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Zhejiang

Introduction

Hangzhou

Just south of Shanghai, Zhejiang (浙江) is a stunning province. With great cities like Hangzhou, home to the famous west lake, and Wenzhou, which is famous for having the most difficult dialect of Chinese, there is plenty for the urban explorer to handle. These cities and towns are also home to many famous people in China's long history including poets and architects. Don't just stop in the cities, Zhejiang is home to an amazing coastline with countless islands and beaches, just avoid the typhoon season which can get really bad. If bored of the coast and the cities go inland and explore mountains covered with trees and bamboo forests. Some of China's best remote mountain biking is to be found in these mountains. Overlooked by many travellers, Zhejiang is a great destination.

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Geography

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Cities

Hangzhou is home to the famous west lake and great city to spend a day or two.
Wenzhou is a huge urban city known for making lighters and having an extremely complicated dialect.
Ningbo is a great place to look at colonial architecture and chill on the coast.
Shaoxing

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Sights and Activities

West Lake is located in Hangzhou and is one of the most famous gardens in all of China. The main feature of the garden is the two very large lakes built to bring out the beauty in the world.

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Events and Festivals

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Weather

Zhejiang has a pleasant climate though summers can be hot and humid. Maximum temperatures during the June to September period are around 30 °C and nights are a balmy 24 °C or 25 °C. Winters last from December to March when it's between 8 °C and 12 °C during the day and still above zero at night. Occasional frost and snow are possible though. Rainfall (or some snow in winter) is possible in all months, though summers see more heavy showers with higher amounts in total.

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Getting There

By Plane

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) is a major airport with extensive domestic service and some limited international service. All major cities in and most minor cities in China have direct flights from Hangzhou. International flights mainly serve other cities in North East Asia like Tokyo and Seoul. Since May 2010, KLM flies 3 times weekly between Hangzhou and Amsterdam, the first direct flight to Europe. Low-cost carrier Air Asia X operates the Hangzhou - Kuala Lumpur route. To get to and from the airport there are buses to downtown Hangzhou. There are also buses to other areas nearby in Zhejiang and a direct bus to downtown Shanghai.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) has a direct shuttle bus connection to Hangzhou. It costs around 25 RMB. There are airport buses to downtown Hangzhou and Xiaoshan as well as to prefectures further away such as Yiwu.

By Train

Hangzhou Train Station (杭州火车站) is a major train hub for the south east coast of China and thus for Zhejiang as well. There are many trains every day to Shanghai and several overnight trains every day to Beijing. Every major city in China is connected to Hangzhou. There are also fast trains to Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai.