China and Chinese

Like most major world cities, Hangzhou has a large number of taxis which allow for quick and convenient travel within the city proper. Most of the city’s taxis are turquoise-green in color and easily identifiable by the word "Taxi" printed in both English and Chinese on the vehicles. Taxis for hire are marked by the green (or sometimes yellow-orange) light-up signs above the dashboard on each car.

Hangzhou taxi drivers always use the meter as required by law. All routes under three kilometers are charged a flat rate of 10 RMB (May 2008), plus the temporary addition of a 1 RMB "fuel tax" increase mandated by the government in 2006, is now charged. There is a low "slow-speed" charge for when the taxi is waiting at lights, stopped in traffic. It is advisable to take a receipt each time use you a taxi, should you wish to contact the taxi company or driver at later time to dispute a fare, recover a lost article, etc.

Few, if any, of the city’s taxi drivers speak English or other foreign languages. It is therefore important that you be able to point out your destination on a map, present the driver with the name of the destination (in written Chinese), or properly pronounce the name of the destination in spoken Mandarin Chinese. If you have a Chinese acquaintance whom you can reach by cell phone, you can allow him or her to speak to your driver through the phone to convey the desired information.

Hangzhou taxis are not allowed to carry more than four passengers, although you may be able to convince or bribe a driver to allow you to "hide" an extra passenger in the backseat. This can be worth if the trouble or expense if it saves your group from needing to take two taxis.

Taxis, like all public transportation, are difficult to come by during the tourist weeks (Chinese New Year, May Golden Week, and October National Week); also, taxis between 7:30 and 8:45AM and 4:30-7:00PM are difficult to flag, as they are always full or in the middle of a shift change. A taxi with an imminent shift change (around 4.30-5PM) will be showing a plate in the windscreen (Chinese characters of course) and will only take you if your route coincides with his (or hers, a good number of taxi drivers in Hangzhou are women). A good rule of thumb is that if you need a taxi, there won’t be any, but if you don’t need one, they will be driving extremely slowly in the right lane disrupting traffic and honking and flashing their brights at you. Being familiar with areas that taxis frequent or places where taxi passengers are likely to be dropped off at will aid you in finding a ride. Don’t be visibly upset that your hailing position will be gazumped by a new arrival 20 metres up the road. The only rule is; it’s the quick and the dead.

Taxi drivers will also negotiate for long distance trips, or full-day / half-day hiring. A trip to Pudong airport in Shanghai will be RMB600-1000 depending on time of day or night.

In outer centres of Hangzhou, small 5 seater vans are usually available at bus terminals for onward transfers. These operate quite independently and the normal taxi rules do not apply. They will take you anywhere at a negotiated price.

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Hangzhou has an extensive bus network, but you must be able to read Chinese to ride the crowded buses with ease. However, almost any bus that has a Y before the bus number (Y2, Y5, etc) will be "youke" – tourist buses, and are guaranteed to take you to a tourist site for ¥3 – ¥5. Therefore, if you want to just ride Y buses around all day, you will save money and still see the sites without having to tell the taxi drivers where you want to go in Chinese.

Otherwise, a bus with just a number will cost you ¥1 or ¥1.5, and a bus with a "K" before the number (air conditioned) is ¥2, ¥3 or occasionally, ¥4. Night buses are usually ¥2.5 – these are indicated at the bus stop by having a blue background colour. If you don’t understand Chinese, don’t worry, since the fare is written at the bus stop next to the bus number, so you can prepare your coins in advance (better have the exact fare, no change is given). Payment is made into a box next to the driver as you board the bus. The amount to be paid will be written on this box, but almost invariably in Chinese characters, not numerals, which is why it’s vital to check the fare at the bus stop first if you don’t read Chinese. Most buses in Hangzhou don’t have a conductor inside as they have in Shanghai, the exceptions being articulated trolley buses with rear- as well as front-entrances. On these trolley buses, its possible to get on and pay at the rear (sometimes less busy than the front).

For those arriving in Hangzhou by train, note that bus K7 goes from the Hangzhou Rail Station to the West Lake for ¥1.

For those with computer or mobile web access, Google Maps may be used to plan bus trips. Simply click choose the "Get Directions" option and enter the departure and destination addresses in Chinese, then choose "public transportation" to view the available bus routes. Alternatively, you may simply right-click to select where to start and end your route.

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The overnight boat service between Hangzhou and Suzhou/Wuxi has been discontinued. You can still take a ferry along the Hangzhou-Beijing Grand Canal to the north of Hangzhou proper (see "water taxi" section below).

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Hangzhou has 4 bus stations (N, E, W, and S). Usually, the direction of your destination corresponds to the bus station’s name, eg if you are going to Shanghai, you’ll want the East Bus Station. If you are going to Huangshan, buses leave from the West Bus Station; Nanjing is served by a frequent service from the North Station, and so on.

For travel to or from Shanghai, the bus has become at times more convenient than the train, as it can be more comfortable if only hard seater train tickets exist, and the buses depart more frequently than trains. From Shanghai, buses depart from the north bus station (Hengfen Lu), the PuDong bus station (Bailianjing, PuDong Nan Lu), and from Xujiahui Bus Station, ticket cost ¥58 (October 2008 price). These buses arrive at the north bus station of Hanzhou.

