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Make time for a little romance in Jiangjia
By Xu Wenwen |
December 19, 2011, Monday
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JIANGJIA Romance Town features lovely scenery and a museum about the "underwater palace," writes Xu Wenwen.
Jiangjia Romance Town in Hangzhou is a quaint place known for the Longchuanwan Scenic Area, a couple of hotels that are a throwback to the Mao Zedong era and Lion Town Museum.
Longchuanwan Scenic Area, with admission of 100 yuan (US$15.76), includes a crystal clear lake, forests, gently sloped hills and abundant couch grass.
The best season to visit the scenic area is late autumn, when the leaves on maple trees turn a rusty orange and the couch grass glitters like tinsel. In the early winter it's still possible to catch a glimpse of this beautiful scene before all the leaves fall off the trees.
Manghuayang is a popular scenic spot. At sunset, the couch grass looks red because of the orange sunlight and the unique red clay in the southeast Qiandao Lake area.
Lion Town Museum opened in October. Its claim to fame is its scale model of Lion Town, which was submerged underwater in 1959 when Xin'an River Reservoir was established.
The town, known as the "underwater palace," remains intact under a few meters of water but diving in the area is banned to protect it.
Construction of Lion Town started in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) although most of the buildings were built in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
When the reservoir was built, 28 towns, including Lion Town, were submerged underwater along with 1,377 villages and almost 50,000 acres of farmland. About 290,000 people were relocated for the project in Chun'an County, Hangzhou.
Lion Town Museum features traditional black-and-white southern-China architecture.
The mini Lion Town model was made using historical documents, photographs, sonar and based on interviews of former residents.
The museum also has an ancient map of the town and more than 800 old photographs of its buildings and people. A video explains the town's history to visitors.
The museum also includes a small lake and a garden.
A short walk from the museum is Kuiwen Pagoda. Standing 45 meters, people can get some nice views of the museum and the surrounding area.
Also popular with tourists is the 70 People's Commune and 80 People's Commune, which are two hotels.
People's communes were the highest of three administrative levels in rural areas between 1958 and 1985 before they were replaced by townships.
70 People's Commune is a decent hotel with slogans from the 1970s. Chairman Mao's quotations appear everywhere and many are boldly illustrated just like in the old days.
The hotel displays many items that only existed during that time such as honorary credentials to youths "who were active and went to the mountainous areas and countryside," Mao badges and books with Mao's quotes.
In 80 People's Commune, traditional farm tools such as a stone mill, wooden wheelbarrow and wooden oil press are displayed in a hall in front of its youth hostel.
Guests at these two hotels do not need to pay the 100 yuan entry fee for Longchuanwan Scenic Area.
Jiangjia Romance Town is also close to Qinchuan Ancient Town, which boasts many old buildings, including one dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
Jiangjia Romance Town in Hangzhou is a quaint place known for the Longchuanwan Scenic Area, a couple of hotels that are a throwback to the Mao Zedong era and Lion Town Museum.
Longchuanwan Scenic Area, with admission of 100 yuan (US$15.76), includes a crystal clear lake, forests, gently sloped hills and abundant couch grass.
The best season to visit the scenic area is late autumn, when the leaves on maple trees turn a rusty orange and the couch grass glitters like tinsel. In the early winter it's still possible to catch a glimpse of this beautiful scene before all the leaves fall off the trees.
Manghuayang is a popular scenic spot. At sunset, the couch grass looks red because of the orange sunlight and the unique red clay in the southeast Qiandao Lake area.
Lion Town Museum opened in October. Its claim to fame is its scale model of Lion Town, which was submerged underwater in 1959 when Xin'an River Reservoir was established.
The town, known as the "underwater palace," remains intact under a few meters of water but diving in the area is banned to protect it.
Construction of Lion Town started in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) although most of the buildings were built in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
When the reservoir was built, 28 towns, including Lion Town, were submerged underwater along with 1,377 villages and almost 50,000 acres of farmland. About 290,000 people were relocated for the project in Chun'an County, Hangzhou.
Lion Town Museum features traditional black-and-white southern-China architecture.
The mini Lion Town model was made using historical documents, photographs, sonar and based on interviews of former residents.
The museum also has an ancient map of the town and more than 800 old photographs of its buildings and people. A video explains the town's history to visitors.
The museum also includes a small lake and a garden.
A short walk from the museum is Kuiwen Pagoda. Standing 45 meters, people can get some nice views of the museum and the surrounding area.
Also popular with tourists is the 70 People's Commune and 80 People's Commune, which are two hotels.
People's communes were the highest of three administrative levels in rural areas between 1958 and 1985 before they were replaced by townships.
70 People's Commune is a decent hotel with slogans from the 1970s. Chairman Mao's quotations appear everywhere and many are boldly illustrated just like in the old days.
The hotel displays many items that only existed during that time such as honorary credentials to youths "who were active and went to the mountainous areas and countryside," Mao badges and books with Mao's quotes.
In 80 People's Commune, traditional farm tools such as a stone mill, wooden wheelbarrow and wooden oil press are displayed in a hall in front of its youth hostel.
Guests at these two hotels do not need to pay the 100 yuan entry fee for Longchuanwan Scenic Area.
Jiangjia Romance Town is also close to Qinchuan Ancient Town, which boasts many old buildings, including one dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).
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