of Feilai Peak if you want to visit Lingyin Temple.

• • Type: Historic Sites, Religious Sites, Temple, Pagoda, Buddhist Cave
• • Location: No.1 Fayun Alley, Lingyin Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou (灵隐寺，杭州市西湖区灵隐路法云弄1号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2~3 hours

Longjing Tea Plantation

Pluck Tea at Meijiawu Village

Dragon Well Tea Plantation, also known as Longjing Tea Plantation, is named after the famous tea it produces - Dragon Well Tea (or called Longjing Tea), which tops the China's 10 Famous Teas list! Being the hometown of the first-class Dragon Well Tea, this tea plantation in Hangzhou, of course, offers the freshest and most authentic Dragon Well Tea. Therefore, it is indeed the best place to taste and buy Dragon Well Tea! There are many Longjing Tea Plantations in the mountainous villages west of the West Lake, amongst which the ones in Longjing Village and Meijiawu Village are the bests! In these two villages, you can not only try and shop the tea, but also wander around the tea plantations to pick the tea leaves yourself and admire the production process including cutting, sorting, and drying the tea up close!

• • Type: Tea Plantation, Tea Village
• • Location: Longjing Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou (龙井茶园，杭州市西湖区龙井路)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2-5 hours

Panoramic View of Hefang Street

Hu Qing Yu Tang

Hu Qing Yu Tang, which enjoys the same reputation of Beijing Tong Ren Tang, is a still functioning old pharmacy operated since 1874 in the Qing dynasty. It is now also a Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here, you can take a glimpse of the well-preserved architecture with exquisite carvings. Besides, you will learn how Traditional Chinese medicines look like and how to weigh, pack and store the Chinese medicines!

The museum is located in the center of Hefang Street, a prosperous commercial center of Hangzhou since ancient times. In addition to Hu Qing Yu Tang, this ancient street also boasts many other interesting museums like Zhu Bingren Copper Sculpture Museum and Wangxingji Fans that will tell you more stories about ancient Hangzhou. It is also a paradise for foodies!

• • Type: Museum, Cultural Place, Old Buildings, Ancient Street
• • Location: Qingbo Street, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou (庆余堂，杭州市上城区清波街道)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2~3 hours

Dragon Well Tea

China National Tea Museum

China National Tea Museum, as its name implies, is a comprehensive museum about teas in China. Opened to the public in 1990, China National Tea Museum is the only museum themed with tea and tea culture in China. It not only shows the famous Dragon Well Tea of this region, but also over 100 other teas in China, from the green tea to black tea, white tea, dark tea… Therefore, you can take a glimpse of all the kinds of teas in China here! Besides, China National Tea Museum also introduces wide range of tea cultures and ceremonies and offers diverse collections of tea sets. It also provides interesting tea classes, performances and plucking activities. You will get the entire story about teas in China and enjoy tea picking and making by your own at the museum.

• • Type: Museum, Tea Museum
• • Location: No.88, Longjing Road, Shuangfeng Village, Xihu Distict, Hangzhou (中国茶叶博物馆，杭州市西湖区龙井路88号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2~3 hours

Beautiful Silk Clothing at Hangzhou Silk Museum

Beautiful Silk Clothing at Hangzhou Silk Museum

Silk, a kind of beautiful textile made of fibers produced by silkworms, is the specialty of China and is one of the major treasures in Chinese culture. This world-class creation even endows China the "Silk Country". If you are curious about the history and culture of Chinese Silk, China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou is a must-visit. The museum is the first state-level professional silk museum in China as well as the largest silk museum in the world. It introduces you everything about silk, from a massive collection of silk almost 70,000 clothing and fashion objects from all over the world to various kinds of traditional looms to the ancient Silk Road... The museum even allows you to set at a loom to try making silk products by your own hands!

