Honeymooners
can now add one more romantic destination to their list of global
options, thanks to the new ‘open door policy’ and tourism
campaign of Hangzhou, capital of China’s Zhejiang province.
A
glass-like lake; a mass of cherry blossoms on flowering trees;
pagodas and skyscrapers;
glowing lanterns, and a pleasant subtropical climate, all contribute
to the impression of Hangzhou as being synonymous with romance.
Hangzhou
is also the setting of “The Butterfly Lovers,” one of China’s
most popular folk
tales – the story of star-crossed lovers
Shanbu and Yingtai, whose tragic story is reminiscent of “Romeo and
Juliet.”
Hangzhou’s
signature feature is the magical West Lake, a willow tree-bordered
UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the lyrical beauty of which has
captivated poets and painters for more than a thousand years.
Studded with islands, causeways, pagodas, gardens and willow
trees, the lake is considered a paradigm of
harmony, and has inspired ten poetically-named Scenic Sites, one of
which, “Three Ponds Mirroring the
Moon,” is printed on Chinese currency. Couples can canoe on the
lake or ply the Grand Canal, the world’s longest man-made waterway.
Newlyweds
and romantically include couples are invited to enjoy the
time-honoured ritual of the tea ceremony or pick tea leaves from
fragrant fields of Longjing (Dragon Well), a variety of hand-produced
green tea renowned for its quality. For added interest, there are
many festivals held throughout the year, from West Lake Expo to the
Lantern Festival to Qiantang Tide-Watching Festival – where waves
surge to 25 feet high and look like “ten thousand horses galloping
ahead.”
Admittance
to the National Silk Museum is free and this is the world’s largest
and most impressive. Indeed, it was the Chinese who invented
silk-making some 5000 years ago. The legend goes that a Chinese
princess was sipping tea in her garden when a cocoon from a mulberry
tree plopped into her cup. As she plucked it out, it unreeled into
one long filament.
In addition to
the Silk Museum, Hangzhou boasts 56 other museums, plus 14 public
libraries containing 10 million books; 13 cultural stations; 12
theatres; two mass art stations; two concert halls; and 24 sites
protecting cultural relics… Those who cannot find anything to do
will have to live on love alone.
