Just Back from Hangzhou: Some Hard Truths

🌸 Hangzhou May Travel Guide | Experience the Limited Spring Edition of Jiangnan for 2,000 Yuan per Person ✨ Hangzhou, a city spoiled by the misty rain of West Lake, is located in northern Zhejiang, at the lower reaches of the Qiantang River and the southern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In May, Hangzhou resembles a spilled palette—roses climbing white walls, fresh green sprouting on Longjing tea mountains, and the air already hinting at osmanthus fragrance. As "Paradise on Earth," it offers both the zen of thousand-year-old temples and the collision of modern art, along with endless alleyways filled with the vibrancy of daily life. Take this guide and unlock 100 ways to enjoy Hangzhou in spring! 📅 3-Day 2-Night Itinerary (with daily highlights) Day 1: West Lake Art Walk + Night Market Fun Morning: Broken Bridge → White Causeway Cycling (Free) Wake up at 5 AM to claim the best spot on Broken Bridge and photograph the lake's reflection without crowds. Rent a shared bike on the White Causeway, feel the warm 20°C breeze, and watch the peach trees and willows swaying gracefully along the shores. Noon: Lou Wai Lou Restaurant for West Lake Vinegar Fish (150 yuan per person) Must-order signature vinegar fish! The fish is coated in amber-colored sauce, tangy and sweet, so delicious you'll want to take the sauce home. Afternoon: Solitary Hill → Xiling Seal Society (Free) Explore the seal engraving museum, take photos in traditional Hanfu costume among the bamboo paths, and instantly transform into a Jiangnan lady. Evening: Hefang Street Food Tour (Free) Bite into a juicy Dingsheng cake, enjoy crispy-outside-tender-inside scallion buns, and buy some lotus root powder as a souvenir. Watch the West Lake Musical Fountain (open Friday/Saturday) with breathtaking water and light shows! Day 2: Temple Zen + Mountain Adventure Morning: Lingyin Temple for Blessings (45 yuan entrance fee) Arrive before 7 AM to visit the Feilai Peak grottoes, touch Ji Gong's statue nose for good luck in love. The temple's vegetarian noodles cost 15 yuan per bowl, with mushroom soup so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off! Noon: Meijiawu Farm Lunch (80 yuan per person) Longjing shrimp with rice is amazing! The tea fragrance permeates the shrimp meat, fresh and not greasy, and the owner even gives you a can of early spring Longjing tea. Afternoon: Jiuxi Yangshu Hiking (Free) Wade through streams in sandals, take selfies with bamboo groves and small waterfalls. At the end is Longjing Village, where you can buy tea and listen to local grandmas gossip. Evening: Nanshan Road Bar Street (100 yuan per person) Sit in a lakeside bar listening to live music, watch Baoshan Hill light up with stars when slightly tipsy—romance level maxed out! Day 3: Modern Art + Local Experience Morning: Tianmuli Exhibition (Free) Visit the art museum designed by Kengo Kuma, watch art films at Sanke Cinema, and photograph the giant bamboo installation in the courtyard—every shot looks amazing. Noon: New Discovery Restaurant (90 yuan per person) The cheese-baked crab pot has so much cheese it stretches! Window seats overlook the Grand Canal, perfect for a post-meal stroll along the canal to digest. Afternoon: Xiaohe Straight Street Handicrafts (Free) Carve rubber stamps at "Jinmo Workshop," dye a plant-dyed handkerchief at "Su Garden," and bring spring in Jiangnan back home. Evening: Wulin Night Market Shopping (Free) Buy glowing headpieces for 5 yuan, handmade earrings for 10 yuan, and ladies in qipaos will even teach you how to style your hair! 🌟 Must-Visit Checklist 1️⃣ Xixi Wetland (Free, boat ride 80 yuan) Take a paddle boat through reed marshes and encounter white egrets taking flight. The rockery at Gaozhang and the teahouse at Qiuxue Nunnery make you feel like you're in the movie "If You Are the One"! 