We did a 6-day trip to Hangzhou and Shanghai over the new year. We flew Scoot from Singapore to Hangzhou on 26 Dec arriving close after 9 PM local time and reached our hotel, Ucove by Hyatt close to midnight. 27 Dec to 29 Dec were spent in Hangzhou before traveling by high-speed rail to Shanghai on 30 Dec. In Shanghai, we stayed at Crown Plaza along Jiujiang Road from 30 Dec to 1 Jan before taking the evening highspeed rail back to Hangzhou and heading straight to the airport for our flight back to Singapore. We would not be counting 26 Dec as the first day since we arrived only to sleep. So, Day 1 will be on 27 Dec.
Day 1 – Hangzhou (West Lake and Yue Fei Temple)
Our hotel is on Yan’an Road, very conveniently located as there is food everywhere, the metro is right by our hotel, the main shopping belt starts across the street, West Lake is a 10 minutes walk, and the famous WuLin night market is 7 minutes walk. After breakfast at one of the many eateries along Yan’an Road, we decided to explore West Lake on foot along the Broken Bridge and Gushan area. The beauty of West Lake can only be enjoyed when you are there. Many boat services bring you on a cruise around West Lake. Most are legitimate businesses, and you get tickets at the booth. There are also shuttle services that travel fixed routes around West Lake, if you get tired just flag down to check if it is going to where you intend to go. The cost is fixed at 20 Yuan per person per ride.
Another place we visited was the Yue Fei temple. Learn about the story of this famous Chinese military general from the Southern Song Dynasty and why today is still considered a national hero. Visit his memorial hall where there are artifacts that showcase his life and achievements then and head over this his and his son’s tomb to appreciate the significance of his life to the Chinese people.
Day 2 – Hangzhou (Mei Jia Wu and Lingyin Temple)
Raise early and head to Mei Jia Wu Village where they are famous for producing the world-renowned Long Jing Tea. One could spend the entire day here exploring tea plantations, enjoying the tranquil settings, and admiring the historical beauty of this village. We also visited a tea house where we had some local delicacies Ming Qian Long Jing tea. Here you can also buy tea leaves instead of at shops in town. Most tea houses have their plantation and would be more than happy should you be around theirs.
The next stop is Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul’s Retreat). There are two entrance fees to pay if you want to visit Lingyin Temple. First is the entrance to the compound around the temple including Feilai Feng (Peak Flown from Afar). After that, there is another entrance fee to Lingyin Temple. Lingyin Temple is famously linked to Ji Gong, a monk that lived during the Southern Song Dynasty that has got compassion and miraculous powers but had eccentric behaviours that are unconventional for a Buddhist monk.
Day 3 – Hangzhou (Leifeng Pagoda, Hu Xueyan Former Residence, and Wulin Night Market)
Every day we start with breakfast at one of the many eateries on Yan’an Road. After which we took the metro and bus to Leifeng Pagoda. The original pagoda has collapsed. They have kept ruins on the lower levels of the pagoda for visitors to see. This new pagoda is rebuilt. Go to the told floor to view West Lake and most of Hangzhou before heading down each level to learn more about this pagoda. Walk around the park and visit the exhibits to see what was unearthed from the original pagoda during archaeological digs before the new pagoda was built.
Hu Xuyuan is a famous businessman of the 1800s century. Visit his former residence, get a glimpse of his life as a wealthy businessman, learn about his business and trade ventures, and see his contributions to the betterment of China from construction to education to social welfare.
Wulin Night market. It is like any night market in Asia where you have street vendors selling all kinds of local dishes as well as shops selling clothes, jewelry, and souvenirs. As with street markets, it is always crowded, so prepare to be squeezed.
Day 4 – Hangzhou to Shanghai (the Bund)
Today, we took the high-speed rail from Hangzhou to Shanghai. The train journey is about an hour with two stops along the way. There are three classes in China’s rail systems. The lowest being 2nd class, followed by 1st class and finally business class. We bought business class tickets where you can check in at the business lounge where at Hangzhou, you get lounge usage and priority entry to the train tracks without having to queue to scan your passport/ticket. A pack of snacks and a bottle of water is provided during the train journey. Hangzhou’s train station used to be the largest in the world. Now it’s the third largest.
