ENJOYING the fresh air and heavenly sights in Hangzhou are a must-do on your trip schedule this autumn.

Four new sightseeing venues in Hangzhou have recently opened to the public. They are the Jiangyangfan Ecological Park which is also known as "Little Xixi National Wetland Park," Zhongshan Road S. Food Street, new Zhongdong River area and the new Grand Canal area.

There are also trips planned especially for autumn - smelling sweet osmanthus along West Lake, taking part in leisure sports in Fuyang, enjoying the holiday in Xiang Lake Resort, experiencing the tea ceremony in Jinshan Chan Temple, or looking back at Chinese ancient history and traditional cultures in Zhongshan Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

We recommend several sites for you to visit in autumn.


Jiangyangfan Ecological Park

The sullage in West Lake formed today's second-most important ecological park in Hangzhou - Jiangyangfan, known as "Little Xixi National Wetland Park." Opened to the public this month, the new site will soon become a landmark in Hangzhou.

Covering 19.8 hectares, the park is situated west of Bagua Field (Eight Diagrams Field), and east of Hupao Park.

Compared with Xixi Park which is a bit far away from the center of Hangzhou, Jiangyangfan is close to Yuhuang Mountain and close to a lot of important sightseeing sites.

In this beautiful season of blooming bulrush and weeping willows, visitors can enjoy a breathtaking natural autumn here.


Zhongshan Road S. Food Street

Zhongshan Road S. is well-known for its night food market. More than 30,000 people go there every day to enjoy street snacks.

Stalls selling more than 200 local foods from 40 domestic cities, as well as foreign cuisines in Japanese and Indian styles, gather in this street.

Known as Royal Street and Heaven Street, Zhongshan Road is more famous as the Royal Street of the Southern Song Dynasty.

This scenic street is a meeting point for visitors to discover Chinese ancient history and traditional cultures. This road was the north-south axis of the ancient Lin'an City in the Southern Song Dynasty.

A total of 5.3 kilometers long and 13 meters wide, it has ancient urban values as well as a modern landscape.


New Zhongdong River

The Hangzhou government converted an area along the Zhong and Dong rivers into a cultural and historical corridor - new Zhongdong River area - that features more than 50 bridges.

The Zhong River stretches for 6 kilometers and was dug during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) while the Dong River meanders for 4 kilometers and was dug during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-979). The two rivers run parallel to one another from north to south and are linked by a recently dug channel at their southern end points.

A boat tour of the new Zhongdong River opened to visitors this month. Visitors are suggested to board at the Wuliuxiang Dock, and land on Bazi Bridge Dock or Baoshan Bridge Dock.

The river tour takes 70 minutes and the ticket price is 3 yuan (45 US cents) per person.


New Grand Canal

Hangzhou is located at the south point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

The Hangzhou section of the canal is considered the most historic part with rich cultural heritage, regarded as the "Life of the City" and "Vivid Cultural Heritage."

Along the canal in Hangzhou, there are three featured areas that deserve attention.

The Dadou Road used to be the most prosperous section along the river, and is now well-known for its high-end restaurants and clubs and its boutique hotel themed in Zen culture.

The Qiaoxi historic block features TCM and health care facilities. The area gathers many Chinese traditional medicine pharmacies and health institutes.

Tangqishui North Street is an example of the ancient Chinese water town of Jiangnan (area in the south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River) style.

Sweet osmanthus appreciation along West Lake

West Lake is now the only 5A tourism site in China that is accessible to the public for free. Walk along the picturesque lake in the season of the sweet osmanthus, smelling the flowers and enjoying the lakeside sights.


Xixi National Wetland Park

Located at the southern tip of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Xixi National Wetland Park is the first national wetland park in China.

The wetland has a history of more than 1,800 years, dating back to AD 223.

Covering 10.64 square kilometers in total, the park is densely criss-crossed with six main waterways, among which are scattered various ponds, lakes and swamps.

Visitors can feel a rich cultural heritage and abound in natural ecological resources in the park.

They can also experience the vivid life of a water village, witness silkworm feeding and silk production, as well as the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat contest.


Xiang Lake Resort

The resort is located 2.5 kilometer west of Xiaoshan and 13 kilometers of West Lake with an area of 9.98 square kilometers.

The resort contains Hangzhou Paradise, east China's biggest theme park, and Sky Spring Eco Park, which presents the theme of going back to nature.

Xiang Lake has scenic spots, gardens, lakes and views.

The area has an important heritage. Gou Jian, a king of the ancient Yue Kingdom situated in Zhejiang Province, fought with the Wu Kingdom here. The battle left some ancient sites near the lake, such as Yue King's Platform and Horse-bath Pond.

"Xiang Lake Water Shield," "Xiaoshan Lace" and "Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Kiln" are the most treasured products produced here.


Jinshan Chan Temple

Jinshan Chan Temple in Yuhang District is regarded as the No. 1 Chan temple in southeast China. The site was the ancestral temple of the Rinzai school, one of the three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.

It's also the original birthplace of Japanese tea culture.


Qiandao Lake

The lake located in Chun'an County, west of Hangzhou, is one of the premier scenic spots and the largest national forest park at present.

The giant lake with literally 1,000 small islands is well-known for its clean water. A major mineral water processing plant is also located here.

The lake has over 20 travel sites, featuring Plat Blossom Mountain, Stone Forest, Dragon Hill, Xian Hill and Charm Lake.