• • Type: Museum, Silk Museum
• • Location: No.731 Yuhuangshan Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou (中国丝绸博物馆，杭州市西湖区玉皇山路731号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2~3 hours

Beautiful Garden at Former Residence of Xueyan Hu

Qingya Hall of Former Residence of Hu Xueyan

In Qing Dynasty, Hu Xueyan (1823-1885) was one of the richest and most famous businessmen during then. And his former residence of the strongest proof of its wealth. This magnificent and luxurious private residence is located only 3 kilometers around away from the famous West Lake. In terms of the extravagance, some people even hold the view that it almost could be on a par of imperial palace! Pavilions, bridges, rockeries and everywhere of this building complex are ingeniously designed, with exquisite brick engraves, wood engraves and stone engraves scattered every corner. If you are in Hangzhou, you are highly suggested to visit the Former Residence of Hu Xueyan to appreciate the beautiful design of this building and to trace Hu's brilliant life from a bank apprentice to a millionaire.

• • Type: Architecture, Former Residence of Celebrities
• • Location: No.18 Yuanbao Street, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou (胡雪岩故居，杭州市上城区元宝街18号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 1~2 hours

Nanhai Guanyin Statue in Putuo Mountain

A Panorama View from Foding Mountain in Putuoshan

Whether you are a Buddhist believer or not, you must have ever heard Guanyin (the Godness of Mercy) before. And Mount Putuo, or called Putuoshan, is the abode of Guanyin. This sacred site is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China! And as it is located on a tiny islet, it is also praised as the Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea. Located in Zhoushan City of Zhejiang Province, Mount Putuo can be easily reached from Hangzhou, Shanghai and Ningbo. Every year, floods of pilgrims will gather there to show their worship to Guanyin and pray for good fortune, marriage or else. Highlights of Putuoshan include a 18-meter-high Nanhai Guanyin Statue, Fayu Temple, Huiji Temple, ot-willing-to-leave Guanyin Temple…

• • Type: Island, Mountain, Buddhist Mountain, Buddhist Island
• • Location: Putuoshan District, Zhoushan, Zhejiang (普陀山，浙江省舟山市普陀山区)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 1~2 days

Interesting Market on Water at Wuzhen Water Town

Stunning Wuzhen Water Town Night View

Wuzhen Water Town in Jiaxing, Zhejiang is located right in the middle of the triangle formed by Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai. It enjoys the reputation of the Venice of the East. It is also one of the Top 6 Water Towns south of the Yangtze River. The famous Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal runs through the town, dividing the town into four parts, among which Dongzha (East Area) and Xizha (West Area) are the most popular. Dongzha is more traditional and has the largest number of museums and theaters of this region, while Xizha is larger and offers more stunning night views and more attractions to explore, including a unique Market on Water, a Yadi Silk Workshop and so on. The best way to explore Wuzhen Water Town is taking a tiny wooden boat to winding through its canals with ancient wooden houses orderly lined on the two banks.

• • Type: Old Town, Water Town
• • Location: Wuzhen Town, Tongxiang City, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang (乌镇，浙江省嘉兴市桐乡市乌镇)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 1~2 days

Charming Nanxun Old Town

Tongjin Bridge at Nanxun Old Town

Nanxun Water Town is located in Huzhou of Zhejiang Province. Amongst the so many water towns south of the Yangtze River, Nanxun is the least visited one. It is also thanks to this that you won't find huge tourist groups and crowds there. You can just explore this old and pristine water town with a long history of over 1,400 years at your leisure peace. The best way to explore Nanxun Water Town is by foot. Just taking half day or so to stroll around the ancient private library, old mansions, gardens, bridges and corridors…

• • Type: Old Town, Water Town
• • Location: No.51 Renrui Road, Nanxun Town, Nanxun District, Huzhou, Zhejiang (南浔古镇，浙江省湖州市南浔区南浔镇人瑞路51号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: one day around

Amazing Qiantang River Tidal Bore

Have ever seen roaring water walls towering into the sky? Here in Haining City of Zhejaing Province, you will get close to such a magical natural wonder, which is called tidal bore caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. Qiantang River Tidal Bore in Hanning is the world's largest tidal bore. The tidal here, like galloping horses, rushes to the dam and hit against it and then retreats after rising in the air, which is extremely awe-spring. Days before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, which usually falls in September) in China are considered to be the best time to admire this amazing scene.

