Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page B4

April 6, 2016

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Discovering sights beyond the guidebooks

By Wu Huixin | April 6, 2016, Wednesday | Print Edition

IN almost every corner of the world, there are sights you’ll find in most guidebooks or on online trip advisor websites. They are printed on posters, advertised in travel agencies, and they are quick and easy to find on Baidu or Google. In Jiangxi Province, the rape flower fields of Wuyuan are among those sights, and in Hangzhou, Lingyin Temple is on top of the list for those seeking to worship Buddhism. But often, they have stolen all the limelight from nearby sights that can be equally beautiful and interesting — just with fewer tourists.

Shanghai Daily has taken a look at three off-the-beaten-path attractions.

Taizhou City
台州市

Hangzhou’s Buddhist temple is famous, but Zhejiang Province’s second Buddhist shrine in Taizhou’s Tiantai County is also worth a visit, last but not the least because the Fahua Sect originated from this temple. The sect, also named Tiantai Sect, is an important school of Buddhist teachings in China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

One of the county’s most popular sights is Guoqing Temple. Experts believe that it could date as far back as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618) when the then sovereigns encouraged the spread of Buddhism across the country. Later, in the early Qing Dynasty, the royal court rejuvenated the temple.

The temple is listed as one of China’s top four Buddhist temples to visit.

In addition to religious sites, Taizhou also boasts gorgeous natural landscapes. Gongyu Village is sometimes referred to as “the last Shangri-la in east China” due to its secluded location and poetic scenery. The area is often shrouded in mist, which creates a mythical ambience that also makes it a popular backdrop for movies.

The area is surrounded by karst mountains and cliffs. There’s no modern road that connects the village, so visitors have to walk along a narrow, meandering footpath to get to the village. There are also no hotels or restaurants, so bringing a tent and food is necessary.

Nearby is Dalu, a prosperous fishery town. Just 50 years ago, it was a wasteland with little vegetation. The government reclaimed it and deployed volunteers, and today, Dalu is a national top-level fishery harbor and an oceanic forest park.

 

How to get there: G92 Expressway — G15 Expressway — get off at Taizhou exit

Pujiang County 浦江县

Pujiang is one of Zhejiang Province’s small counties that may be small in size but features splendid views and abundant folk customs. The county is trying to allure tourists with its creative industry, its long history of food culture and the natural scenery.

Luoyuan Village used to be an ordinary place where residents lived off the land, but, in order to make it stand out, local authorities instructed painters to decorate the plain homes.

Painters from China Academy of Art brushed houses with colorful paintings and designed 3D pictures on the walls. The whole village now feels like a magical world, and gives visitors the chance to be “Alice in Wonderland.”

After the paintings were done, the village got national attention. Pictures of the homes were widely shared online.

The people of Pujiang have a tradition of making their own noodles for festivals and celebration. The noodles made in Panzhoujia Village can reach 2 meters in length.

Between November and April, every household grinds wheat, kneads dough and stretches the noodles. Noodles hang from ceilings, roofs and racks.

In addition to noodles, Pujiang also has a long tradition of making tofu skin, which is a common food ingredient in Zhejian cuisine.

Zhengzhai Town has produced tofu skins for more than 1,200 years. Locally sourced soybeans are ground into soybean milk, and then heated until it congeals. A sheet of tofu skin is picked up and then dried.

 

How to get there: S2 Expressway — G60 Expressway — get off at Pujiang exit

Kaihua County 开化县

The county is located on the border of Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces. Qiantang River, which runs through the provinces, originates here.

Influenced by Anhui Province for centuries, the county features Hui-style folklore and architecture. There are lush, centuries-old forests and vast flower fields that bloom in spring.

The first attraction here is Huitai Hill. It’s also referred to as the Potala Palace of Jiangnan (region in the south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River) because of its terraced appearance that resembles the famous palace.

Locals have built houses on the terraced slopes, which finally formed the present-day Potala-like scenery.

Now, the little “Potala” is covered with blooming rape seed flowers, shrouded in the fog typical for this region.

Not far from Huitai Hill is Xiashan Ancient Town, which boasts more than 360 Hui-style antique buildings from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Most villagers here are surnamed Zheng and Wang, descendants of General Zheng Ping of the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280) and Chancellor Wang Hua of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). Until today, residents follow ancient customs and worship their ancestors.

Since the town is situated at the junction of the three provinces, it evolved into a transportation hub where a large number of merchants used to stop on their way to transport timber from Anhui and Jiangxi to Hangzhou.

Unlike other old towns that developed commercially to cash in on tourism, Xiashan still has preserved its original appearance and idyllic life style.

 

How to get there: G25 Expressway — G60 Expressway — G3 Expressway — get off at Kaihua exit

Hangzhou


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend