Experience Culture Tour a taste of Hangzhou
Print Edition
The Experience Culture Tour is a highlight of the West Lake International Expo that gives visitors an opportunity to appreciate Hangzhou’s profound culture and picturesque landscapes. Shanghai Daily chooses three among 20 distinctive programs.
Huiyin Goryeo Temple and lily exhibition
In 1085, the fourth son of Munjong of Goryeo, the ruler of the land of Korea, came to Hangzhou to study Buddhism. He was apprenticed to Master Jingyuan and lived in what became Huiyin Temple.
Years later, after he returned to Korea, he donated 170 scrolls of the Avatamsaka Sutra, one of the most influential Mahayana sutras of East Asian Buddhism, and 2,000 liang (100 kilograms) of silver to the temple.
The temple was renamed Huiyin Goryeo Temple, its huge collection of Avatamsaka Sutra scrolls attracting many believers.
Over time, the temple became a ruin. In 2004 it was rebuilt in accordance with its ancient layout from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It covers 15,000 square meters.
The temple is also renowned for its lilies and currently holds an annual show celebrating the white blooms. Hundreds of pots of lilies are on display during the expo.
Date: Through October 28
Address: Intersection of Faxiang Lane and Santaishan Road
Tel: (0571) 8796-3033
‘Romance of the Song Dynasty’
This dramatic and colorful song and dance performance 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 multimedia show with jaw-dropping acrobatics is performed nightly in a 3,000-seat theater in Songcheng Park.
The show performed all year round features dazzling costumes, extravagant props, live horses and real cannon.
Hangzhou, one of China’s eight major 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 flourished during the Southern Song Dynasty, a vibrant period with rich art and culture. People enjoyed festivals, social clubs, dancing, theater, puppet shows and other entertainment.
This festival atmosphere of ancient times comes to life in “Romance of the Song Dynasty.”
It depicts Song soldiers fighting off the threatening Kin Dynasty (1115-1234) from northern China. The show enacts the assassination of general Yu Fei, who fell 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 is also highlighted. During the Song Dynasty, tea was mainly used to trade for horses, which the dynasty need for its constant battles with the Kin Dynasty.
The show is a concise story of how Hangzhou came to be, and spectators don’t need to know Chinese to grasp what’s going on.
Date: 2pm-3pm, 6pm-7pm, 7:20pm-8:20pm on workdays; 2pm-3pm, 5:20pm-6:20pm, 8pm-9pm on weekends
Address: 148 Zhijiang Rd, Songcheng Park
Tel: (0571) 8731-3101
Tickets: 220-480 yuan
Traditional culture of the academy
Hangzhou is famous for its scholarship and for attracting scholars and literati from around China.
Wansong Shuyuan, or Wansong Academy, was an ancient seat of learning that later became a park. It is best known as the place where the legendary, star-crossed “Butterfly Lovers” of fiction are said to have studied, met and fallen in love.
Shuyuan was a private or government sponsored college where students not only studied but lived alongside their teachers and learned from them. Shuyuan also contained libraries where scholars studied.
For hundreds of years Wansong Academy, established in 1498, was the highest-level educational institution in what is now Zhejiang Province.
As the shuyuan system decayed after the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Wansong Academy became a park, with tranquil scenery, hills, trees, rockeries, streams and pavilions.
In 2012 the academy began to restore its reputation for scholarship, offering free public lectures on a range of topics in Chinese culture. The renovated structures are decorated in traditional style with modern facilities, such as sub-floor heating.
During the expo, the academy will offer courses in traditional culture, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, history and art. A traditional school opening ceremony for students will be held. The courses target middle school students.
Date: Every Sunday morning during the expo
Venue: Wansong Academy, 76 Wansongling Rd
Tel: (0571) 8607-9490
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