• • Type: Natural Wonders, Tidal Bore
• • Location: Hanning, Zhejiang (钱塘江观潮，浙江省海宁市钱塘江)
• • Recommended Trip Length: half day or one day or so

Qiandao Lake

Qiandao Lake Cable Car

Qiandao Lake, or called Thousands Island Lake, is located in the suburb area of Hangzhou. It is an ideal holiday resort consisted of thousands of emerald lakes (the exact number of islands there is 1,078), hence the name. Numerous tourists flock here from the nearby cities like Hangzhou or Shanghai to spend their weekends or holidays. This scenic area is located in between Hangzhou and Huangshan and has a closer distance to Huangshan. Therefore, some visitors also visit it during their Hangzhou Huangshan tour.

• • Type: Lake, Nature
• • Location: No.348 Menggu Road, Chun'an County, Zhejiang (千岛湖，浙江省淳安县梦姑路348号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 1~3 days

Xixi National Wetland Park in Summer

Xixi National Wetland Park Cruise

Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou is about 5 kilometers around from Hangzhou's landmark West Lake. This vast park, which covers an area of 11.5 square kilometers, is the first and only wetland park in China. Despite it is not that famous as the West Lake, it is also a popular and scenic site full of numerous tranquil canals for boating and stone-paved trails for wandering. With a long history of over 1,800 years, the park is also rich in historic and cultural relics, like ancient streets, bridges, old residences, etc. During Dragon Boat Festival (usually falls in June), there is also a grand Dragon Boat Festival held at Xixi Wetland Park. During races, teams of paddlers paddle furiously to the beat of a drum, providing spectators with a spectacularly exciting and colorful sight.

• • Type: National Park, Wetland Park
• • Location: No.518 Tianmu Mountain Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou(西溪湿地，杭州市西湖区天目山路518号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: half day or so

Grand Canal Cruise

Grand Jing-Hang Canal Museum

Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, or known as Jing-Hang Grand Canal or Grand Canal in short, is the longest, largest and one of the oldest canals in the world. It is of great historical and cultural importance. On June 22, 2014, it was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Some people even hold the view that if there are two wonders in China, one is the Great Wall, and the other must be the Grand Canal. This canal winds from Beijing to Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Suzhou, Yangzhou, etc., and finally ends in Hangzhou, where offers wonderful Grand Canal Night Cruises to trace the brilliant history of the canal. At the right side of the old ending point in Hangzhou, there is a Grand Jing-Hang Canal Museum built to introduce you more details of the history.

• • Type: UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nature, Canal, Historic Canal
• • Location: Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang (京杭大运河杭州段，浙江省杭州市拱墅区)
• • Recommended Trip Length: half day or so

Songcheng (Song City)

Performance in Songcheng

Songcheng, or Song City or Song Dynasty City, is a man-made theme park based on the culture of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). "Give me one day, and I will return you a thousand years", just as its slogan says, Songcheng is a tribute to the prosperous life in Song Dynasty over a thousand years ago, the period with Hangzhou as the capital city and is considered as one of the golden age in Chinese culture. Here at Song City, it is really an interesting experience to indulge in a vivid Song World. You can dress yourself up with traditional Song clothing and stroll around the theaters, streets, markets and Buddha caves of Song style. Besides, the large-scale Song Performance, which is named The Romance Of The Song Dynasty, is its highlight!

