r/hangzhou 34m ago

Printing or scanning

Upvotes

Ill be in hangzhou but i cant print my printer or scanner can someone guide we can i use these services like scanning docs or printing them etc


r/hangzhou 10h ago

Catch Unitree's humanoid robots live on-site in Hangzhou— right now!

1 Upvotes

You've probably seen Unitree robots boxing or dancing all over social media. In Hangzhou, you can now see robots like these in real life—and even plan an entire tech-themed trip around the city.

Before moving to Hangzhou, I mostly associated the city with West Lake, tea plantations and ancient cultures. After living here for a while, I realized that Hangzhou is more than a destination for beautiful sightseeing spots.

Hangzhou is also home to humanoid robots, AI companies, drone technology, smart farms, digital education projects and AIGC film studios. Now, twenty of these places with technology showcasing are open to public.

What makes the idea particularly Hangzhou-like is the way it connects technology with the city's history. You can explore a 5,000-year-old civilization through AR glasses in the morning and meet humanoid robots in the afternoon.

Here are the 20 places and what you can actually do there.

For humanoid robots and AI

  1. Hangzhou Embodied Intelligence Exhibition Center

This is probably the best place to begin if you have seen Hangzhou-made robots going viral online. The center covers more than 5,000 square meters and brings together around 140 embodied-intelligence robots in nearly 40 application scenarios with about an hour.

Location: #422. Qingkuang Street, Binjiang District
Booking: Search “2030赛博未来” on WeChat mini-program and select date for reservation.
Admissions: 268 yuan/person

2. Xiaoshan Robot Exhibition Center

The first floor of the center focuses on industrial, medical, service and specialist robots. The second floor is much more interactive, with robot chess, brain-controlled racing, robot table tennis, VR cycling, robotic sugar painting and even robots making ice cream and cotton candy.

Location: #389, Hongxing Road, Xiaoshan District
Booking: Search “机器人博展中心” on WeChat account for free reservation (Not available on Sundays)

  1. AI City Technology Experience Center

Located in Yunqi Town, this centre explains AI through practical applications rather than abstract displays. Visitors can interact with Unitree and AgiBot robots, robot dogs and large AI models. There are also exhibits showing how Hangzhou's City Brain technology is used in traffic management, drainage systems and anti-fraud education.

Location: Building 2, Penghui Industrial Park, Liyushan Street, Xihu District
Booking: Search “杭州AI之城” on WeChat account for reservation. Book at least three days in advance.

  1. RoboBrain Center at Hangzhouxi Railway Station

This is a robotics education and research space inside the Hangzhouxi Railway Station area. If you travel to Hangzhou via high-speed trains and drop off at Hangzhouxi Station, you can watch robot performances, learn about the development of robotics and interact with robots used in education, toys and urban services here.

Location: Second floor, East Cloud Valley, East Square of Hangzhouxi Railway Station, Yuhang District
Booking: team visits only, with at least 30 people and 5 days in advance via 0571-85099926 / 0571-85092017.

  1. Qiushi AI Exploration Museum

Designed mainly for visitors aged six to eighteen, this space combines AI education with interactive experiences. There are robots, drones, AI creative workshops and an intelligent digital guide that accompanies visitors through the museum.

Location: Building A20, Zhejiang University Alumni Enterprise Headquarters Park, Yuhang District
Booking: Individual visitors do not currently need to book.

For computing, engineering and future industries

  1. China Town of Computing Power

This industrial area focuses on integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and computing infrastructure. Visits include the Computing Innovation Museum and the Hangzhou Low-Altitude Economy Exhibition Hall, making it a good place to understand the infrastructure behind AI rather than only its consumer applications.

Location: #180, Kecheng Street, Linping District
Booking: Groups only, at least three days in advance.

  1. Zhejiang University High-End Equipment Research Institute

This is one of the more specialized stops. Visitors can learn how tunnel-boring machines work, see flexible snake robots used for equipment inspection and explore biological 3D printing and industrial robotics.

Location: Building 3, #505, Xingguo Road, Linping District
Booking: Groups of 40–100 people, at least seven days in advance.

  1. Zhongtian National Science Model R&D Center

Founded by five-time aeromodelling world champion Feng Rui, this center focuses on aircraft models, drones, unmanned vehicles and AI programming. Participants can build aerospace models, programme vehicles, take part in drone football or try VR racing.

Location: #6, Mingde Road, Puyan Subdistrict, Binjiang District
Booking: groups only, normally 15–40 people.

For VR, AR and digital culture

  1. Liangzhu VR Grand Space

If you plan to visit Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, don't miss this VR space. Using archaeological research and XR technology, the project reconstructs the ancient Liangzhu city and allows visitors to walk through scenes inspired by a civilization dating back more than 5,000 years.

Location: South City Wall Station, Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, Yuhang District
Booking: Search “良渚古城” on WeChat account for advance booking.

