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Jaw-dropping show, delicious tea and beguiling night market
December 4, 2009, Friday
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NEW Zealander Cushla Norman takes a quick trip to Hangzhou and savors a spectacular performance about its history, takes in the tea museum and strolls through the lively night market on historic Hefang Street.
Hangzhou's just the place for a laid-back weekend. Visitors can bargain-hunt for knickknacks, shop for tea or silk along historic Hefang Street and visit the Tea Museum on Longjing Road.
In the evening, they can head to Song Town Park and watch "Romance of the Song Dynasty," or hang out with the locals in Wushan Square for dancing and exercise.
Then a massage awaits at one of many spas. It's a great girls' getaway, and guys like it as well.
'Romance of theSong 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 Song Town Park.
Hangzhou, known as one of China's eight 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 especially flourished during the Southern Song Dynasty, a vibrant period with rich art and cultural development. People enjoyed festivals, social clubs, music dance, 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 colorful 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 general, 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 needed in its constant battles with the Jin Dynasty.
Promoters call the show one of the world's top three performances, including the Moulin Rouge in Paris and the O Show in Las Vegas.
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.
There are basic subtitles in English, Japanese and Korean.
Date: Three shows nightly
Venue: Song Town Park, 148 Zhijang Rd
Ticket: 180 yuan, includes entrance to the park
Tel: (0571) 8731-3101
Dancing inWushan Square?
In the town square against the backdrop of the Temple of Heavenly Wind on Wushan Hill, you will find about 100 women dancing to the rhythms of China, India and Africa. They do it nightly, from 6pm-9pm, for exercise and friendship. Only inclement weather keeps them away. Children and men are welcome.
Longjing tea
Since ancient times the Longjing (Dragon Well) tea and the water of Hupao (Tiger Running Spring) have made what many consider the perfect tea. Endless tea plantations stretch form Longjing Road, just a short bicycle ride in east of the West Lake.
Tea houses abound in Hangzhou, but for the real thing visit the National China Tea Museum on Longjing Road. Green tea is processed by heating leaves to a high temperature to eliminate oxidizing enzymes, kneading and rolling to squeeze out moisture, then drying. The process can be done in four ways - pan-frying, roasting, sun-drying and steaming.
Tea Museum
Date: Tuesday-Sunday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Address: 88 Longjing Rd, Shuangfeng Village
Admission: Free
Tel: (0571) 8796-4222
Hefang Street
This brightly lit night market tries to capture the essence of old Hangzhou, with its old-town feeling and Song Dynasty architectural styles. The historic street is very crowded with tourists. There are more than 100 stores selling tea, Chinese herbal medicine, silk, food and art, but I didn't see many street performers.
I did see one puppeteer and rushed over to watch his peep show. I had read about children watching peep shows before the days of TV, video and computer games and wanted to see it for myself.
While I didn't understand a word of the story, I was entertained by the cheeky pictures and the puppeteer's enthusiasm.
Travel Tips
Take a phrase book or a Chinese friend, as English is not as widely spoken as it is in Shanghai.
Taxis are hard to find between 4pm and 7pm, so book in advance or take other transport.
You can rent a public bike with a deposit of 300 yuan and a one yuan charge per hour. Bikes can be returned to other bike rental spots.
Hangzhou's just the place for a laid-back weekend. Visitors can bargain-hunt for knickknacks, shop for tea or silk along historic Hefang Street and visit the Tea Museum on Longjing Road.
In the evening, they can head to Song Town Park and watch "Romance of the Song Dynasty," or hang out with the locals in Wushan Square for dancing and exercise.
Then a massage awaits at one of many spas. It's a great girls' getaway, and guys like it as well.
'Romance of theSong 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 Song Town Park.
Hangzhou, known as one of China's eight 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 especially flourished during the Southern Song Dynasty, a vibrant period with rich art and cultural development. People enjoyed festivals, social clubs, music dance, 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 colorful 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 general, 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 needed in its constant battles with the Jin Dynasty.
Promoters call the show one of the world's top three performances, including the Moulin Rouge in Paris and the O Show in Las Vegas.
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.
There are basic subtitles in English, Japanese and Korean.
Date: Three shows nightly
Venue: Song Town Park, 148 Zhijang Rd
Ticket: 180 yuan, includes entrance to the park
Tel: (0571) 8731-3101
Dancing inWushan Square?
In the town square against the backdrop of the Temple of Heavenly Wind on Wushan Hill, you will find about 100 women dancing to the rhythms of China, India and Africa. They do it nightly, from 6pm-9pm, for exercise and friendship. Only inclement weather keeps them away. Children and men are welcome.
Longjing tea
Since ancient times the Longjing (Dragon Well) tea and the water of Hupao (Tiger Running Spring) have made what many consider the perfect tea. Endless tea plantations stretch form Longjing Road, just a short bicycle ride in east of the West Lake.
Tea houses abound in Hangzhou, but for the real thing visit the National China Tea Museum on Longjing Road. Green tea is processed by heating leaves to a high temperature to eliminate oxidizing enzymes, kneading and rolling to squeeze out moisture, then drying. The process can be done in four ways - pan-frying, roasting, sun-drying and steaming.
Tea Museum
Date: Tuesday-Sunday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Address: 88 Longjing Rd, Shuangfeng Village
Admission: Free
Tel: (0571) 8796-4222
Hefang Street
This brightly lit night market tries to capture the essence of old Hangzhou, with its old-town feeling and Song Dynasty architectural styles. The historic street is very crowded with tourists. There are more than 100 stores selling tea, Chinese herbal medicine, silk, food and art, but I didn't see many street performers.
I did see one puppeteer and rushed over to watch his peep show. I had read about children watching peep shows before the days of TV, video and computer games and wanted to see it for myself.
While I didn't understand a word of the story, I was entertained by the cheeky pictures and the puppeteer's enthusiasm.
Travel Tips
Take a phrase book or a Chinese friend, as English is not as widely spoken as it is in Shanghai.
Taxis are hard to find between 4pm and 7pm, so book in advance or take other transport.
You can rent a public bike with a deposit of 300 yuan and a one yuan charge per hour. Bikes can be returned to other bike rental spots.
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