Hangzhou Data Sheet: Xihu District
Hey guys, this is my first bolt of Hangzhou data; however, since I'm here for a year (barring the unforeseen) and it is a very large city with much to offer, I plan to add small things here and there to the overall data sheet; it's a big fuckin' city (urban population of about 6.5 million or so), so there's a chance I'll get out of the way every so often and see some things that I feel you guys should know about.
This sheet is mostly clustered around the Xihu (West Lake) District...the city is very large, but the Xihu District is really where you want to be because in addition to being the most famous, is the largest and second-most populous area of the city, in terms of clubs, accommodations, sights and shopping, you're going to have a shit-ton more opportunity and things to do in Xihu than you will in a place like Binjiang.
About:
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province in China. It's history is rich and ancient, dating back to it's time as the capitol during the Southern Song Dynasty, and it was once even the largest city in the world sometime around the 1400's.
Nowadays, like much of China, there is hustle and bustle everywhere; the city's metropolitan population has surged to about 8 million, and even though much of the city is largely indistinguishable from any other Chinese metropolis, indications of it's vibrant past can be found wherever you're willing to look. Hangzhou is one of the richest cities in China in terms of both Per Capita and Gross GDP.
The weather in Hangzhou is most analogous to a place like Jacksonville or Savannah; summer days with lots of rain and temperatures in the 90's aren't unusual, but in the winter things can get chilly. The best times to visit are April-May and September.
Point of Order:
Someone pointed out something; there is a definite negative correlation between level of English spoken and attractiveness in the women, but I think I have this one cracked; you see, China is smarter than the US with University; instead of creating debt slaves by giving 17 and 18 year olds with zero future-time orientation or impulse control massive student loans, in China, you don't go to University until you're 20, and you graduate when you're 24, and I really think this is how it should be done; you graduate high school at 18, work for a few years to get some experience and capital and THEN you go to school...it'd save a ton of problems and debt for many people, but I digress.
So you want to know what I think constitutes the English-to-hotness negative correlation? Because chances are the hot girl that speaks zero English is 19 or 20 (and at her peak), and the unattractive-to-okay girl that speaks 'well' is 25-28 (past her peak and on her way to the wall). Chinese women do age well, still no one can escape it, and is 'aging well' really not just a big oxymoron?
Arrival:
Hangzhou-Xiaoshan International Airport forms as the catchment for the flights into the city, servicing nearly all domestic cities and some international centers in Asia (Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok etc,.). However, it is about a 150 RMB taxi ride from Xiaoshan to the city proper, so come prepared for that.
The city also serves as Zhejiang's railway hub for most of China, with high-speed trains reaching 170 km/h. However, like Xiaoshan, the main train station is far from the city, again about 180 by taxi (and you may need to haggle for it).
For short term trips from places like Shanghai (2 hours), Wuxi (3 hours), Suzhou (2 hours), Ningbo (3 hours) and Yiwu (2 hours), budget players (or teachers who have blown all their money a week before pay comes in, such as myself) should consider the bus; the bus terminal is located right near everything in town, and again...
I have banged a girl I met on the long-distance bus, which is more than I can say for the train.
Lodging:
As is the story everywhere in China, you can get a crummy roach-motel hostel spot for 100 a night, but you don't want to do that; trust me on this, I lived in one for 3 weeks, never again.
In Hangzhou you want to stay in one place and one place only; Xihu adjacent, seriously, you want to be able to get there in a
maximum of ten minutes on foot. All of the best clubs, bars and restaurants are either walking distance, reachable by bus or ten or less minutes by cab from the lake. Here are some suggestions.
The
Shangri-La (International chain) on Beishan Road is stately and nice, right on the lake, rooms start at about 1400 a night plus service charges, but logistically, it's a good bet, the price be damned (and really, 1500 RMB is nothing to lose sleep over, that's like $250 USD).
A friend coming in to visit said good things about the
Sofitel on West Lake Avenue; clean, spacious rooms and a great spa and pool, about 900 RMB, not bad, though a little less close to the center of the action.
However, your best bet for logistics? Try out the
Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Hangzhou on Fengqi road (which runs adjacent to the lake). You can get a good room for around 1350 here, and...well just look at Google Maps; you're less than a thousand
feet from G-Plus and Boiling 100C...can't be beat.