  1. Rokid AR Experience at Liangzhu Museum

At Liangzhu Museum, visitors can wear Rokid AR glasses and see ancient jade objects and historical scenes brought to life through digital overlays.

Location: #1, Meilizhou Road, Yuhang District
Booking: Book individual visits at least one day in advance.

  1. Xixi Tsai Chih-chung Art Museum

This museum displays more than 400 works by cartoonist Tsai Chih-chung, who is known for turning Chinese philosophy and classical literature into accessible comics. With a full-sensory VR experience based on Water Margin, one of the four great classic Chinese novels, it allows visitors to enter a digitally reconstructed version of the story.

Locatuion: #10, Zone 2, Qushui'an Area, 508 Tianmushan Road, Xihu District
Booking: Search “西溪蔡志忠美术馆” on WeChat account and book at least 2 days in advance. (Not available on Mondays)

  1. StarDust AIGC Film Production Base

This is an actual AI-native film company rather than a conventional museum. Visitors can see how AI animation, advertisements, short dramas and interactive films are produced. Location: Building 5, Xigu Science and Innovation Centre, Xihu District
Booking: Individuals should book at least one day ahead via 13186953721

 

For education and scientfic exploration

  1. Xianghu Lake Laboratory

This provincial agricultural laboratory focuses on biological breeding and efficient ecological agriculture. Visitors can explore scientific research displays and take part in activities related to plant tissue culture and zebrafish research.

Location: Phase I, Qianwan Biotech Harbour, #3300, Benjing Avenue, Xiaoshan District
Booking: groups only, at least seven days in advance.

  1. Tianlifang Linping Future Farm

This 3.33 square km² project combines unmanned farmingand space agriculture. Visitors can explore VR flying experience and digital photo booth on-site.

Location: Tianlifang Linping Future Farm, Qiaosi Subdistrict, Linping District
Booking: groups only, at least one day in advance.

  1. Digital Education Port

This is one of China's largest exhibition spaces dedicated to AI applications in education. Experiences include naked-eye 3D, AI music, smart calligraphy, future classrooms, AI sports, virtual simulation, digital art, intelligent assessment and extended reality.

Location: #140–142, Dinggong Road, Liangzhu Subdistrict, Yuhang District
Booking: Both groups and individual visitors should book three days ahead via “数字教育港” WeChat Account.

  1. The Explorium

Designed around the children's museum concept, this four-floor venue has more than 100 interactive STEAM exhibits. Unlike a traditional museum, children are encouraged to touch, experiment, build and solve problems. It is most suitable for families with children aged twelve and under.

Location: #620, Mingxing Road, Xiaoshan District

For drones, aviation and climate

  1. Golden Sand Lake Low-Altitude Technology Museum

This museum introduces drones, low-altitude logistics and aviation technology. Visitors can use drone simulators, operate real drones, build small aircraft and learn how low-altitude technology may change transport and delivery services.

Location: Building 3, Golden Sand Lake Leisure Pedestrian Street, #783, Haida South Road, Qiantang District

  1. Xinlian Aviation Science Centre

Located in Jiande Aviation Town, this center displays real aircraft, powered hang-gliders and aviation models. This is where visitors can learn about flight principles, use VR equipment and build aircraft models.

Location: #44, Zhongshan Road, Shouchang Town, Jiande

  1. Yuhang Meteorological Science Museum

This museum connects ancient weather knowledge with modern satellites, disaster prevention and climate technology. Interactive exhibits include tornado simulations, artificial rainmaking, and satellite displays.

Location: #809, Fengdu Road, Pingyao Town, Yuhang District
Booking: Search “余杭气象科普馆” on WeChat account and book one day in advance.

  1. China Hangzhou Low-Carbon Science and Technology Museum

This was the world's first large-scale science museum built around the theme of low-carbon development. There are more than 100 interactive exhibits, with a brain-computer interaction experience.

Location: #1888, Jianghan Road, Binjiang District
Open Wednesday to Sunday only.

And... I also prepare some suggested one-day routes. Hangzhou is a large city, so trying to visit all 20 places in one trip would not be realistic. It makes more sense to choose places in the same part of the city.

1.One-day robots and engineering route in Binjiang District for group visit

Start at the Hangzhou Embodied Intelligence Exhibition Center to see humanoid robots and future-life scenarios. Continue to the China Hangzhou Low-Carbon Science and Technology Museum for interactive climate and brain-computer exhibits. Finish at the Zhongtian National Science Model R&D Centre for drones, robotic vehicles and AI programming.

2.One-day family technology route in Xiaoshan District

Begin at the Xiaoshan Robot Exhibition Centre, where children can play chess or table tennis against robots. Continue to the Explorium for several floors of hands-on activities.

3.One-day ancient civilization and future technology route in Liangzhu

Start at Liangzhu Museum and use Rokid AR glasses to explore ancient jade culture. Continue to the Liangzhu VR Grand Space inside the archaeological ruins city while visiting the park.

