AllHolidayResorts

Hangzhou

Hangzhou Information

Surrounded by hills and tea plantations and sat beside the mystical Xi Hu (West Lake), Hangzhou is one of China's largest cities maintained. A quiet retreat for the emperor and the Communist apparatchiks alike, West Lake has inspired generations of writers, painters and poets and also brought the Chinese city eulogy: "In heaven there is paradise on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

The hotel is located 150 km (93 miles) south of Shanghai on the southern end of the old Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Hangzhou's natural resources have historically boasted a thriving tourism industry. In 2006 it hosted the six-month-long World Leisure Expo in the outlying district of Xiaoshan.

Westlake is the central point of the city, surrounded by numerous parks, pagodas, temples and bridges - each intrinsically safe rich in history and intrigue. Small wooden boats sail in their waters by day and at night older locals sing folk songs and play traditional instruments in the adjacent park. The view over the lake at sunset and sunrise are great.

Hangzhou is also a famous tea-growing center and tours are available on the nearby Dragon Well, that gave the name for the city of the most famous export: Longjing tea.

Tourism aside, Hangzhou is a fast growing and increasingly prosperous trading town. The strong economic growth is supported by a large concentration of private enterprises and the status as a complementary position to neighbors in the vicinity of Shanghai for foreign direct investment.

In the years 2004 and 2005, Hangzhou, China by Forbes as a nation the best in the city to do business. Tapping into this growing urban prosperity foreign retailers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Hermes, and Adidas, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Häagen Dazs occupy prime locations.