24 hours in Hangzhou

The Chinese proverb “Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below” aptly sums up the allure of Hangzhou.

Likened to a paradise on earth, the capital of Zhejiang Province has long been a muse for poets, scholars and painters. Of late, the historic city known for the arts and its UNESCO-inscribed sites – the West Lake (or Xihu) and the Grand Canal – has also been dubbed China’s answer to Silicon Valley, with a clutch of China’s biggest technology companies making the eastern Zhejiang city their home.

Located just a stone’s throw from Shanghai (40 minutes by high-speed train or a two-hour drive), the one-time capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 to 1279) is one of the country’s most connected cities with direct links to Beijing, Nanjing and Changsha, amongst others. It also boasts the world’s largest public bike sharing system with over 3000 renting stations, making biking a remarkably convenient way to navigate the city.

Despite its rapid urban development, Hangzhou’s postcard-perfect beauty remains a draw, with its natural landscape beautifully juxtaposed with modern and cutting-edge architecture.

To explore the host city of the 2023 Asian Games in its entirety will require more than 24 hours but here are some essential stops.

Feast on local breakfast

When in Hangzhou, eat breakfast as the locals do. Head to You Bu Soy Milk (380 Zhong Shan South Road) for fried dough sticks dipped in sweet soybean milk. But for a more unique taste of Hangzhou, brave the salty version: soy milk served with fried dough bits, spring onions, lard and a dash of soy sauce.

Just steps away is Fang Chun Jian Jiao (481 Zhong Shan South Road), which serves velvety wonton in a light broth with seaweed as well as delightfully crispy pan-fried pot stickers (Chinese dumplings).

If you are still hungry, stroll 15 minutes for heartier noodle options at Fang Lao Da (629 Jiangcheng Road, Shangcheng) and make a beeline for the traditional dry noodles tossed in a savoury sauce with local eel, river shrimps and spring onions. If you don’t mind trying something a little different, the same shop also serves a dry noodle dish tossed with pig’s kidneys, tomatoes, fried eggs and bamboo shoots.

Cruise West Lake

A trip to Hangzhou is incomplete without a stop at West Lake. To fully appreciate the Unesco World Heritage Site, which has inspired poets, scholars and writers for centuries, a cruise is de riguer. While there are many options, Four Seasons Hangzhou offers one of the most luxurious: an hour of afternoon tea savoured on a traditional Chinese boat that takes you to the quiet inner stretches of the fabled lake. For about an hour, you'll have the inner West Lake – almost – all to yourself. The only catch is that you have to be a hotel guest.

Sip Longjing tea at Qingzhu Tea House

No one comes to Hangzhou without savouring China’s most famous green tea: Longjing or Dragon Well tea. Also named ‘Green Queen’, Longjing has been planted in the surrounding areas of the legendary West Lake for more than 1,200 years, with the plantations of Shi (Lion, 狮), Long (Dragon, 龙), Yun (Cloud, 云) and Hu (Tiger, 虎) – indicating Shifeng, Longjing, Yunqi and Hupao respectively – recognised as the most authentic. It’s therefore fitting that you sip on Hangzhou’s iconic pan-roasted green tea amidst Longjing plantations at Qing Zhu (31 Beishan Road, Xihu District). A three-year-old tea house with a small Long Jing plot frontage and a double-storey building with Japanese aesthetics, Qing Zhu serves Chinese teas in various varietals including white, red, green, oolong, black and pu erh, all brewed with spring water from Qiandao Lake. For your virgin sip, we suggest Shifeng Longjing (狮峰龙井) – or the Lion Peak Longjing – known to be the most expensive and highest quality green tea produced here. All teas are served with a parade of complimentary tidbits like dates, figs, pomegranates or cherry tomatoes, as well as Chinese tea eggs. For maximum comfort, book one of three tatami mat private rooms.

Lunch at hidden gem Lan Xuan

13 years and counting with one diamond on China’s vaunted Black Pearl guide, Lan Xuan (22 Fayun Lane, West Lake Street, Xihu) is a smart-casual eatery in a restored old house set amidst bamboo trees in the bucolic confines of the Amafayun resort, just steps away from Lingyin Temple. Owned by a well-travelled food and wine connoisseur who directs the perfectly executed Zhejiang-inspired creative Chinese menu, the restaurant offers set menus as well as a seasonally-changing a la carte, that showcases the low-key owner’s exquisite taste and the kitchen’s accomplished cooking. The sweet and refreshing cherry tomatoes stuffed with candied hickory nuts are a good place to start, but be sure to supplement with seasonal specials.

During our visit in early autumn, end–of-season Yunnan porcini and morel mushrooms were stir-fried and served with steamed geographical-indicated Qingyuan free-range chicken. Meaty pine mushrooms, also from Yunnan, made an appearance in a delicate pine mushroom consommé with pressed meat cake. Leave space for their to-die-for seafood dishes – steamed wild-caught baby croakers from the East China Sea are served with sauteed Hunan yellow peppers, preserved beans and an earthy tea tree oil. Lan Xuan also offers a collection of Chinese rice wines that pair perfectly with its cuisine – don’t leave without a sip of the made-in-Shaoxing Dong Qu 冬趣.

Shop at Tianmuli

Tianmuli is not just a shopping centre. It’s an amalgamation of shopping, art galleries, museum, offices and restaurants all built into a mega building complex at Tianmushan Road, next to Xixi National Wetland Park. Boasting 230,000 square meters of space with 17 buildings and a central square, this Renzo Piano-designed property took eight years to construct and its offerings have been carefully curated to draw the culture-loving crowd. Even if you’re not a bookworm, pay a visit to the glass-wrapped Tsutaya Books, the Tokyo bookstore’s first foray into China, where simple lines and clean style collide to provide a conducive environment for lovers of books and all things zen. A trip to this culture icon is not complete with a stopover at JNBY, the local fashion label that went from a single womenswear store in Hangzhou to more than 2,000 stores worldwide, with multiple brands to boot. And whilst Hangzhou is known for its tea culture, it’s at % Arabica’s store set within OōEli where you’ll witness the city’s new wave of coffee-drinking culture.

Dine in style at Jin Sha, Four Seasons Hangzhou

The only Black Pearl three-diamond decorated restaurant in Hangzhou, Jin Sha (Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake, 5 Lingyin Road, Xihu) has held on to this vaunted accolade for six years in a row, and for good reason. It serves the city’s finest Zhejiang cuisine interpreted by master chef Wang Yong, a native of Jiangxi who learnt his chops at Shanghai’s Whampoa Club during his formative years. Alongside regular seasonal menus, the restaurant offers limited-time-only specials like the Crab’s Feast Menu in late October, when Yangcheng Lake’s hairy crabs are in season. If you’re here in spring, ask about the Taizhou Seafood seasonal menu, but if you prefer to hark closer to Zhejiang flavours, get Wang’s evergreen classic of Shanghainese braised pork belly with abalone and tear-drop peas in sweet soy sauce. If you’re with a group and prefer privacy, book one of the 11 private rooms, some of which come with their own little garden.