Hangzhou Holidays

Renowned in medieval China as an earthly paradise, Hangzhou became the splendid capital of the flourishing Southern Song Dynasty between 1138 and 1279. On the southern end of the Grand Canal, the city centre is built around the eastern and northern sides of the West Lake, just north of the Qiantang River.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, commercial expansion, an influx of refugees from the conquered north, and the growth of the official and military establishments, led to a corresponding population increase and the city developed well outside its 9th century ramparts. The Venetian explorer Marco Polo purportedly visited Hangzhou in the late late 13th century and referred to the city as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world." The city remained an important port until the middle Ming Dynasty when its harbour slowly silted up.

As late as the latter part of the 16th and early 17th centuries, the city was an important centre of Chinese Jewry.

Hangzhou is renowned for its historic relics and natural beauty. One of Hangzhou's most popular sights is West Lake. Surrounded by gentle green hills, the lake’s willow-shaded causeways and flowering areas have long been an inspiration for artists. Pleasant strolls are the order of the day here.