Arriving at Shanghai Hongqiao station, you cannot get a DIDI here, so we took a taxi to our hotel, Crown Plaza at Jiu Jiang Road. We were not early but our room wasn’t ready, so we had to wait. Were given 2 vouchers for drinks at the lounge but the attitude of the staff at the lounge was appalling. Won’t recommend going there.
Anyhow, we got to our room, refreshed ourselves, and headed down to Nanjing Pedestrian Street (the main shopping belt of Shanghai) heading towards Bund. It was crowded. Way more crowded than West Lake. Nice view of the Pearl of the Orient as well as Pudong district but West Lake was so much more beautiful. On our way back, we stopped by the famous Peace Hotel for pictures and had dinner in one of the malls where we tried Shanghai Soup Dumpling. One word Delicious. We had an early night.
Day 5 – Shanghai (Yu Yuan, Cheng Huang Miao)
New Year’s Eve. Our hotel provides breakfast, so we had a small bite and headed out. We booked a massage for the evening just opposite our hotel before heading to Old Shanghai. Mainly Yu Yuan Gardens, Yu Yuan Old Street, and Cheng Huang Miao (Shanghai City God Temple).
Off the Yu Yuan Gardens first. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and you need to produce your passport when purchasing tickets to enter. Yu Yuan Gardens dates back to the Ming Dynasty, inside is a beautiful and traditional Chinese garden. The garden landscape features ponds, bridges, rocky formations, carvings, and pavilions. Each hall and chamber has its unique design depending on its purpose. Overall, the design symbolizes harmony between yin and yang.
Outside of Yu Yuan Gardens is Yu Yuan Old Street where the old buildings are retained and now it is a famous shopping area. You can get high fashion, fancy restaurants street vendors, and food stalls.
Of course, no visit to old Shanghai would be complete without visiting the Shanghai City God Temple and praying to Cheng Huang. There is an entry fee of 15 Yuan, and you get to light your joss sticks and offer your prayers. Then visit the individual halls to offer prayers to the other deities before heading to the main hall passing 60 Tai Sui’s (You should look for the Tai Sui that governs over your year and birth and offer some prayers) and reaching the Cheng Huang statue. Here offer your prayers, then make a wish and take a pack from the basket on the left before exiting. The pack contains some advice on how you can go about getting what you wish for.
Back to our hotel for a massage, and dinner then headed to the Bund for the New Year’s Countdown. It was jam-packed. Everyone had their phones out hoping to record the fireworks, too bad there weren’t any. So back to the hotel for the night.
Day 6 (Jade Buddha)
Last day in China, after Breakfast in the hotel, we strolled around Nanjing Pedestrian Street for some last-minute shopping before checking out and leaving our luggage at the concierge. Today we are going to the Jade Buddha temple. The main attractions are the two Jade Buddha statues imported from Myanmar. One is a medication posture and the other is a reclining posture. Sadly, photos are not allowed of these two Buddha statues.
Apart from these two Buddha statues, one can make offerings and prayers at the main halls that house different Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. There is no entrance fee for this Temple, but you will have to purchase joss sticks from the souvenir shop which is extremely packed with people. That said, the temple itself is rather tranquil and peaceful. We had a vegetarian lunch at the temple’s cafe, simple and delicious food.
We returned to the hotel, got our luggage, and hailed a DIDI to Hong Qiao Train station to catch our train back to Hangzhou. The service in the Business class lounge in Shanghai isn’t as good as that of Hangzhou and there is no priority entry to the tracks. You must queue to scan your passport unlike in Hangzhou. At Hangzhou East station, we wanted to take the Airport bus service, but it was discontinued so we had to get DIDI to the airport.
In China, you cannot fly with a lighter in your hand carry or your checked-in luggage. We thought it was only in the hand carry but were called to security check to remove the lighter. As it was late most shops at the airport were already closed so it was straight to our plane and back to Singapore.
Till we travel again.