东坡肉
Dongpo pork
A poet’s name, a small pot, and an afternoon given to the fire.
Soft layers, a glossy savoury-sweet glaze, and the warmth of rice wine.A city, many lives
Hangzhou.
Where the city meets the water.
A lake held in poetry. A canal carrying the memory of trade. A river opening towards a new skyline. Between them, Hangzhou makes room for quiet mornings, bright evenings, and the small rituals of everyday life.
By the river
The city, still unfolding.
A city turns towards the river
Beyond the lake, wide water, contemporary buildings and public gardens open another chapter of Hangzhou.
Read the storyAlong the canal
The water keeps the stories.
Along the canal, the city keeps its layers
A stone bridge, waterside houses and a former oil depot hold different chapters of the same city.
Read the storyEveryday Hangzhou
A day, in small things.
The small hours of an ordinary day
Morning footsteps, leaves opening in a glass, and the scent of autumn: a city comes into focus through small things.
Read the storyPlaces in this city
Choose a place, follow its stories.
Hangzhou
West Lake
An umbrella, a line of poetry, a leaf of tea: discover a lake through the details that make it memorable.
Hangzhou
Lingyin Temple
Lingyin’s name, a travelling hill and the architecture of a living temple.
Hangzhou
Longjing Village
A working village of tea fields, wooded slopes and everyday Hangzhou life, where the landscape is read through small paths, houses and the spring harvest.
City corners
A short introduction
Qiantang River
Hangzhou, facing the open water.
A short introduction
China Tea Museum
Tea gardens, tea ware and two campuses connect Hangzhou’s Longjing with a wider world of tea.
A short introduction
China National Silk Museum
Cocoons, looms and patterned cloth introduce silk as a material, a skill and a connection between places.
City flavours
The city has a place at the table.
龙井虾仁
Longjing shrimp
The tea hills meet the waterways on a white plate.
Tender, lightly springy shrimp; a gentle green-tea fragrance rather than a heavy sauce.
西湖醋鱼
West Lake vinegar fish
A dark ribbon of sauce, carrying sweetness and a little sorrow.
Delicate fish beneath a glossy, distinctly sweet-and-sour vinegar sauce.Further reading
Follow a quieter thread.
Su Causeway, West Lake · 2005
Su Shi’s Lesson in Looking Again
Sunlight reveals one lake; rain suggests another. Two lines of poetry make room for both.
Longjing tea fields, Hangzhou
The Landscape Inside a Tea Leaf
Around Longjing, a leaf’s familiar shape leads into a living craft and the hills that sustain it.
Ways into the city.
Look a little longer. A place opens through its people, its landscapes, and the stories between them.
Photo credits and rights
-
Qianjiang New City from the Qiantang River · 2020MasaneMiyaPA · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized and re-encoded Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
-
Qianjiang New City · evening, 2023Nat4Eben · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized and re-encoded Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
-
Xiaohe Straight Street · 2025Yumeto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized and re-encoded Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
-
Gongchen Bridge over the Grand Canal · 2013猫猫的日记本 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized and re-encoded Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
-
Morning exercise beside West Lakeeastday.com via Hangzhou municipal English website · Rights information Photo source ↗
-
A sweet taste of the osmanthus seasonHangzhoufeel · Rights information Photo source ↗
-
Longjing shrimp · On the plate猫猫的日记本 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗
-
West Lake vinegar fish · On the plateWindmemories · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