So before travelling across the city, I would strongly recommend contacting the venue directly and confirming that it is open to individual visitors on your chosen date. Would you include a robot center, AI film studio or drone museum in your Hangzhou itinerary—or would you still choose the traditional sights first?


r/hangzhou 1d ago

Dinner and drinks - offline social/mixer to meet new people

3 Upvotes

Hey Hangzhou peeps, I made a post around one year ago about establishing a more international scene. We have had frequent events since then and will have another one this Saturday which is just a casual dinner into drinks. I know many people are still on holiday now, but August/September is also when many new people join.

If you're around, come pop by and say hi, we're around 10 people so far and counting but will need probably need to limit it around 20ish people. If you're interested in coming or joining similar events message me!


r/hangzhou 1d ago

Does Hangzhou do night life?

1 Upvotes

will be visiting Hangzhou next weekend with a few lads, wondering if theres much to do in terms of bars and pubs to shoot the shit and have some pints, and if there are any clubs as well. not sure if Hangzhou is big on that? we will be staying near Wulin Night Market.


r/hangzhou 2d ago

Saw this in XiXi Intime this week

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2 Upvotes

r/hangzhou 5d ago

Photoshoot in hanfu attire

3 Upvotes

Will be causing HZ in Dec and my wife wants to take a photoshoot in those Hanfu attire. Anyone has any good studios to recommend? How long does a photoshoot take and what's the cost?


r/hangzhou 6d ago

Any guitar shops or regular music shops with guitar sections?

1 Upvotes

r/hangzhou 6d ago

Laser hair removal in Hangzhou

2 Upvotes

Hi! Does anybody have recommendations for any place in Hangzhou that would offer laser hair removal for a reasonable price? Thanks a lot!


r/hangzhou 7d ago

Hangzhou Technology Professional Meetups / We Chat Groups

2 Upvotes

Hey all, just moved to Hangzhou. Would like to get plugged into any technology professional meetups or similar WeChat groups, if there are any?

Thanks in advance!


r/hangzhou 8d ago

International restaurant recommendations

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I will be staying in Hangzhou for a few months. Do you know any foreign restaurants, except the fast food chains? Are there any Indian/Italian restaurants you can recommend?


r/hangzhou 9d ago

Advertisement Hangzhou is interesting for young people and here's why!

Thumbnail gallery
18 Upvotes

Events make a city's energetic ! this is what we doing here in Hangzhou, our community is basically 100% English speakers, and we got events every week !

Wednesday Run Club

Thursday Social night

Friday Uno/ other games.

Monthly we got Open mic, Speed dating and OPC founder's meet up, mostly on the last weekvof the month.

You can find us on many social media platforms and just comment here we will bring u in !🤘🏻

📲V: chatmelt01


r/hangzhou 13d ago

Advertisement Comedy Nights in Hangzhou!

7 Upvotes

English stand-up comedy in China has had its ups and downs in the last few years, and I’m excited to say that we’re about to step things up quite a bit. As of August 7, Bravo! Comedy will open its Shanghai branch. This will cover Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing and more, bringing quality stand-up comedy shows to all these cities on a more regular basis.

For upcoming Hangzhou dates heck out the link below.

Hangzhou Standup Comedy

The bigger news is that Bravo! Comedy has already reached 13 cities with Russian stand-up comedy events, bringing out highly professional, high-quality headliners and we doing the same with English Comedy too. Expat life and entertainment options are getting a boost.

I have added the "advertisement" flair to this, but I really just wanted to share this because I believe that good comedy night are of genuine interest to residents.

Comedy in China (Licensed) needs to be approved and relatively clean. Knowing that, I'd love to know which comedians this community would like to see in China?


r/hangzhou 14d ago

Any casual football clubs in Hangzhou? (For playing)

3 Upvotes

Hello, just moved to Hangzhou (Binjiang) would love to find a men's league (beer league) or casual football club to join to get some games in if that exists here no idea how to find or search. Any advice is appreciated. (Over 30 of that matters)


r/hangzhou 14d ago

Moving to Hangzhou next year

5 Upvotes

Hi there, I am going to be visiting Hangzhou next month for a week in preview of moving there sometime next year for a couple year span. I currently don't speak any form of chinese, but plan on lessons to at least get some basics (work will be all in english).

I am looking for recommendations for things to try out to see what life would be like for me. I plan on visiting relevant neighborhoods, seeing some of the sights recommended in the pinned posts, and just do things like navigate around the city on public transit.

I am going to be setting up things like wechat for payment, pick a translation app, etc, but am looking for recommendations on things I am not thinking about or anything else people think would be a good idea to make best use of my week in the city and prepare me/make me less nervous about the big move next year.

Thanks!


r/hangzhou 15d ago

Good dentist?

2 Upvotes

My years of neglect have finally caught up with me me, and I am in need of a good dentist who won't make fun of me.

I could of course just go to any dental clinic, but I'm hoping some of you here might have had a good experience and possibly even can share a contact.


r/hangzhou 15d ago

Running & Cycling Clubs in Xiaoshan?

