Hangzhou | Lingyin Temple and West Lake

Hangzhou is the most beautiful city in China and the final stop on our trip to China last November. A three-hour drive south of Shanghai, it is the wealthiest city in China. With a population of "only" 4 million, with some lovely wooded areas and a large, beautiful lake (West Lake), most western tourists will feel more at home here. Hangzhou is a worthwhile destination to include on your trip to China.

Lingyin Temple, one of the largest Buddhist temples of China, is located outside the city. We spent our two nights in Hangzhou at Amanfayun, an Aman resort adjacent to Lingyin Temple. I took the above picture during an early morning walk around the temple grounds. I was captured by the soft dawn light falling on this small statue of the Buddha. Of course, there is a large Buddha inside the main temple, as well as some stone carvings of Buddha that survived the Cultural Revolution.

West Lake is the large lake in the western section of Hangzhou. We enjoyed a boat ride around the picturesque lake, a fitting way to conclude our trip to China. Alongside our boat was a second boat with two Mandolin players who serenaded us during our cruise. The new Four Seasons Hangzhou is located right on West Lake and is one of the most beautiful Four Seasons hotels I have ever seen.

How to get there: Hangzhou can be reached from air from many cities in China and also has direct flights to/from Hong Kong.


Hangzhou (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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