TRAVEL, to some extent, means to explore places of interest, local cuisine and sometimes, shows that are unique and exclusive to a particular destination.

Hangzhou boasts fabulous scenery, a rich history, and three cultural shows that explain the history and customs of the city. They are "Impression West Lake," "Romance of the Song Dynasty" and "The Night of West Lake." They are often dubbed the three "golden name cards" of the city.

The shows are a great option when you don't feel like doing a lot of walking and traveling.

'The Night of West Lake'

This performance staged every evening at Dongpo Theater is a gala show that involves dance, acrobatics, kung fu and operas while introducing Hangzhou culture to spectators. Considering the theater is smaller than the one in Songcheng Park, "The Night of West Lake" allows spectators to be closer to the actors.

The show begins with a kung fu combination, which tells the history of ancient general Yue Fei as well, and the second act that consists of all kinds of traditional Chinese acrobatics is themed with the folk culture of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when amusing performances were prevalent in the capital city.

The next scene tells the romance of "Butterfly Lovers," a Chinese version of "Romeo and Juliet." In the story, Zhu Yingtai is an intelligent young woman who disguises herself as a young man in school because the traditions of that era discourage females from going to school. She meets Liang Shanbo, a young student whose family is poor.

They study together for the next three years at a school in Hangzhou. Finally Liang discovers that Zhu is a woman and they fall in love. However, Zhu's parents have already arranged for her to marry a rich man. Liang is heartbroken and dies later, and Zhu kills herself at Liang's tomb, while their spirits turn into a pair of beautiful butterflies, never to be separated again. The show depicts their love with two dancers dancing behind a scene of lasers. Two aerialists swirling in the air explain the ending of the story.

The fourth act is comprised of several dances popular in southern China, while the last act is a classical Buddhist dance featuring nearly 20 dancers and amazing choreography.

Date: 7pm every evening

Address: 10 Dongpo Road

Tel: (0571) 8708-5997

Ticket: 160-280 yuan

'Impression West Lake'

Once upon a time, there lived a scholar named Xu Xian who met a beautiful woman by the Broken Bridge at West Lake. Unknown to him, the lady was a 1,000-year-old snake that had taken on human form.

She was the little white snake he had saved many years ago and she had returned to repay his kindness by marrying him. They fell in love and got married. However, their union was forbidden by nature laws and the couple was separated by a monk who cast the white snake into a deep well at a pagoda.

This timeless tale lingers around West Lake like mist on the water. When night falls, the delicate veil pulls apart and draws visitors into a magical world of music, light and dance where performers bring to life an adaptation of the legendary Madam White Snake.

Produced by famed director Zhang Yimou, "Impression West Lake" is a musical in five acts performed on the surface of West Lake.

During the musical, colorful lights swirl across the water as dancers dressed in ancient costumes step on to a stage immersed 3 centimeters below the lake surface, with the melancholic voice of Jane Zhang, a popular singer in China and music arranged by world-renowned Japanese composer Kitaro.

The show starts with the meeting of Madam White Snake and Xu Xian at the Broken Bridge, where the couple first met according to the legend.

Act Two begins with their wedding - performers entering the scene with brightly lit fish-and-lotus lanterns, while friends and relatives arrive at a floating house on a boat to celebrate.

Yet this happy event is destroyed when woe descends on the couple in Act Three, with the capture of Madam White Snake. Performers dressed in black raincoats play a fast vigorous rhythm with their water drums as brilliant flashes of light are reflected in the water splashes. Madam White Snake desperately tries to escape while her husband is distressed at losing her. A white tower of mist rises above the water, and the couple perform their final dance together before Madam White Snake bids her husband a final farewell.

Left alone in Act Four, Xu wanders aimlessly in grief as he recalls the rainy day of their first meeting.

Amid the rain, Act Five begins with the couple dancing separately, their moves mirroring one another despite being invisible to each other, shrouded by the mist. Xu sets off in a boat to pursue the remnants of their love, long faded into a dream.

Date: Daily, 7:45pm, 9:15pm

Address: 82 Beishan Road

Tel: (0571) 8510-9787

Tickets: 260-600 yuan

'Romance of the Song Dynasty'

"Romance of the Song Dynasty" is a large-scale performance that depicts the trials and tribulations of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in establishing its capital city in Lin'an, now Hangzhou.

The one-hour show is performed nightly in Songcheng Park, and the theater has a seating capacity of 3,000.

Hangzhou, known as one of China's eight major ancient capitals, was founded around 2,200 years ago during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and served as the capital of a number of dynasties.

It flourished during the Southern Song Dynasty, a vibrant period with rich art and cultural development. People enjoyed festivals, social clubs, dancing, theater, puppet shows and other entertainment.

This festival atmosphere of ancient times comes to life in "Romance of the Song Dynasty," a live performance with dancers and jaw-dropping acrobatic feats.

It portrays Song Dynasty soldiers fighting off the threatening Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) from northern China. It depicts the assassination of the famous general Yu Fei, a Song Dynasty officer, who falls in a snowy battlefield.

The performance features some of China's greatest achievements, such as the invention of gunpowder and use of cannons.

The importance of the tea industry to what is now Hangzhou is also recognized. During the Song Dynasty tea was mainly used to trade for horses, which the Song Dynasty needed in its constant battles with the Jin Dynasty.

It certainly does impress - glitzy costumes, use of new media to set the scene, extravagant props, live horses and real cannons really do blow you away.

It's also a concise and colorful story of how Hangzhou came to be, and you don't need to know Chinese to grasp what's going on - the images, movement and feeling say it all.

Date: Three shows nightly

Venue: Songcheng Park, 148 Zhijang Road

Tel: (0571) 8731-3101

Ticket: 180-200 yuan