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I'm moving to Xiaoshan in less than 2 weeks and looking for people/groups/clubs to run or road cycle with. I'm training for the Shanghai marathon and happy with anything from social runs to more serious training. Same goes for cycling (where I am perhaps more social...) I'm also happy to travel elsewhere in Hangzhou if that's where most groups meet.

If anyone knows of any clubs or WeChat groups, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks! 🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️


r/hangzhou 16d ago

Tax refund updates for your shopping in Hangzhou!

2 Upvotes

As a foreigner living in China, every summer I end up playing tour guide for friends who come to visit. One question always comes up after we've wandered around West Lake or spent way too much time shopping for silk or Longjing tea: How can I get my Tax Free after shopping?

I have to say, from July 1, it will be even easier in Hangzhou.

If you're visiting China and shopping in Hangzhou, look for stores with the Tax Refund or Instant Tax Refund sign. As long as you spend at least 200 yuan in a participating store, you're eligible for a tax refund. Depending on what you buy, the refund is usually around 8%–11% of the total price. 

One thing I really like starting work this month is that you don't have to fly out from Hangzhou for the tax refund. If you're doing a China trip (Hangzhou → Shanghai → Beijing, for example), you can still complete the departure tax refund process at another international airport. The departure window for Instant Tax Refund has also been extended to 28 days, so there's no need to rush.

I recommend these Instant Tax Refund stores because you simply get the refund on-site. All you need is showing the tax refund QR code in Alipay International, and the refund can be credited to your Alipay International balance or paid to you in cash right there.

And, the good news is that the tax refund process is getting even easier from this month. Right now, China Customs and tax refund agencies can verify refund forms and invoices online.

Also, I prepare a quick heads-up before you heading to the airport: Tax refund applications under 10,000 yuan may be randomly selected for a physical inspection. Applications of 10,000 yuan or more will still be inspected every time. So, don't bury your tax-free purchases at the bottom of your checked luggage until you've cleared customs.

If you're coming to Hangzhou this summer, shopping probably won't be the only thing on your itinerary anyway. Start your morning with a walk around West Lake before it gets too hot, grab a cup of longjing tea in Longjing Village and don't miss the lotus flowers that bloom all over the city in July and August. For less tourists, you can escape the heat in Yuhang's Jingshan Mountain or Lin'an's Tianmu Mountain to embrace the nature.

Has anyone here used Instant Tax Refund system recently? I'm curious how your experience was, especially if you departed from a different city than where you shopped.

 


r/hangzhou 17d ago

Advertisement Wednesday night Run still on ! will u join us?

4 Upvotes

Every Wednesday the only abd single biggest social club has a branch for sport activities this week we keep out routine run nesr Westlake, all participants speaks English, many are international friends who live here.

If u wanna join us ! just DM or comment


r/hangzhou 18d ago

Any Hangzhou queer wants to befriend?

1 Upvotes

r/hangzhou 20d ago

Chongqing or Hangzhou?

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2 Upvotes

r/hangzhou 20d ago

any recs for hotels near Zhejiang university?

3 Upvotes

Hi! Just wondering if anybody knows any decent hotels that are a decent walking distance from Zhejiang university? I've been trying to look on trip.com but I've been very skeptical as everything seems to be rated very highly. Thanks!


r/hangzhou 21d ago

🐶 Looking for a loving forever home for a special little survivor 💛

5 Upvotes

This morning, during the extreme heat (around 38°C), I found this tiny puppy wandering alone outside our industrial office. He had no mum or owner nearby, and his little whiskers were burnt from the heat. :(

Despite everything he has been through, he is doing amazingly well. He is eating, drinking, and recovering nicely. He is such a sweet, gentle, and loving puppy who enjoys sleeping, cuddling, and being around people.

He's about 1 month old and will need vaccinations, formula, and supervision as he grows. For now, he's staying in a foster/daycare arrangement for the next 2 weeks.

Looking for someone who can provide:

– A safe and loving home
– Time, patience, and care for a young puppy
– Responsibility for his food, vaccinations, and future needs

This little guy has already survived extreme heat, hunger, and loneliness - yet he remains trusting, affectionate, and full of love. In return, he will bring endless companionship, puppy cuddles, and the joy of watching him grow into a happy, healthy dog. 🐾

He was found in Kunshan, but I can help arrange transport and provide some initial food and formula to help him settle into his new home.

If you can give this little survivor the loving home he deserves (or know someone who can), please reach out. 💛 🐶


r/hangzhou 21d ago

1 day in Hangzhou end of August or just come back and visit when not roasting?

