Qiantang River Tide, Qiantang River Tide Guide, Qiantang River Tide Travel Tips, Qiantang River Tide Travel Information.

Dragon Well (Longjing) Green Tea Plantation: General Introduction

Dragon Well (Longjing) Green Tea Plantation are best visited during the harvest period, usually from the first week of March till after May Holiday, when everyone is out in the field picking tea and the tea that you can purchase is of the best quality (tea crops from later in the year have had their leaves damaged by the rain).

Dragon Well Tea is well known worldwide, the water of dragon well is sweet and nice. The green tea of here enjoys very high reputation since Ming Dynasty. Dragon Well is formally called the Dragon pool. In ancient time, local people believed that this well connected with the sea and a dragon lived inside. Dragon Well is one of the five famous WestLake springs. Dragon Well spring water gushes out from a rockfact to collect in the well and flow on through cracks in the rocks. To have a seat and enjoy a cup of Dragon Well tea beside the Dragon Well, what a wonderful experience it is.

Dragon Well is a circular pond 2 meters in diameter, the spring water drains down to a brook along the Yingma bridge, Huangni Hill and finally winds it way into West Lake through Mao Jia Bu. What is more interesting to see is a “dividing line” on the surface of the well water when it is stirred, a line that, like a hair spring and disappears slowly. 

Dragon Well tea is well – known for its four special features: green color, fragrant aroma, sweet taste and smooth even appearance. West Lake green tea has four varieties named Lion, Dragon, Cloud and Tiger. Among them, Lion and Dragon Well Tea is the best. 

During his visit to Fair South, the Qing emperor Qianlong designated “Eight Scenes of Dragon Well” with his inscription for each scene. The best well known one is Pavilion of Going beyond the Brook, which is constructed on Tiger BrookBridge. 

Specialty: Dragon Well Tea, which is well – known for its four special features, green color, fragrant aroma, sweet taste and smooth even appearance.

Dragon Well (Longjing) Green Tea Plantation Travel Tips

Address: Dragon Well Mountain, Hangzhou

Admission Fee: CNY35

Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00

General Yue Fei’s Temple: General Introduction

General Yue Fei’s Temple is located at the southern foot of Qixia hill, on West Lake bank. It was listed as one of the state-level cultural relic protection sites in 1961. 

General Yue Fei is the well-known national hero in the war against Jin invaders during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). He, with his army, had won many great battles, so a minister named Qin Hui was quite jealous of him. With the authority of Emperor Gaozong, Qin Hui ordered Yue Fei back to court at once at a time that Yue Fei was fighting furiously with the northern invaders on the battlefield. In fact, the command was just an excuse to order him back. Yue Fei was wrongly accused of seriously defying military order during his mission and was subsequently put to death at the age of 39. 

In 1163 Song Emperor Gaozong exonerated Yue Fei and had his corpse moved to the present site. The tomb of Yue Yun, Yue Fei's son, is on his left. In 1221, a memorial temple was built there not only to honour General Yue Fei who made such a great contribution to China defending his country against the aggression of Jin invaders, but also as an educational site for all Chinese to learn about patriotism. 

Due to ongoing wars and disasters, the Mausoleum of General Yue Fei saw more than 800 years of ups and downs. But, with great support from the Hangzhou Cultural Relics Association, the present mausoleum complex is the result of the largest restoration since the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1979. The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei is now formed into a group of ancient-styled buildings. The mausoleum is 23 feet in diameter and 9 feet in height, and is situated in the southwest area of the ancestral temple. Stand in any corner of the mausoleum, and one may feel Yue Fei's total dedication to the service of the Southern Song Dynasty. Standing on both sides of his tomb are stone men, horses, tigers, and sheep that serve as guards around the mausoleum. Down the tomb steps are the cast iron kneeling statues of Qin Hui and his wife, Zhangjun and Mo Qixie. A famous Chinese poem reads: "The green hill is fortunate to be the burial ground of a loyal general; The white iron was innocent to be cast into the statues of traitors." In other words, heroes leave good names forever, but traitors go down in history as a symbol of infamy. 

With a vermeil boundary wall and a double-eaved gate tower, the memorial temple clearly demonstrates its grandeur. Upon entering the main gate along the blue stone road, one can see the ancestral temple directly in front of him. The main hall is the typical two-layer-eave of Qing Dynasty architecture with a big plaque "xinzhaotianri" inscribed by the marshal Ye Jianying hung above the door. In the middle of the hall is the sitting statue of Yue Fei in full armor. He looks martial and majestic holding a sword in his left hand and making a fist with his right. Above the statue is a tablet inscribed "return my territory" which represents his outlook on life. Stone steles inscribed with poems full of his praises and eulogies from different dynasties are displayed along the corridors beside Yue Fei's tomb. Visitors can get a thorough understanding of Yue Fei from these artifacts and know why he is so popular in Chinese history.

General Yue Fei’s Temple Travel Tips

Address: Near West Lake, Hangzhou

Admission Fee: CNY25

Opening Hours: 07:30-17:00

Hangzhou Six Harmonies Pagoda: General Introduction

Hangzhou Six Harmonies (Liuhe) Pagoda lies in Yuelun Hill on the north bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou. The name "six harmonies" comes from the six Buddhist ordinances, meaning "harmonies of the heaven, earth, north, south, east, and west". The pagoda was first built in 970 AD by the King of Wuyue State, who intended to demonstrate his authority by conquering the evil of the river tidal bore of the Qiantang River. The pagoda fell into ruins and went through reconstruction many times before being listed as one of the key national cultural heritages in 1961.

