This morning, we' ll take a bullet train to Hangzhou. Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, is renowned for its historic relics and natural beauty. It is known as one of the most beautiful cities in China. Strolling along causeway by West lake, we’ll feel the peaceful ethos of the city and better understand its time-honored fame as 'Heaven on Earth'.

Our local tour guide will meet you at Hangzhou railway station, then we drive to West Lake. 

“Ripping water shimmering on sunny day,Misty mountains shrouded the rain, Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi, West Lake is always alluring."

These are the words composed by the famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo (960-1127) when he compared the West Lake to Xi Zi, the most beautiful woman in ancient China. These poetic sentiments leave one in no doubt of the glory of the scenery that inspired them.

Originally a shallow sea inlet, due to the laying down of silt this 5.68 square kilometers (about 1,404 acres) of water became the famous West Lake. The cultural landscape of the lake initiated in the 9th Century, took shape in the 13th Century and had been thrived since the 18th Century. For about ten centuries, it has always been the spiritual home of Chinese culture elites, the paradise for all strata of Chinese people and a well-known lake in China with the longest history and biggest influence. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List on June, 24, 2011, by the committee of the 35th World Heritage Conference in Paris. 

To enjoy the nice view of lake, we' ll take a sightseeing boat. We disembark at Xiaoying islet (also called Islet of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon) and wander around it. The three pools refer to the three pear-shaped pagodas arranged in a triangle in the water. Erected by the poet and public official Su Shi, their purpose was to indicate that water chestnuts and lotus plants were not allowed to be grown in the area to prevent silt from building up in the lake. Later, during the reign of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the three pagodas were rebuilt. The existing ones were reconstructed in 1699 during the 38th year of Emperor Kangxi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty.

The pagodas are around 2 meters high with hollow interiors. The belly of each pagoda has five circular holes, into which lamps or candles can be placed, especially on mid-autumn nights when the bright moon hangs in the sky. When the circular holes are covered with sheets of thin paper, beams of light will reflect on the water through the holes. Afterwards, we take the boat back to pier. 

After lunch, we drive to Linyin Temple (Temple of Soul’ s Retreat). The temple was built in Jin Dynasty (about 1600 year ago). According to local legend, Huili an Indian monk came to the area where he was inspired by the spiritual nature of the scenery to be found here. To his mind this had to be a dwelling of the Immortals and so he gave the temple a name Temple of the Soul's Retreat. Today, Linyin Temple is one of the most significant and beautiful Buddhist monasteries in China.

Afterwards, we go to Longjing village which is one of the Longjing Tea growing area. Longjing Tea is the most famous tea in China.The excellent quality of Dragon Well Tea is guaranteed by a super elaborate production process. The picking of the leaves  emphasizes the importance of timeliness. As a famous among tea growers saying goes, "Tea leaves are a treasure if picked earlier while it is useless as grass if picked too late." Longjing Tea leaves are picked during different periods of time. Generally speaking, the best is picked before Qingming Festival, which is called Mingqian Tea. After the fresh leaves have been picked, the makers should first grade them, as different qualities of leaves need to be dealt with different temperature and techniques. The masters will bake the tea by hand using specially made iron pans. Traditional method of making Dragon Well Tea has many ways - grasp, toss, shake, pile, throw, buckle, press, and grind. Experienced masters know well how and when to use the certain movements according to the temperature, color and moisture content of the leaves. Local tea grower will lead us to the Tea field.

Then, we' ll stroll along Qing He Fang Old Street which has been the most flourished street in the city since the ancient time. Most preserved buildings along this pedestrian street are from Ming and Qing dynasties. We may be attracted by Chinese crafts there, such as land-blown sugar candy, paper-cutting and hand-made dough figurines.

After dinner, we drive to railway station and take a bullet train back to Shanghai. Our representative will meet you at Shanghai railway station and escort you to hotel.