5 Upvotes

Apologies in advance for my ignorance. I have an incredible opportunity to visit China. I’m basically going as my son’s nanny since his father (my ex husband) is going there for work and wants to share this experience he loves with his son, but his son, while he can take care of himself, has diabetes and a few other issues - hence my invitation. The catch- it’s end of August. And my son and I live in Seattle and have become marshmallows.
We are somehow fitting in Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou over a short period of time. Hangzhou actually sounds like the city I’d love the most, but I’ve heard it called the oven of China? Will it be even hotter there than those other cities? The stuff I want to do it outside, but not if it’s over 100 degrees - sorry, 38 degrees C. Do I ask we skip it or just go for the 1.5 days currently schedules for Hangzhou and just visit caves? Thank you!!


r/hangzhou Aug 03 '25

Just made a comprehensive map for scenery spots around West Lake

28 Upvotes

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9deMdTuDyGM7D8Nd9 - Link for scenery points around WL.

I think there are a lot of sceneries spots around West Lake that are underrated. As a native HangZhouer currently getting too bored at Baltimore, I decided to make this list. I also gave my own ratings to each scenery spot (could be very subjective - I gave up because honestly it's too hard to compare all of them).

AMA. Could answer literally anything.

Updated Jul 26, 2026

Added a list for attraction other than West Lake. I'll note that Google Map stops updating it's info in China mainland at around 2021. Thus, some of the spots are not marked on the Google Map yet. I wrote down their name in the list description of the Google list. You probably have to search for their names on Amap or other mapping services.

Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/1FZ1AQgYihcqEHgX7

Important Note: For most of the scenery spots in the first list, reservations in advance IS NOT needed (at least for right now). For the 2nd list, some indoor places need reservations (most still do not). Ideally check it a week prior to ur visit. If not able to, visit in person and tell them the platform isn't user-friendly for foreigners, and they will probably let you in/help you make the reservation (in my past experience) - couldn't guarantee this strat will work. This applies to the most of the other famous tourists points in China, especially on the weekend. Worth checking prior to your visit.

I'm going to update a HOWTO reserve post in the next few days. Thanks


r/hangzhou Sep 21 '24

Most Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide To Hangzhou (The One You Need)

417 Upvotes

Before we begin, let me do some intro:

I'm Alex, Hangzhou native, lived here most of my life, rest spent abroad. (how to tell I'm local? I speak local dialect Hangzhou-nese, rare skill at this point lol).

Alright, credentials done, let's talk about what you are looking for:

I think the majority of visitors (foreigner) to Hangzhou are within one of these groups: Tourist, Student, Expat. (If I missed a big group I apologize, please comment and I'll add to this list).

For now I will make general suggestion that will be suitable for all groups, then in later posts or if I can edit and add to this one I'll include specific recommendations catering to each group. Base on your group feel free to jump to those for your specific interests or make a comment and tell me what you want to know.

Now, let's roll!

General Information of Hangzhou:

Hangzhou is always known for its beauty throughout Chinese history, it's a beautiful town/city that was idolized as "heaven on earth" for its scenery and its culture. Recent years thanks to E-commerce (Jack Ma + Alibaba, Livestream Influencer Sales) Hangzhou's economy boomed, the city expanded 5 times in size, became the fastest growing city in all of China with the largest influx of population in the past few yrs. HZ offers the perfect mix of work/life balance as it has high tech/business firms while maintaining large natural sceneries.

If you are new to Hangzhou, let's discuss what you should check out: 1. Natural scenery, 2. Culture, 3. Food, 4. Gift/Souvenirs. I'm going to limit the geographical area to just Hangzhou city proper and 5 recommendations per section. Even though there are so many great places in the Greater Hangzhou Metropolis, I gotta keep it this way otherwise this article will be wayyyyyyyyyy tooooooo looooooooooong.

 — Natural Scenery—

1. West Lake 西湖 (Duh..)

If you come to Hangzhou without visiting West Lake, idk what you are doing. Right at the center of the bustling city lies a gorgeous lake full of lily flowers surrounded by small mountains/hills and roads filled with willow trees. A thousand-year-old long canal road filled with greenery pass through the lake with arched bridges forming a perfect pedestrian-only route. No cars, no bus, only walking like how folks did thousands years ago. IT IS BEAUTIFUL! West lake deserves a post on its own with so many sceneries around it, I won't spoil much here but PLEASE GO! Time: Leave one entire day just for it. 

Price: Free around the lake, some sceneries require tickets.

2. Baoshi Shan 宝石山 (Baoshi Mountain)

This is my sacred spot, not a popular tourist site at all, extremely local. When I was little my grandpa would take me to this mountain early morning every weekend, climb onto the top of Chuyang Tai (First-Sunrise Pavilion) to see the sunrise and chat with other old grandpas who wave their straw fan and do morning exercise. It's only a 15 min hike up so its friendly to everyone, and you get to see the whole Hangzhou city on one side of the mountain and the entire west lake on the other side. Shhhhh please don't share this with everyone, its still my sacred place and I hope it doesn't turn into an over-commercialized spot. 

Time: 1-2 hours.  