Commanding a spectacular view of the surging Qiantang River, the pagoda presents a quiet image of age-old majesty. The original pagoda has nine stories with a light on the top, which serves as a navigation tower. In 1156, the pagoda experienced a large-scale restoration. The artisans used carved bricks when reconstructing the inside of the pagoda. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the upturned wooden multi-eaves and wrapping structure was added to the pagoda and, in the eyes of the people, presented the soul and labor of ancient Chinese. The pagoda we see today is an octagonal structure 200 feet tall. Seen from the outside, the pagoda has the appearance of a 13-story building; in actuality, there are only seven stories.

The Six Harmonies Pagoda is definitely a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture that continually attracts visitors both home and abroad. Visitors here may be shocked and entertained not only by the long and splendid history ofChina but also the arts of Chinese calligraphy and seal-cutting. There are various sorts of stone tablets and stone statues both inside and out of the pagoda, left over from the past times. One may see relics such as a minister's tablet, a Buddhist scripture tablet, a god statue, a poem inscription, and similar artifacts from different dynasties. Moreover, the Center of Ancient Chinese Pagodas has opened near the pagoda. It features all kinds of the ancient pagodas erected in the different areas and different dynasties. One will have an appreciation of the quintessence of ancient Chinese pagodas.

Hangzhou Six Harmonies Pagoda Travel Tips

Address: Yuelun Mountain, Hangzhou

Admission Fee: CNY20

Opening Hours: 06:00-18:30

Hangzhou West Lake: General Introduction

Located in Hangzhou, the West Lake is one of the most famous tourist attractions in China. For centuries, the WestLake has been well known both for its picturesque landscape and for cultural heritage. The landscape area of theWest Lake includes the surrounding hills and nearby historical sites as well as the lake itself. The lake area covers around 60 square kilometers consisting of 5.68 square kilometers of water area. The West Lake is the centerpiece of the natural fascination with bluish hills on three sides, serene and charming. Along the Lake, there stand lines of willows with ancient bridges leaping over them. Mist now veils the whole landscape, now just perches lightly on the green and luxuriant hills in the vicinity with tiny streams winding in deep valleys. 

More than ninety theme parks and scenic spots are dotted around the lake area such as the Ten Views of West Lake and ten-odd newly named tourist attractions. Rain or shine, the West Lake holds great attraction to tourists in all seasons. 

Besides its impressive scenery, the West Lake boasts of abundant cultural heritage and legends passed from generation to generation, commingling natural features, past personages, history, and art in the local area. 

Thanks to its long history and historic importance, the West Lake is also a cultural resort with 5 major historical monuments and cultural relics under state protection, 35 under province protection, 25 under municipal protection as well as 39 theme museums and cultural spots under a protection system. In the landscape area, there are more than one hundred scenic spots open to the tourists at present. Each year there are 0.5 million of foreign guests and 12 million domestic visitors coming to Hangzhou.

Hangzhou West Lake Travel Tips

Admission Fee: free

Opening Hours: 24 hours

Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque has been long considered as one of the four most famous mosques in South and East China. It is believed that Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque was built during the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. A Muslim community was formed in Hangzhou since the Phoenix mosque was built. Though Muslim population in Hangzhou is not that big, Halal restaurants can still easily found in Hangzhou. IslamiChina has summarized the following Hangzhou Muslim travel tips to our Muslim brothers and sisters to travel Hangzhou during a short period of time.

Tour Itinerary Planning

For Muslim Business Travelers Hangzhou is famous in China for its beautiful scenery of West Lake. You can not find another city in China like Hangzhou which is built around a lake. Therefore, once you are in Hangzhou, the boat cruise on the West Lake and some walking around West Lake are things that you can not afford to miss in Hangzhou. After visiting West Lake, you may join local Muslim for Salat prayer at Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque.

For Muslim leisure travelers

3 Days and 2 Nights Hangzhou Muslim Tour is the best choice for Muslim leisure travelers because this tour itinerary allows you to have enough time to know both Hangzhou’s culture heritages as well as Muslim heritages. You are not in a hurry to get around Hangzhou from one place to another. Please check IslamiChina’s Hangzhou Muslim Tour 3 Days for details.

Accommodations

There is no Muslim hotel in Hangzhou, you may choose to stay at international brand name hotels such as Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inns and dine at local Halal restaurants in Hangzhou.

Halal Restaurants

The easiest way to find a Halal restaurant in China is to look for local mosque. Mosque is always located in the center of a Muslim community, no doubt, Halal restaurants can be found around Mosque serving local Halal food. In Hangzhou, Halal restaurants are also located in other part of the city serving Southeast Asian Cuisine, Turkish Cuisine, local Guangzhou Halal cuisine and Xinjiang Uyghur Cuisine.

Mosques

Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque is the only mosque in the city of Hangzhou.

Money Exchange

You can exchange traveler's checks or cash at most banks, and most 5-star and 4-star hotels always have a money exchange counter. You can also get a cash advance on your credit card on ATM machine. The exchange rate all over China are the same fixed by Bank of China. To change money, you have to have your passport at hand. If you want to change money in a hotel, you usually have to be a guest there. Sometimes if you are not a guest in a hotel but need to change money there, you can just say a random room number, but this doesn't always work. Remember to keep the exchange slip well because you need this slip to change the Chinese Yuan back to your currency if you do have this need at the end of the tour. At present, the RMB is not exchangeable on the International market, so it is only usable within the country. So when you are changing money, don't change too much, because it is difficult to change back into other currencies. To change RMB back into your home currency, you must retain the exchange slips that are given to you at the bank or money exchange counter.