Shanghai to Hangzhou by High-Speed Rail Day Trip: Xiangji Temple + China National Tea Museum + Meijiawu + West Lake
This morning, you will depart from Shanghai and take a high-speed train to Hangzhou (about 158 kilometers, about 1 hour). Our driver will greet you at the exit of Hangzhou High-Speed Railway Station and take you on an in-depth tour of this famous historical and cultural city known as "Paradise on Earth".
After arriving in Hangzhou, first visit the thousand-year-old ancient temple by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal - 【Xiangji Temple】. This ancient temple, first built in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 978), is famous for enshrining the 'Kitchen God' King Kinnara Bodhisattva (protecting dietary health), with towering twin pagodas and solemn halls. Around the temple, the canal flows gently, ancient bridges (such as Daguan Bridge) arc like rainbows, and passing boats together outline a vivid water town scene. Locals believe that praying here for family abundance is as efficacious as praying at Lingyin Temple.
Then, you will visit China's only national-level thematic museum themed on tea and tea culture - 【China National Tea Museum】. This is a must-visit place for tea culture lovers, with two exhibition areas, Shuangfeng and Longjing, about 3 kilometers apart. Among them, Shuangfeng is adjacent to West Lake, surrounded by mountains and water, and home to a West Lake Longjing tea plantation. It is a typical Jiangnan garden style, full of quaint elegance. Here, you can gain an in-depth understanding of the long history and culture of Chinese tea, admire various ancient and exquisite tea utensils, and experience interesting tea-drinking customs. Longjing is adjacent to Longjing Village, built along the mountain and surrounded by tea gardens. From the tea altar at the top, you can overlook West Lake and the surrounding tea mountain scenery. Here, you can experience unique tea lifestyles and tea cultures from around the world, and learn about traditional Chinese tea-making techniques and related customs, such as Tang Dynasty boiled tea and Song Dynasty whisked tea. You also have the opportunity to participate in various tea culture activities and watch wonderful tea art performances. You can choose the China National Tea Museum branch you want to visit according to your interests and time.
Warm reminder: If you visit on Tuesday, the China National Tea Museum (Shuangfeng/Longjing exhibition areas) will be closed that day. As an alternative, we suggest visiting the China National Silk Museum. Hangzhou is known as the "House of Silk", and this museum, as the world's largest silk-themed museum, uses exquisite collections and modern displays to let you deeply understand the glorious history and exquisite craftsmanship of Chinese silk. It is an excellent choice to experience another core cultural heritage of Hangzhou.
Afterwards, visit 【Meijiawu Tea Culture Village】, known as "Ten Li Meiwu". This is one of the first-level protection areas and main production areas of China's West Lake Longjing tea, and also a highly distinctive tea culture leisure and sightseeing resort in Hangzhou. Since the 1950s, it has received many national leaders, international celebrities, and tourists from around the world. Meijiawu has more than 600 years of tea cultivation history. Here are the oldest tea-frying processes and the most traditional tea-making techniques, allowing you to immersively feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage. You can stroll along the ancient street and ancient bridges, admire the quaint and elegant architecture, view spectacular ancient tea trees, learn the story of Premier Zhou Enlai and Meijiawu Longjing tea, and also find a quiet tea house to taste a cup of Longjing tea, one of China's top ten famous teas, quietly gaze at the distant rolling green mountains, listen to the murmuring stream, and fully enjoy a peaceful and leisurely time.
Then, continue to visit 【West Lake】, known as "Paradise on Earth". This is a world-famous scenic and historic site in China and a famous World Heritage Site. West Lake is picturesque, with different scenery in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and unique charm in sunshine, rain, and snow. You can choose to hike, ride a bicycle (free for the first hour), take a boat (at your own expense), or take a sightseeing bus (at your own expense) to fully explore West Lake, admire the poetic and picturesque beauty of the lake and mountains, feel the poetic Chinese landscape aesthetics, and listen to the moving legends of "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Butterfly Lovers".
West Lake has many scenic spots. You can stroll along Su Causeway and admire the beauty of West Lake described by Song Dynasty poet Su Shi: "The shimmering water is beautiful on sunny days, and the misty mountains are also wonderful in rain. If one compares West Lake to Xizi, light makeup and heavy makeup are both suitable." If you are interested in the Chinese intangible cultural heritage "Legend of Liang Zhu" passed down for more than 1,700 years, you can visit Wansong Academy, where Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai studied together for three years. In addition, Long Bridge is said to be the place where Liang Zhu said farewell, and it is also the best place to view "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow", one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, as well as a famous matchmaking spot in Hangzhou. If you are interested in the touching "Legend of the White Snake", Leifeng Pagoda (ticket at your own expense) is a must-see attraction. According to legend, after White Lady flooded Jinshan Temple to save Xu Xian, she was suppressed by Fahai under Leifeng Pagoda. This story makes Leifeng Pagoda full of mystery in folk legends. If you are a loyal fan of "Dream of the Red Chamber", be sure to visit Quyuan Fenghe, the filming location of the 1987 TV series "Dream of the Red Chamber", where Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu secretly read "The Romance of the Western Chamber". In addition, you can also take a boat tour (at your own expense) to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and photograph the scenery on the back of the one-yuan renminbi note.
After the tour, this unforgettable and wonderful 1-day Hangzhou cultural journey will come to an end. Our driver will take you to the railway station to take a high-speed train back to Shanghai (about 1 hour). If you want to extend this trip and explore more Chinese destinations, such as Shanghai, Suzhou, Huangshan, Beijing, Harbin, Yunnan, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, Tibet, Guilin, Xinjiang, etc., you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you.
🍽️ Lunch included
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