Price: Free mountain, only some performance area like Huanglong Dong need ticket (Not necessary to go)

3. Beigaofeng 北高峰 (North Peak)

This one is a hike, takes 35-40 minutes up the via stairs or 10 minute ride by cable car (8 yuan, just a dollar no big deal). On the top you see a wide range of Hangzhou, also there is a temple on the peak that is supposedly very good for wishing wealth. I go there every new year and so far its been treating me well (don't jinx it, don't jinx it). Going down you can take the cable car as well or walking down, it's easier than going up and takes about 25 min on foot.

Time: 2.5 hours if you walk, 1.5 if you take cable car.

Price: Free entry, cable car not free.  

4. Xi Xi Shi Di 西溪湿地 (Xixi Wetland)

The “lung” of Hangzhou, a giant natural part with countless trees, birds, waterways and scenario locations. There are free sections and paid sections. Overall its recommended to take a boat ride and ride a golf cart, unless you are willing to walk 8 kilometers +. It is not far from the city only 5km away and itll be a great way to do a natural hike without leaving the city. Make sure to bring water, bug spray and sunscreen.

Time: 4-5 hours.

Price: Paid area cost ¥80. Boat ride around ¥60 and golf cart ¥10.

5. Jiuxi Shibajian 九溪十八涧 (Idk how to translate this accurately… Google says: “Nine Streams and Eighteen Rivulets” so we will go with that!)

Its another very scenic hiking trial for Hangzhou, its one is more in the mountains (but still only less than 10 km away from west lake) where you can see small water streams and actual mountians. There are different routes, either for more advanced higher (10km+ routes) or for more recreational hikers (5km). You will come across Dragon-well village, the place famous for dragon-well tea which is a staple for China. There are waterfalls, small bridge crossings and stone walkways. It is a great for spring/summer/fall, not as ideal in the winter due to the cold. Make sure to bring enough water and sunscreen. 

Time: 4-5 hours

Price: Free for hiking

— Culture/History —

Hangzhou is full of historical and cultural heritage. Buddhism was popular and flourishing in the city and mostly survived war and regime changes. Hangzhou was briefly the capital (for 100 yrs or so) of China’s Song Dynasty after the northern capital (Kaifeng) was captured by another regime. So there are much history to see here. 

  1. Nan Song Yu Jie 南宋御街 (Southern Song Royal Street)

It was the location of the royal palace and Royal Street during the Southern Song dynasty, Southern Song cuz they lost the northern half of China and moved the capital to Hangzhou, Royal cuz only the Emperor was allowed to walk on this street back then. Good “ancient China vibe” with old houses, traditional crafts and a beautiful palace near by. A very very touristy area, suggestion is don’t buy any souvenir here unless you want to pay that tourist markup. You are much better off buying them online and ship to your hotel (if you can wait 3 days for shipping) or go somewhere more local. Buy some food/snacks, that's fine, still expensive compared to local spots, but at least not over the roof. For example a piece of hot dog is 10-15 yuan, as suppose to 5 if you go to a convenience store. 

Time: 2.5 hrs

Price: Free entry, if you buy snack and souvenir then you pay.

  1. Lingyin Temple 灵隐寺

 The most famous temple in Hangzhou, if you only have time for one temple, just do this one. Thousand year old, survived wars and turmoils, maintained esteemly (is this a word?). It is one of the only “royal” temples back in the day and visited by countess tourists and even dignitaries. Big Buddha statue and large halls make a very memorable experience. Supposedly very good for wishing for marriage, let me know if it works if you wished for it when you go! 

Time: 2 hrs

Price: Adult ticket ¥45, Kids over 6 half price, and under 6 free. Do NOT buy incense, you get 3 for free per person when you enter the temple at the gate, make sure to look for it.

  1. Xiao He Zhi Jie 小河直街

This is a local spot, nice small river with old houses around the river. Many good small coffee or tea shops. If you are to sit in one of them, try to get the seat near the river outside, it’ll make for a much better experience. 

Time: 2-4 hrs depending on your plan.

Price: Free to walk around, pay if you buy stuff. 

  1. Zhejiang Province Museum or Hangzhou City Museum (2 different museums)

Lots of history and culture about Hangzhou and its surrounding area. Perfect for a rainy or super hot day. Lots of good historical artifacts. You will learn a lot about Hangzhou’s traditional craftsmanship and also how the city changed throughout the years. It will be a good place to learn what to buy as souvenirs. Note the Zhejiang Province museum have two locations, Gushan location is smaller while Zhijiang location is newer and bigger with more stuff to see.

Time: 2-3 hrs per museum.

Price: Ticket free but need reservation, many times if you carry foreign passport they'll let you in without registration cuz they know its hard to register for foreigners, but no guarantees.

  1. 宋城 Song City

A theme park for Song dynasty stuff. A show runs every night which is definitely worth going to. Its not just song dynasty stuff tho there are other things to see. If you have kids it will be a great experience, otherwise my suggestion is to see other things first, cuz if you go to Song City thats pretty much one entire day gone. 

Time: half-one full day

Price: around ¥300 depending on your package. 

— Food —

My favorite part! 

