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Actually Hangzhou is a garden city with numerous spots for fantastic...
My Top 10 List may serve as a practical guide if you visit Hangzhou for the first time and don’t have much time searching on the field for the best photogenic opportunities on your short Hangzhou Tour.
For sunset aficionados, you are now on the right place! Sunset over the West Lake was listed as one of the 12 super sunset spots around the world published by CNN on May 30, 2014. That said, where is the best spot for sunset photography in Hangzhou?
There are two ideal places where you can shoot awesome sunset pictures – Changqiao Park and the No.01 Park of the Lakeside Park which are both located along the West Lake. Changqiao Park (长桥公园) is on the southeast corner of the West Lake.
In the park, there is a pavilion known as “Xizhao Pavilion” and “Xizhao” literally means “Sunset Glow” in Chinese, which is the best place to shoot the sunset over Leifeng Pagoda, hence the classical scene “Sunset over Leifeng Pagoda”.
The another equally ideal location for snapping the spectacular sunset is the No.01 Park of the Lakeside Park. The Lakeside Park (湖滨公园) comprises 6 sub parks, namely No.01 – No.6 parks with a length of 1000 meters along the east shoreline of the West Lake which merges with the city center of Hangzhou.
The No.01 Park is oft-lauded as the living room of Hangzhou, showcasing the beauty of the West Lake at a most visited and prominent area which is linked to Jiefang Road and Yan’an Road, the two most commercial streets in Hangzhou. Standing on the river edge of No.01 Park, set up your camera and patiently wait for the fantastic moment!
For sunrise enthusiasts, Hangzhou will not let you down neither. There are several sites good for sunrise shooting in Hangzhou. For the best sunrise photo experience, I personally favor Boshishan ( Precious Stone Mountain ), or 宝石山 in Chinese.
Baoshi Shan (Precious Stone Hill), the main body of the North Hill on the northern bank of the West Lake. There are several stone paths winding up to the hill either from the lakeside, or from its north hillside. Baoshi Shan is dotted with unique caves, Buddhist, Taoist shrines and weird stones or rocks. Of course, it is a perfect place to view a sunrise overlooking the downtown and the lake.
Just check online and get to know sunrise time in Hangzhou on a particular day, climb up the cobbled pathway with stone steps leading to the top rock place overlooking the slender Baoshu Pagoda and the West Lake.
It takes about 10 minutes’walk to clamber up a view point on a rock, where you will find many sunrise lovers waiting on several high places waiting for the sunrise.
High-rise buildings are not allowed to be erected around the UNESCO crowned West Lake. But you still have some opportunities for panoramic photography of the West Lake and Hangzhou as a whole. There are three good options – taking pictures from Baoshi Hill, Leifeng Pagoda or Wu Hill (Wushan).
Leifeng Pagoda is situated on the Sunset Hill on the southern edge of the West Lake. First built in 975 AD, it was made of brick and wood with its base built out of bricks. On the afternoon of September 25, 1924, the pagoda finally collapsed due to disrepair. The new tower was rebuilt and opened on 25 October 2002. It has four sightseeing elevators, and modern facilities including air conditioners in the Pagoda, TV and speakers.
A huge iron and steel structure is built on the original base of the pagoda which has been kept in good condition. At the entrance to the pagoda there is one autonomous escalator to take visitors to up to the pagoda’s base. The four sightseeing elevators take visitors up to different floors for a bird-eye view of the West Lake and the city.
Biking around the 15km West Lake or taking a stroll along part of its lake shoreline is a must for the first time visitors coming to Hangzhou.
On your circular lake tour, you have many photogenic opportunities for the great shots of the charming West Lake changing with lights and colors made at different time of a day and in different seasons of a year. People have their own favorite spots for interesting photos of the world famous lake.
Beishan Jie literally means in Chinese “Northern Hill Street (北山街)”, also known as Beishan Road or Beishan Street in English. It lies between the Precious Stone Hill (宝石山) and the Northern Inner West Lake (北里西湖), a 3km long asphalt road starting from the Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge (断桥) to Yanggong Di Causeway.
On its northern side is the Precious Stone Hill (宝石山) with the slender spire of Baoshu Pagoda on its top. Between the Beishan Road and the Precious Stone Hill ( Baoshi Hill) is teeming with the old mixed style of west and Chinese villas and historical sites on the base and the slope as well. Most of the buildings are the former celebrity homes and residences from the military, the government and the business circle in the 1920s.
Today, part of the old houses have been revamped and turned into trendy and fashionable bars and cafes. They also offer western food. Wandering the Beishan Street, you are immersed in the mesmerizing view of the lake, bridges, arch plane trees, the causeway, the Gushan Island where the “wife and crane son” happened.
