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February 26, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

‘Little West Lake’ has pretty scenery, good food

By Wu Huixin | February 26, 2014, Wednesday | Print Edition

Kaixuan Road connects Jiefang Road to the south and Genshan Road to the north. The name of the road means “return in triumph” in Chinese. The road has more of a residential character than other commercially prosperous thoroughfares in Hangzhou.

One of the prime attractions along the road is Huajiachi, or Hua’s Pond, a lake located inside the Huajiachi campus of Zhejiang University. It has been called “Little West Lake” due to its beautiful scenery since ancient times.

There are two different stories about the possible origin of the lake’s name. The first is that during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the lake belonged to a rich merchant surnamed Hua. Afterward, though the wealthy Hua family declined with time, the name stuck.

The second is a legend that says long ago, the location of the lake was a wasteland. A court official surnamed Hua bought the land and called upon poor farmers to reclaim it.

Hua promised that farmers could grow crops on the land and he would not collect rent for 10 years if they helped bring the land under cultivation. The deal attracted many penniless peasants, including San Kou and his parents.

Three years later, when Hua returned to the land, he surprisingly found the large sterile tract had returned to fertility thanks to the farmers’ ploughing and weeding. He decided to build luxurious buildings on the land and expelled the farmers.

San and his parents attempted to resist, to no avail. San’s parents were killed by Hua’s thugs and San was drowned in a smallpond on the land.

Years later, Hua’s splendid pavilion was completed. On the day of celebrating the completion of the large complex, the small pond suddenly grew into a big lake. A dragon flew out of the lake and swallowed up all the construction.

Everything was plunged into the lake, including Hua himself. The farmers named the lake Hua’s Pond.

In 1934, Zhejiang Agriculture University (present-day Zhejiang University) erected buildings around the lake, adding academic ambience to the landscape. The Huajiachi campus was listed by National Cultural Geography magazine as being among China’s top 66 most beautiful campuses.

Shanghai Daily paid a visit to the lake and found three attractions nearby, a cafe, a flower shop and a grilled seafood eatery.

  Qunji Cafe

Besides serving coffee and food, Qunji also sells coffee machines, coffee beans and other equipment related to coffee.

The second floor of the two-story cafe has a cozy decor with leather sofas. Customers can sip coffee while enjoying the scenery of Huajiachi.

The first floor has an exhibition space displaying many kinds of coffee machines, with prices ranging from 400 yuan to 30,000 yuan (US$66 to US$4,935). Some feature old styles while others have chic designs.

The coffee beans on sale are freshly transported from Colombia, Brazil and African countries. Ground coffee is also available for sale.

Address: 369 Kaixuan Rd

Tel: (0571) 8803-5183

  Senhe Garden Center

This is more than a simple flower shop. Senhe Garden is a professional landscape design company. This shop is an outlet displaying the company’s design works and selling freshly picked flowers and other horticultural goods.

The biggest item in the shop is its green plant wall. The wall is movable and includes a growing medium and nutrients for plants. Plants chosen by buyers are planted on the wall, where they grow densely, making it look like a thick green mat.

Many companies buy the plant walls and put them inside office rooms to purify the air and create a relaxing environment. The plants growing on the wall will last more than six months. However, it is a bit pricey — 3,500 yuan per square meter.     

Address: 383 Kaixuan Rd

  Bo You Scallop King

This eatery is known as “Hangzhou’s King of Scallops.” The restaurant is small, and the prices are higher than average. Six grilled oysters cost 45 yuan, six scallops 40 yuan and one small abalone 10 yuan.

Grilled scallops are its most famous dish. The scallops are marinated in salt, garlic, fermented soybean sauce, white alcohol spirits, white pepper and starch, and blended with Chinese vermicelli. The scallops are then put on the grill and roasted.

The eatery is so popular among diners that it is packed even at midnight. Plates of grilled scallops, oysters and abalone are popular among those who party late into the night.

Address: 262-15 Kaixuan Rd

Hangzhou


 

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