2️⃣ Deshou Palace Site Museum (Free) Wear Hanfu to take "Song Dynasty-style photos," with AR projections recreating the splendor of Lin'an City. The blue light wall at Cifu Palace is an instant social media hit. 3️⃣ Tianzi Di Mountain Adventure Park (120 yuan entrance fee) The Zilong Gorge high-altitude rafting is super thrilling! The Snow Leopard roller coaster plunges from the mountaintop, sending screams echoing through the valley. The late-blooming cherry blossoms in Wanying Xinghé haven't faded yet, with pink and white petals covering your shoulders. 4️⃣ Houren Street Night Market (Free) Experience AR flight in a 1:1 airplane model, traveling through thunderclouds in 15 minutes! Downstairs, enjoy Pian'er Chuan with fried dough for just 20 yuan per person. 5️⃣ Wuliu Lane Historic District (Free) Try the thin-skinned, fresh-filled shrimp wontons at Zhao Baomei Pastry Shop, paint a round fan at Pingjiashanyi Shop, and pass by ladies in qipaos as you turn the corner. 🏨 Accommodation Recommendations 🏨 Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake Features: Villa suites hidden among bamboo groves, private hot spring pools with views of Leifeng Pagoda's reflection. The rooftop restaurant's Longjing tea-flavored chicken is so aromatic even the bones taste like tea! Reason to stay: Staff kneel down to speak with you, even the hair dryers are Dyson custom models—luxury experience at its finest! 🚌 Transportation Guide ✔️ Subway + Shared Bikes: Take Line 1 to Longxiang Bridge and cycle around West Lake, Line 4 goes directly to Lingyin Temple. ✔️ Water Bus Line 7 (3 yuan): From Baziqiao to Meihuabei, a 40-minute slow cruise along the Eastern River to experience the everyday life of old Hangzhou. ✔️ Avoid Pitfalls: West Lake scenic area has odd-even license plate restrictions on weekends! Using Gaode Maps is faster than Didi for taxis, and drivers will tell you "taking Nanshan Road avoids traffic jams." 💡 Anti-Scam Guide ❶ For love blessings at Lingyin Temple, buy three incense sticks (there are free incense points at the entrance) ❷ Buy Songcheng performance tickets 2 hours in advance, second row center offers the best view ❸ Electric carts at Xixi Wetland cost 50 yuan per person, package tickets are more economical ❹ For silk products, only trust "Wensli" official stores, don't believe touts at scenic spots! 🍜 Culinary Delights 1️⃣ West Lake Vinegar Fish: Lou Wai Lou's vinegar aroma is more intoxicating than perfume, with fish so tender it slips off your chopsticks! 2️⃣ Scallion Buns: Freshly baked by old vendors on Hefang Street with crispy crusts that crumble, filled with fried dough sticks and sweet-spicy sauce—a carb bomb of happiness! 3️⃣ Pian'er Chuan: Kuiyuan Restaurant's crisp bamboo shoots and pickled vegetable soup base so delicious you'll finish three bowls! 4️⃣ Dingsheng Cake: Freshly steamed by girls on Hefang Street, with red bean paste that bursts in your mouth, one bite instantly revitalizes you! 5️⃣ Longjing Shrimp: Zhiwei Restaurant's shrimp are so bouncy they could be used for ping pong, with tea fragrance permeating every fiber! 💰 Expense List (per person reference) 🏠 Accommodation: Four Seasons West Lake 2,500+ yuan/night, Qingzhiwu Guesthouse 400+ yuan/night 🍜 Dining: Regular meals 80-200 yuan, snacks 10-30 yuan 🎫 Tickets: Lingyin Temple 45 yuan, Songcheng + performance 280 yuan, Xixi Wetland 80 yuan 🚇 Transportation: Subway average 10 yuan/day, water bus 3 yuan/trip 🎁 Souvenirs: West Lake lotus root powder 35 yuan/box, Zhiwei Restaurant pastries 68 yuan/box 🌈 Why Visit Hangzhou in May? Because it offers— 🌿 Spring-limited romance: Roses dyeing white walls pink, fresh sprouts scenting the Longjing tea mountains 🎑 Exciting collision of ancient and modern: Time travel at Songcheng, AR history at Deshou Palace, LABUBU exhibitions bringing anime culture to life 🍃 24-hour non-stop joy: Morning yoga by West Lake, afternoon daydreaming in canal-side cafes, late-night tipsy adventures in the bar district 🛍️ Shopping happiness: From hundred-yuan silk scarves to thousand-yuan tea cakes, there's always something to make you swipe your card