• • Type: Theme Park, Cultural Park
• • Location: 148 Zhijiang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang (宋城，浙江省杭州市西湖区之江路148号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 3 hours or so

Wuling Village at Moganshan

Beautiful Naked Castle at Moganshan

Moganshan, or Mount Mogan, is about a 3-hour drive from Shanghai and 1.5-hour drive from Hangzhou. It is an ideal summer resort mostly famed for the clear and fresh air on this hidden mountainous region scattered with tea plantations, bamboo forests and restored beautiful 19th-century villas, etc. Nicknamed as "Hamptons of China", Moganshan. enjoys an extremely popularity among high-profile politicians, expats in China and attracts an increasing number of worldwide visitors to visit it.

• • Type: Mountain, Summer Resort
• • Location: Deqing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang (莫干山，浙江省湖州市德清县)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2~3 days

Six Harmonies Pagoda (Liuhe Pagoda)

Liuhe Pagoda

Liuhe Pagoda, also called Six Harmonies Pagoda, is located on the river bank of Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The pagoda was first built to dispel the tidal bores of the Qiantang River. And now it is a charming historical site with exquisite design and decoration and the grand panorama view of the surrounding Hangzhou City. You can not only admire it outside the pagoda, but also step into the building and go upside to its uppermost floor. During Mid-Autumn Festival, it is also one of the greatest places to admire the magnificent Qiantang River Tidal Bore.

• • Type: Architecture Buildings, River Tidal Bore
• • Location: No.16, Zhijiang Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou (杭州市西湖区之江路16号)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 1~2 hours

18

Anji Big Bamboo Sea, Huzhou, Zhejiang

Anji in the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

If you are looking for a Chinese poetic tour through a dense bamboo forest sea, then look no further than Anji, where China's largest seas of bamboo is located.

Anji Big Bamboo Sea is also the filming spot of the Oscar-winning movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This region has a large area of bamboos with natural trails and gurgling streams winding through it. If you take a cable car up the mountain to get a panorama view, you will be rewarded an amazing view of green waves dancing with the wind. And if you make adventurous hiking in the "Sea of Bamboo", you will hear the creaking sound of the wind through the bamboo leaves.

• • Type: Bamboo Forest, Nature
• • Location: Wuhe Village, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County, Huzhou, Zhejiang (安吉大竹海景区，浙江省湖州市安吉县天荒坪镇五鹤村)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 2~3 days

19

Yiwu International Trade City, Yiwu, Zhejiang

Yiwu International Trade City

Yiwu International Trade City

Yiwu International Trade City, or called Futian Market, is located in Yiwu, the city with the world's largest wholesale market and where cheap items with "Made in China" originate. Yiwu International Trade City is the major member and the most popular market of the wholesale markets in Yiwu. It covers a large area of 345 acres and is composed of 5 huge districts. Always busy since its opening. Every year, buyers from all over the world will rush to this large market complex to make a shopping spree. The items sold in the trade city include bags, gloves, hats, belts, toys, jewelry accessories and so on. All are sold at the cheapest price you've ever seen.

• • Type: Trade Market, Wholesale Market
• • Location: Yiwu, Jinhua, Zhejiang (义乌国际商贸城，浙江省金华市义乌市)
• • Recommended Trip Length: one day or so

20

Yunhe Rice Terraces, Lishui, Zhejiang

Yunhe Rice Terraces

Yunhe Rice Terraces

While rice terraces are considered as the exquisite tattoos carved on the body of mountains by the human beings, Yunhe Rice Terraces, together with Yuanyang Rice Terraces in Yunnan and Longji Rice Terraces in Guilin, are the most popular ones. Yunhe Rice Terraces spans a large area of over 50 square kilometers (20 square miles). It is the largest terraced field in eastern China. What makes it stand out is its mysterious foggy scenery after rains. Over 700 layers of terraces and its nearby bamboo forests, gurgling streams and quaint villages are hazy in the fog during then, which is a marvelous gift to photographers.

• • Type: Rice Terraces, Nature, Photography Site
• • Location: Yunhe County, Lishui City, Zhejiang (云和梯田，浙江省丽水市云和县)
• • Recommended Trip Length: 1~2 days