There are also airport shuttle buses (100rmb per ticket). There are buses between Yellow Dragon Stadium and Pudong Airport (direct), Wulinmen Ticket Office and Hongqiao Airport (direct), and Wulinmen Ticket Office and Pudong Airport (with a stop en route at Hongqiao). Tickets can be purchased at the area with all the buses in front of the Yellow Dragon Stadium or at the Wulinmen Ticket office near the KFC on Tiyuchang Rd. by Wulin Square. To find the buses from Pudong, you have to go across the street from the international terminal to the large parking garage, then go to the 2nd level of the parking garage to find all the buses to various cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

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A train from Shanghai is the easiest way to get to Hangzhou. Frequent trains run from Shanghai Zhan (Main) Railway station and from the new Shanghai South Station, both on Metro line 1. Check the train schedule for the duration of the trip as some trains are considerably faster than others. In general, the train will take between 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes, but "local" trains can take over 3 hours. New high-speed "D" trains can take 1 hour and 18 minutes and mostly depart from Shanghai South Station. Travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by D train is 54 RMB in Second Class and 64 RMB in First Class. Also, it is better to arrive in Hangzhou at the main Hangzhou station, rather than the East Hangzhou Railway station as the main station is right in town.

Second Class on the "D train" from Shanghai to Hangzhou

In addition to Shanghai, Hangzhou Train Station serves trains from Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, and everywhere in between. For destinations further away, such as Kunming and Urumqi, you would first want to go to Shanghai or some halfway-point train station. There is an East Train Station as well, but it is not in such a smart part of town. Trains returning from Shanghai often only stop here rather than at the main station.

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Despite the name, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) generally services domestic Chinese flights. There are frequent services to Beijing and Hong Kong, but using Shanghai’s domestic Hongqiao or the international Pudong airports and connecting by bus or train is also a viable option. International flights are possible. International cities that have service to Hangzhou include Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok, Seoul, and Singapore. The service to Bangkok may not currently be operating.

The airport is about 30km east of the city centre, taking 30 minutes – 1 hour by taxi. A taxi to or from the airport from the city centre is around ¥90; on the way back, you should ask if the driver is willing to take you that far before just jumping in the car with all your bags. No additional fee is payable for travel to/from the airport, the normal metered fare applies. A cheaper route would be to buy tickets for the shuttle service (¥15) to/from the Xiaoshan Bus ticket office on Tiyuchang Road next to the KFC just west of Wulin Square. The shuttle bus also stops at the main railway station en-route. Buses run every 30mins during the daytime and take about an hour; join the queue for your ticket at the booth just outside the exit before boarding the bus. The Shangri-La Hotel also has a shuttle service to/from the airport for ¥50, inquire within.

Alternatively, if flying into Pudong Airport in Shanghai, there are direct buses to Hangzhou. They leave from the 2nd floor parking lot across from Gate 15 of Pudong Airport, departing every 1.5 hours from 10:30AM until 7PM. It costs ¥100 (Summer 2008 price). These buses arrive at the Hangzhou Yellow Dragon Sports Center (football stadium), 3km to the west of the city centre.

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Hangzhou is renowned for its historic relics and natural beauty. It is often known as one of the most beautiful cities in China. It has been ranked as one of the ten most scenic cities in China. Although Hangzhou has been through many recent urban developments, it still retains its historical and cultural heritage. Today, tourism remains an important factor for Hangzhou’s economy. One of Hangzhou’s most popular sights is West Lake. The lake itself covers an area of 6 km² (600 hectares) and includes some of Hangzhou’s most famous historic and scenic places. Adjacent to the lake is a scenic area covering over 50 square kilometres. The area includes historical pagodas, cultural sites, as well as the natural beauty of the lake and hills. There are two causeways across the lake.

Scenic places near West Lake:

• Jingci Temple (净慈寺) is located just south of West Lake.
• Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺 "Soul’s Retreat") is located about 2km west of West Lake. This is believed to be the oldest Buddhist temple in the city, which has gone through numerous destruction and reconstruction cycles.

Hangzhou pagoda bridge

• Baochu Pagoda (保俶塔) is located just north of West Lake on top of Precious Stone Hill (宝石山)
• Yue-Wang Temple (岳王庙, "King Yue’s Temple") or Yue Fei Miao is on the north west shore of West Lake and was originally constructed in 1221 in memory of General Yue Fei, who lost his life due to political persecution.
• Leifeng Pagoda

Other places of interest:

• The world’s largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to 40 ft (12 m) in height.
• The Residence of Hu Xueyan 胡雪岩故居 located on Yuanbao Street was built in 1872 by Hu Xueyan, a native of Anhui, a very successful businessman. After restoration it was opened to the public in 2001
• Liuhe Pagoda or six harmonies pagoda is located on Yuelun Hill on the north bank of Qiantang River
• Confucius Temple
• Chenghuang Temple and Pagoda Scenic Area
• Dreaming of the Tiger Spring

View from the Chenghuang pagoda area

• The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hangzhou is one of the oldest Catholic churches in China, dating back 400 years to the Ming dynasty.
• Fenghuang Temple (凤凰清真寺) is one of the oldest mosques in China, the current construction at the intersection of Xihu Road (西湖大道) and the Central Zhongshan Road (中山中路) dating back 700 years to the Yuan dynasty.
• Xixi National Wetland Park established with the aim of preserving the wetland ecological system, it covers an area of about 10km2. Fish ponds and reed beds have been restored and it is home to many types of birds. There is a temple and several historic rural houses.
• Hangzhou Botanical Garden
• Hangzhou Zoo
• Old China Street on He Fang Street (He Fang Jie), which offers various kinds of souvenirs and renowned Longjing tea
• Jade Springs (Yu Quan)

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Hangzhou is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People’s Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 kilometres southwest of Shanghai, as of 2004 the entire Hangzhou Region or Prefecture-level city had a registered population of 6.4 million people.The urban agglomeration of the Hangzhou metropolitan area has a resident population of 3,931,900 as of 2003, of which 2,636,700 are permanent residents. There are 1,910,000 residents in the six urban core districts.

As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake as the most well-known location.

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