HANGZHOU has much more to see than the West Lake. Here are six trips that will give visitors a deeper understanding of Hangzhou and nearby cities.

Route 1: Main leisure parks

This route involves entertainment venues such as World Leisure Expo Park, Hangzhou Paradise Park, Hangzhou Polar Ocean Park and Hangzhou Oriental Culture Park.

Hangzhou Paradise Park next to the World Leisure Expo Park is a water amusement park. Asides from the usual water park fun, there is also bungee jumping, rock climbing, a pirate ship and a space swing ride. There's also a hot spring, tennis courts and a golf course.

Hangzhou Polar Ocean Park is in the Xiang Lake Zone in Xiaoshan District. Expect to see animals such as a polar bear, wolves, sea lions, arctic foxes and even a dolphin.

Hangzhou Oriental Culture Park in Xiaoshan is arranged according to the Eight Trigrams of ancient Chinese philosophy. The park combines Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist elements. A 2,728-meter-long corridor decorated with colorful paintings passes through the whole park.

Route 2: Leisure sceneries

This route takes people to Hangzhou's famous attractions such as West Lake, Xiang Lake, Xixi Wetland, Grand Canal, Qiantang River, Qiandao Lake, Xin'an River, Tianmu Mountain and Zhuji City.

Many are already widely known, while Zhuji, a small city south of Hangzhou, is off the radar of most tourists, but provides a nice place for a weekend getaway.

The most prestigious scenic site in Zhuji is Wuxie Waterfall, which boasts five grand waterfalls and lots of smaller ones that pour down from the mountains that are 1,000 meters high. In addition, the city is known for quality pearls and socks.

Route 3: Evening of leisure

The city boasts 17 night markets and Shanghai Daily finds the best are: Zhongshan Road S. Night Market, Wushan Night Market and Hefang Street Night Market.

The Zhongshan Road S. Night Market is at the southern end of the Southern Song Imperial Street on Zhongshan Road, which offers dozens of snack stalls as well as a group of restaurants.

Chinese cuisine of almost all flavors, including spicy dishes from the southwest, seafood from the southeast and nomadic barbecues from the northwest, can be found on the street.

Wushan Night Market between Renhe and Huixing roads in urban Hangzhou is a meeting place for the city's fashionable young people.

It is a trendy commodity market containing more than 400 booths. One can find many things including: clothes, shoes, bags, clocks, lighters, computer accessories, DVDs, jewelry, porcelain, cosmetics and hair care products. Expect to spend a couple of hours there.

For tourists to Hangzhou, Hefang Street is often a must, just like West Lake. The street, brings back memories of old Hangzhou, with its quaint buildings, shops, teahouses, snack vendors and restaurants.

The street is open from early morning to late evening, and one can find all kinds of knickknacks, crafts, antiques, clothes, shoes, ethnic clothes and jewelry. Scissors and knives, umbrellas and silk, as well as tea and herbs can also be purchased here.

Route 4: Food and leisure

This route picks up Hangzhou's three food streets along the Grand Canal - Xinyifang Food Street, Shengli River Food Street and Xiaohezhi Street.

Xinyifang Street is an area for midnight snacks. On the street that goes along a branch river of the canal, around half of the establishments are restaurants and snack booths, many selling cheap kebabs. Customers can even sit outdoors.

Another mecca for foodies is Shengli River Food Street south of Xinyifang Street. It only opens in the evening and provides everything from chicken feet and beef offal dishes to spicy Sichuan food, Guangdong seafood and delicate Hangzhou dishes.

It has a charming watertown feeling with old and new restaurants. It's crowded most nights with strolling people and cars and lines of diners waiting outside eateries.

On Xiaohezhi Street, two-story houses with black eaves and white walls are home to noodle restaurants and teahouses that mostly sell Hangzhou-style cuisine.

Route 5: Culture of leisure

Hangzhou Vice Mayor Tong Guili once said, "Hangzhou has little mineral resources, so we have to develop industries like tourism, culture and creativity." And the city did fairly well in the past years that so far it has built 10 cultural and creative parks.

Hangzhou has two troupes enjoying nationwide fame, Hangzhou Philharmonic and Hangzhou Xiaobaihua Yueju Opera Troupe. In addition, Hangzhou has two typical cultural performances, "Impression of the West Lake" and "Romance of the Song Dynasty."

"Impression of the West Lake" is staged every evening on the north shore of the West Lake. It is produced by famed director Zhang Yimou and is a musical in five acts and performed on the surface of the lake. Colorful lights swirl across the water as dancers dressed in ancient costumes step on to a stage immersed 3 centimeters below the lake's surface. Call 400-666-5543 to reserve tickets.

"Romance of the Song Dynasty" performed everyday in Song Town Park is a large-scale performance that tells the history of Hangzhou from ancient to modern times through acrobatics, dance, kung fu, opera and music. 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 is also recognized.

Hangzhou is a city with a long history. Kuahu Bridge Relics near Xiang Lake in Xiaoshan, Liangzhu Relics in Yuhang District and Southern Song Dynasty Relics in urban Hangzhou give archeologists some clues about what life was like centuries ago.

The Kuahu Bridge Relics was found in 2001, and is currently the earliest cultural heritage in the Neolithic Period found in Zhejiang Province.

Liangzhu culture was the last Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta, and Yuhang District of Hangzhou is its vital place of origination. The period is sometimes referred to as the dawn of Chinese civilization.

Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)set its capital in Lin'an, now Hangzhou, and therefore the city still has traces of the dynasty.

Hangzhou is the home of Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, one of China's top 10 teas. Hangzhou people love their tea as it's a part of a leisurely life. Meijiawu Village, Longjing Village, Longwu Village and China Tea Museum are great places to learn more about the tea leaves and the culture of tea.

Route 6: Sports and leisure

A city of rivers, canals, lakes and mountains is a pretty good place for outdoor sports. Cycling around the West Lake, rock climbing on hills and hiking among slopes are some of the favorites in the city. Sailing and boating on Fuchun River are also recommended because of its calm water.