So strolling along Beishan Road allows you to travel back in time to the old days and at the same time you have an ideal location to catch the natural beauty of the West Lake.
The West Lake is the illustrious drawcard in Hangzhou. Walking on the edge of the West Lake in the early morning gives you much serenity while an evening stroll allows you to enjoy a casino-like wonderland.
Normally the West Lake will be lit up on weekend evenings from Friday through Sunday, a great time to appreciate the beauty of the West Lake when it sparkles. You will have a lot of photography opportunities and at the same time you should prepare for possible crowds and people watch due to a lot of foot traffic.
One of the best spot to take a spectacular night photo of the West Lake is the Broken Bridge (断桥) where you can have a fantastic view of the brightly lit Baoshu Hill topped by its slim Baoshu Pagoda and the bridge itself turns into a fairyland.
Spring in Hangzhou starts in March. Although spring is considered as the most beautiful season, it is highly variable, with frequent rain and alternating spells of warmth and cold. Walking along the West Lake, you could see the primroses waking up one after another.
Against the backdrop of the green leaves, petals are white like snow. How fascinating it is! Note: The best time to see the peach flower blossoms falls on late March and early April.
As a garden city, Hangzhou has plenty of gardens and parks which fight for blossoms when spring comes. For me, the Bai Causeway is the best spot to appreciate peach flowers which are beautified by the budding and green willow trees planted side by side, creating a dazzling colors of red and green.
Just walking from the Broken Bridge (断桥) to Gushan Island (孤山) along the pedestrian only causeway, you will have many candid good photos of the green belt of the flowers and the tender West Lake.
Summer in Hangzhou starts in June, through July and August. In spite of being hot, sticky,buggy and humid, summer is the peak season for tourism in Hangzhou due to school holidays. Summers experience torrential rain quite frequently.
All this doesn’t deter tourists flock to the garden city, one of the most livable cities in China. Merciless summer sun is softened by the brilliant lotus flowers waking up in the ponds and parks in and around Hangzhou, presenting their beauty in the hot and humid weather. Shooting the pure and elegant lotus flower is many photographers’ desire whenever they have the chance.
There are around 500 varieties of lotus in bloom at the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard (Qu Yuan Feng He), Guo Mansion (Guo Zhuang), Hangzhou Botanic Garden, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (San Tan Yin Yue) and Hupao Garden.
Among the numerous locations for lotus flower shooting, Quyuanfenghe beats others, attracting many lotus flower enthusiasts to come here for great shots. “Quyuanfenghe” literally means ” Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Crooked Courtyard”.
Autumn in Hangzhou is regarded as the most beautiful and fragrant season. You can smell a rich fragrance of Osmanthus while walking along the street. Autumn is generally sunny and dry, and the foliage season is in November. You can have a cruise on the West Lake in autumn.
You are kindly advised to skip over China National Holiday on October 1-7 when you plan your Hangzhou tour, since there are so many people during that time. Hangzhou’s fall foliage comes much later than the cities in the northern China such as Beijing (Mid-October – Mid-November). The local leaf peeping time starts at the end of November and the best fall foliage time falls on the whole December.
Hangzhou doesn’t lack the spots for wedding photos given its numerous gardens and landscapes around the West Lake. The most ideal place for wedding photography for many new couples would be Tai Zi Wan Park ( Prince Bay Park ) on the south of the West Lake.
Prince Bay Park is one of the most beautiful gardens in the West Lake Scenic Area. It is a garden with natural and man-made beauty. On one hand, it is a traditional Chinese landscaped garden with small rivers, charming pavilions, streams and ponds; on the other hand, it is modernly mixed with elegant western style of landscaping.
The locals, specially the young people come to this romantic place to get married, express love or hold other intimate gatherings. The park is also an ideal setting for wedding photography.
Hangzhou is an ancient city with a history of 2,200 years, well-known as one of the 6 major ancient capitals in the Chinese history. Hangzhou served as China’s capital during the Southern Song Dynasty ( 1127 -1279) .
The two main traditional and cultural streets form a pedestrian block, a revamped area formed during the former prime time of the Southern Song Dynast(1127–1279) when Hangzhou served as its capital about 800 years ago.
you are highly recommended to take a stroll along the Hefang Street (Qinghefang) and Zhongshan Road. The Qinghefang Street (清河坊) and Zhongshan Road Block （中山路 feed your eyes on the traditional Song Dynasty architecture s as well as the Western style buildings constructed in the years between 1912 and 1945 when China was governed by Kuomintang, the Chinese Nationalist Party. Check out Hangzhou Pedestrian Streets.
You will shop, dine and entertain in a healthy, pleasant car free outdoor activities. Strolling around the two areas give you a sense of traveling back to the old days in Hangzhou, an interesting opportunity to snap great shots.
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Hangzhou Guided Tours:
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