Hangzhou (杭州)
Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang (浙江) province, is located on the eastern side of central China and can be reached by high-speed rail from Shanghai in 1 hour.
With more than 12 million people, Hangzhou is among the 15 most populated cities in China.
Hangzhou is also the southern end of the 1764km-long Grand Canal (中国京杭大运河), which is the world’s longest man-made waterway that took hundreds of years to complete to connect Hangzhou and other major cities such as Suzhou (苏州), Yangzhou (扬州), Tianjin (天津), and Beijing (北京), which is the northern end of the Grand Canal. The canal runs through many parts of Hangzhou and creates many scenic water views all around the city.
Hangzhou’s West Lake (西湖) has been loved by poets and artists since the 9th century. West Lake plays a huge role in making Hangzhou one of the most liveable cities in China.
Hangzhou CBD is located between West Lake on the west and Qiantang River (钱塘江) on the east. Remarkedly, the boundary of Hangzhou has spread well beyond West Lake in all directions and onto the east shore of the Qiantang River and well beyond.
Hangzhou’s metropolitan area is served by 13 metro train lines with more than 250 train stations and a very extensive public bus service network. 8 of its 13 metro train lines run through underwater tunnels beneath the Qiantang River.
The city’s good public transport system means travelling on public transportation is quite feasible and is a good way to really see a lot of Hangzhou if you are travelling on a small budget. Though you will have to be prepared to walk a lot.
If you speak basic Mandarin and understand basic Chinese language, it is not difficult to move around Hangzhou City and visit Hangzhou attractions on your own. However, you will have to do a lot of research online and read travel guides.
Qiantang River (钱塘江)
The 589km long Qiantang River (钱塘江) is the largest in Zhejiang (浙江) Province. Qiantang River actually refers to the downstream Hangzhou section of the river whereas the upstream section of the river is named Fuchun River (富春江). Qiantang River flows into the East China Sea (东海) through Hangzhou Bay (杭州湾).
The famous “Qiantang River Big Wave” (钱塘江大潮) is a natural wonder of the world caused by the interactions of gravitational pulls of the seawater by the Sun and the Moon, the Earth’s rotation, and topography of the Qiantang River and Hangzhou Bay.
Big waves can be seen between the 1st day and the 5th day, and between the 15th and the 20th day of the lunar month. However, between the 7th and the 9th month in the lunar calendar, the gravitational pulls are at their peak and thus the waves are the biggest.
The biggest wave is often observed on the 18th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar. Many locals and visitors gather at various points of the downstream river shore of Qiantang River on this day to have the best views of the spectacular “Qiantang River Big Tide”.
The Walk – City Balcony (城市阳台)
City Balcony (城市阳台), an elevated observation platform located by the river shore of Qiantang River, is within a short walking distance (800m) from Citizen Center metro station (市民中心站). This is within the Hangzhou CBD and is where the Citizen’s Center of Hangzhou (杭州市民中心) is located.
City Balcony is within the Hangzhou CBD and is where one can see and appreciate how has Hangzhou city expanded to the other side of the Qiantang River with a population of more than 11m. Directly opposite from City Balcony on the other side of Qiantang River is the recently completed Olympic Sports Exposition & Exhibition Center (杭州奥体博览城) where the 2023 Asian Games were held in September 2023.
From the City Balcony, there are riverside walking paths in both upstream and downstream directions. In the downstream direction, you may walk to Qian Jiang Xin Cheng CBD Park (钱江新城CBD公园) and then to the nearest cross-river bridge Xi Xing Bridge (西兴桥).
The one-way distance between the City Balcony and Xi Xing Bridge is approximately 1km.
Want to discover more great walking locations around Perth? Check out the “By the Waters” blogs.
City Balcony (城市阳台), an elevated observation platform located by the river shore of Qiantang River, is within a short walking distance (800m) from Citizen Center metro station (市民中心站). This is within the Hangzhou CBD.
Directly opposite from City Balcony on the other side of Qiantang River is the recently completed Olympic Sports Exposition & Exhibition Center (杭州奥体博览城) where the 2023 Asian Games were held in September 2023.