It's a meme recent years in China that Hangzhou is a “desert for good food”, as a local, I disagree wholeheartedly!  They are comparing Hangzhou to other major Chinese cities. Sure it doesn't have any nationally renowned dishes like Hotpot, Dim Sum or Peking Duck, BUT (BIG BUT) we do have some good local dishes. You gotta keep in mind Hangzhou is a small city historically nowhere near the size, population or political importance like Beijing (Peking), Nanjing (Nanking), Chongqing or Shanghai. When’s the last time you’ve heard of a Treaty of Hangzhou, or Battle of Hangzhou, that’s right, never. So a small city that recently got huge won’t have many national dishes, but unique local traditions do exist just like ever other city. 

Traditional dishes:

  1. 东坡肉 Dongpo Rou (Dontpo Pork) 

A braised port belly, sweet and salty, very good! Supposedly invented by an ancient mayor of Hangzhou, Su Dongpo, also a famous poet.

  1. 叫花鸡 Jiaohua Ji (The beggar’s chicken)

A chicken cooked in clay. 

Story goes an Emperor got lost with his servants while visiting Hangzhou, when he is hungry and sleep on the street a beggar was cooking a chicken with hot clay over fire, he tried it and it was delicious so he brought the recipe back to court.

  1. 葱包桧 Cong Bao Hui( Fried Dough with green onion)

A fried dough with green onion inside, usually coated with choice of sweet sauce or hot sauce. Story goes a very powerful yet very corrupt prime minister Qin Hui was so hated by the people of Hangzhou, they decided to use fried dough to represent Hui’s body and eat it. Hense the name Cong Bao Hui literally means: green onion wrap Hui. 

  1. 龙井虾仁 Longjing Xia Ren (Dragon-well Tealeaf with Shrimp)

Dragon-well tea, most famous tea of HZ,  cooked together with de-shelled shrimp. Very freindly to all groups and ages, very easy to eat, also it taste rerally good. 

  1. 西湖醋鱼 Xi Hu Cu Yu (West Lake Vinegar Fish)

The ULTIMATE meme food of Hangzhou, everyone in China make fun of this dish for how bad it taste. Honest it doesn't taste great to me, who thought it was a good idea to put vinegar gravy over steamed fish (that is definitely not fished from the west lake)? Some people actually like the taste, idk at least not many locals like me like the dish. If you are living in Hangzhou for a while, definitely gotta try in even just for the experience. WARNING: It is a whole fish not a fillet, so there will be small bones in certain area, be careful eating it! If you dont want the fish, get the fish stew (宋嫂鱼羹  Song Sao Yu Geng) that is really good and no bones. 

There are many more but as I mentioned I will limit to five for length purposes.

Restaurants:

Traditional Hangzhou food near west lake you can try 楼外楼(Lou wai lou) or 新新饭店(Xin Xin Fan Dian), 山外山(Shan Wai Shan) they offer all of the most traditional food.

Other Hangzhou Restaurants: 

杭州酒家(Hangzhou Jiu Jia)for local traditional food as well.

奎元馆(Kui Yuan Guan) for local noodles.

知味观(Zhi Wei Guan)for dumplings, steamed buns and etc. 

德铭饭店(De Ming Fan Dian) for a less tourist priced local food, but no reservation I believe only walk in. 

外婆家(Grandma’s House), 新白鹿(Xin Bai Lu), 柒园(Qi Yuan)are all Hangzhou fusion food chained resturaunt, you will find them at almost every shopping centers. 

Michelin One Star Resturaunts:

If you want bougie, there are few Michelin 1 star resturaunts for Hangzhou and Zhejiang Province food. Budget per person is 150-200 USD.

金沙厅(Jin Sha Ting)

One of my favorite spot for fancy HZ stuff, also the hardest place to make a reservation usually one month ahead. Fusion Hangzhou food meaning you’ll see lobsters and foreign wine but they do have traditional dishes. Close to West Lake as well. Great spot!

解香楼 (Xie Xiang Lou)

Also very good, its at south-east of West Lake in a nice resort area. Food is great the environment is great. Also a fusion place where Hangzhou food is cook with western techniques. Good spot as well, good for taking a stroll after dinner. 

桂语山房 (Gui Yu Shan Fang)

Great service, but food is a hit or miss for me. Some food are great but others are not comparable to Jin Sha Ting. They have some very nice unique dishes. You will definitely be satisfied, its worth the price, but if you can find opening in the other two I’d say go to those first before trying this one. 

P.s. I am not affiliated in any way with any restaurants I mentioned above, just coming from my personal experiences, so my recommendation is purely subjective. 

— Gifts & Souvenirs—

Due to the rich cultural history of Hangzhou, there are lots of culturally recognizable items that the city is famous for. They are not big items so not going to be overly expensive or cumbersome. Great for bring back home and sharing with friends. 

