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September 20, 2011

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Flowers of autumn in full bloom

By Xu Wenwen | September 20, 2011, Tuesday | Print Edition

HANGZHOU'S landscape is transformed in autumn by fall-blooming flowers and foliage turning gold, orange and red. And luscious orange persimmons are ripe.

The foliage of the deciduous phoenix trees along city roads is changing colors to orange and bronze and red. Summer-blooming lotuses begin to dry up in the West Lake, creating a scene of solemn beauty. Elsewhere the autumn flowers are opening up, such as sweet osmanthus, wild chrysanthemum and reed catkins.

Shanghai Daily takes a look at the scenic areas and parks of Hangzhou where visitors can appreciate the colors of autumn. In some parks, such as Huapu Park, there are flowers all year round.

Reed catkins and persimmon @ Xixi Wetland

Southwest of Hangzhou in Xixi Wetland, the silvery reed catkins are blowing in the breeze. Ripe persimmons hang on trees that have already lost their leaves.

The annual Xixi Persimmon Festival got underway, running through October 15. Visitors can pick persimmons, appreciate the catkins, ducks, geese and wetland scenery by boat. The wetland covers around 12 square kilometers.

The landscape is especially beautiful when the catkins turn gold in the setting sun. Dusk is a perfect time for a boat ride.

How to get there:

Take buses No. K193, K319, 356, 506 or Y13 to Zhoujia Village.

Chrysanthemum @ Lin'an

In autumn, small wild chrysanthemums bloom everywhere in the Taihuyuan Scenic Area at the southern foot of Tianmu Mountain in Lin'an City. It lures hikers and photographers because of its scenery, and diners who want to enjoy chrysanthemum meals.

Wild chrysanthemum dots mountains and streams, and chrysanthemum dishes are a famous local attraction.

In traditional Chinese medicine, chrysanthemum is considered a cold (yin energy) herb that balances heat (yang energy) in the human body. Chrysanthemum tea is famous. Chrysanthemum porridge and hotpot are also well known. The hotpot is made with chicken, fish and fresh chrysanthemum petals with a delicate fragrance and flavor.

Tianmu Mountain is also famous for its waterfalls and wild monkeys.

How to get there:

Take a coach to Lin'an West Coach Station, take a taxi to bus stop of No. 16, and take bus No. 16 to Taihuyuan stop.

Admission: One-day package tour costs 85 yuan (US$13) per person; two-day package is 158 yuan for each person.



Osmanthus @ Manjuelong Village

Sweet osmanthus is the city flower of Hangzhou.

Manjuelong Village is filled with more than 9,000 fragrant sweet osmanthus trees and shrubs and they are just beginning to bloom in white, yellow, gold and orange.

They will be in full bloom by the end of the month. The fragrance is intensely floral and fruity, often described as exotic, with hits of ripe apricot and peach.

For locals, it's an autumn tradition to visit the hills covered with sweet osmanthus and enjoy the scenery and the fragrance, as well as osmanthus-flavored tea and countryside dishes, many flavored with osmanthus.

Manjuelong Village has three zones - Upper Manjuelong dominated by tea trees, Lower Manjuelong filled with osmanthus and Siyanjing, which features quaint restaurants and youth hostels.

In addition to wandering under the osmanthus trees in the village, tourists can visit nearby attractions.

Yangmei Hill is a small hill of tea bushes that embraces a small village where houses have white-washed walls and black-tile roofs. The landscape is similar to that in better-known Longjing Village, but there's less traffic and far fewer tourists.

Jiuxi (Nine Streams) originates in Yangmei Hill, flows in Hangzhou's west mountains and empties into the Qiantang River.

How to get there:

Take buses No. K4, K808, J9, 315 or J5 to Hupao Road or Manjuelong Road.



Flowers galore @ Huapu Park

This garden is near the West Lake and the famous tea production area Longjing Village. There is something in bloom all year.

The area is covered with small ponds and inlets from the West Lake, and there are many goldfish in the water. The landscape is beautifully manicured, with carefully tended gardens, bonsai trees, bamboo groves, small pavilions and traditional stone bridges.

Because of the greenery and flowers, the garden is fragrant and cool.

How to get there:

Take buses No. 527, K194, Y5, J9 or J1 to HuapuPark stop.

Hangzhou


 

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