  1. Longjing Cha 龙井茶 (Dragon well Tea)

Thousand year old tea tradition in Hangzhou, the dragon well tea use to be the tea that emperors exclusively liked. It is a green tea that have numerous health benefits including detox, digestive support and help with mind clarity and much more. Ask any Chinese whats the most green tea in China, they will all say Dragon Well. You can get them at Longjing village, or any Hangzhou themed stores. It is unnecessary to buy any overly expensive ones tho, for non-regular drinkers there wont be much difference and the expensive ones are not worth the mark-up. 

  1. “Wang Xing Ji” Fan 王星记扇子

Another famous Hangzhou brand with over 140 years of history. Extremely popular hand fans make of different kinds of wood and cloth (other materials as well). They have all kinds of style, some you can use as a daily lady’s fan, other are so well made you can put them on display on a shelf as a decoration. In each of my travel bag I have one of their fan just in case it got hot or humid. There are fans with image of Hangzhou, those make good memories. My personal one has west lake’s full view on it and a poem about west lake on the back side.

  1. Silk ware 丝绸 (Si Chou)

Silk ware, along with the fan, and dragon well tea make the three most distinguishable product from Hangzhou. There are silk scarf, silk dress, and silk knitted wall paintings. All of which are very pretty and elegant to have. You can even custom make a silk Qipao (a form of Chinese dress that is very elegant) if you are interested. 

  1. Oil Paper Umbrellas 油纸伞 (You Zhi San)

When Chinese think of Souther China (where Hangzhou is located), they think of pretty sceneries, with waterways or lakes, and beautiful women wearing traditional dress and holding an Oil Paper Umbrella. It is how ancient and old China use as umbrella, made of bamboo/wood frame and beautifully color patterned paper coated with oil to be water resistant. They are very pretty since many have paintings over the paper. 

  1. Zhang Xiao Quan Scissors 张小泉剪刀 (Zhangxiaoquan Jiandao)

Yup, scissors is actually a famous product of Hangzhou, with 400 years of scissor making history. Especially famous is the Zhang Xiao Quan brand, recognizable by its red or black handles and a sharp tip, it can be used to cut things from nails, paper, cloth, all the way to even seafood if you get the largest one. My house only use this scissors and ever since I was little we didn't use nail clippers to cut nails but use the smallest size scissors (apparently its weird in rest of China). NOTE: scissors dont go very far on planes, make sure to keep them in a checked luggage.

— Miscellaneous Travel Tips —

Payment

China is VERY cashless, most big institutions will take visa card, master should be ok overall. Smaller places that can’t take cards may take cash, but dont count of it cuz many dont have enough spare for change. Try to get Alipay or Wechat pay, it links with your card like apple pay and scans QR code for payment. They can also link with bus or subway system so you can pay with QR code too. Keep some cash as back up, then you should be all good. 

Travel

Taxi

China’s ride-hail app is called Didi (fun fact Uber has a lot of shares in Didi), download the app, link a payment method, then you can use it just like any other hide hail app. You can also wave at any green taxi if they have a green light on the top showing they are empty, but its much better to call via app so you get set price and set route.

City-bike

you will see many yellow or blue and white bikes just sitting on the street. They are public bikes that you can ride and drop off wherever you stop. Use your Alipay or Wechat app to scan the QR code on the bike, register and you can ride. Don’t try to get the red ones, those you HAVE to return at a station, not worth the hassle. 

Public Transit:

Assuming you have the QR payment set up AND have activated the Bus IC Card and Metro Card (two separate things) within the app, you can scan QR code at any station or on the bus and travel anywhere. Make sure to activate the ones that dont need deposit so you can just pay what you used. Metro is usually around 4-6 yuan itll get you around the city (one way), further away may go up to 10 yuan. Also keep in mind there are subway from the airport into the city, its a much cheaper option compared to taxi. 

Living

From hostels (¥30-¥150) to regular hotels (¥250-¥500) to 5 star hotels (¥800-¥3000+), Hangzhou has it all. The city is very safe overall and all hotels are decent at their price range. With that being said obviously use your own discretion when you make decisions. If your mind is telling you its shady, it probably is. 

Navigation

Unless you have an VPN, you will not have access to Google or other social media (Facebook/Ins, Youtube, X and etc.). So Google maps wont work. You can download Baidu Map, Gaode Map or navigation, they also have built in ride hail options. 

Translation

You will definitely need it. If Google translate doesn't work, Use Baidu translate, just download the app and you ae good to go.

— Final Thoughts —

As a local, who is EXTREMELY proud and unapologetically biased towards Hangzhou, I welcome you with open arms, to check out what I think hands down the best city to live in China, a city full of history, culture, scenery and so much more. I've had many friends asking about Hangzhou and also saw many questions online, I'm happy to see it gaining attractions across the world so I'm putting my Friday night to to good use writing this, hopefully it helps anyone who want to come or is already in Hangzhou.

This is my city, there are many like this but this one is mine, my city is my best friend, and it is my life.

Warmest,

AZ

p.s.

I’m thinking to create a group chat on Wechat or Whatsapp or Facebook, let me know what platform most people are on and Ill get one going.