The city also boasts a Crowne Plaza, a Banyan Tree, an Intercontinental, a Hyatt and numerous Century hotels, so you aren't limited in your choices. To get a better grasp on accommodations in the city, peep
MoreHangzhou.com. For a room you wouldn't be ashamed to bring a pretty Chinese girl to that offers airtight logistics, be prepared to drop 850-1500 a night.
Getting Around:
The city has a bus system that would take a foreigner with no knowledge of how to read characters years to learn, though you can just hop on one day if you're bored and see where it takes you. It's 2-4
kuai a ride.
Taxis are plentiful but rare (as weird as it sounds), and since the city sprawls, they can get pricey (and drivers are not above ripping you off), and catching a cab when it's raining (which is often)? Forget about it. However, they remain a necessary evil and the meter starts at 11 RMB.
What to do:
Assuming you aren't here just to fuck women (I love fucking beautiful foreign women just as much as anyone here, but it's not the only reason I travel), the city has quite a few nice 'natural' sites to offer.
Most famous among these is
Xi Hu (West Lake). Venerated by poets throughout Chinese history, it's something everyone has to see. It's got bridges, temples, pagodas and all that jazz, but also on it's shores is an armada of coffee shops, restaurants and hotels. In reality though, while the throngs of people and muscular skyline of the city has dimmed some of the past allure (players who have stomped in Northern Ontario, Western Canada, the Appalachians, Alaska, Hawaii, Central and South America and parts of Europe will not be as sprung by the lake's appeal, but just play along), it's a very nice romantic place, the ideal set piece to create a view for a swoop.
As an added bonus, Xihu is the
only sight of cultural significance in China that is free of charge.
Nearby is the village of
Longjing, where the famous Dragon Well Tea (
Longjingcha) is made, not bad for a day trip, but also slightly tourist-trappy; you will be HPSed (high-pressure sold) to buy some.
To the west is the
Xixi Wetlands, a serene place famous for it's birdwatching, a good place for a meditative stroll and photography, get there by going west down Tianmushan Road.
Xihu Tiandi is a great place to see the old and the new side by side, where pagodas and stately arches co-exist peacefully with Maserati dealerships and Starbucks, lots of girls walking the streets of Xihu Tiandi on nice days. It's located on Nanshan Road.
The city is bisected from its suburbs (Binjiang and Xiaoshan) by the
Qiantang Jiang (Qiantang River), which experiences the world's largest tidal bore...not really of note, but a cool fact, I guess.
Eating:
It's China...there are shit tons of hot pot, Sichuanese, Xinjiangese, Night BBQ, Western and other Asian Places everywhere. Definitely peep
Vanessa Korean Restaurant on Huaxing Road.
Burton's Coffee on Tianmushan Road (near Coco Banana's) serves good foreign food, but it's really
Eudora Station in Xihu Tiandi (Nanshan Road) that knocks it out, not just with the western food, but the overall ambiance of the setting; an open-concept bar-pub on Xihu Tiandi surrounded by trees, fucking magic.
My favorite Chinese restaurants are
Grandma's Kitchen (Wen Er Road near Gudun Road - though the city allegedly has at least 3 more branches),
Fengdu on Shuguang Road and
Xiang Xiang Guan off Jingzhou Road on the west side (for the shrimp). My favorite Hot Pot Place is
Macao Doulou off Nanshan Road (near Eudora).
And finally...what can I say about
Gaoyin Street in the Shangcheng District? It's this big crazy street near Wushan Square with ALL restaurants and tea houses...seriously, at least 50 restaurants side by side, and all five on the street I have been to are excellent. Most offer English menus, but some don't.
Also, as has been said in this thread; get your KFC and McDonald's locations on lock. You will never not see the talent entering and exiting these American fat houses, but they stay thin because it's hot as hell, they walk everywhere and the fries at McDonald's are a 'treat', not 'breakfast'.
Clubs:
Hangzhou's club scene is pretty decent; not Shanghai crazy, but its definitely a good place to let loose.
On Huaxing Road is the
Co Co Club; lots of talent and a great vibe and middle-priced, good Latin music scene, it's also near a smattering of restaurants and a good pool hall (
The 9 Club), and it's also very close to...
Coco Bananas; that place is sick.
First, what you do is this; you go early and pre-party and eat at
Burton's a legitimate authentic pub-style place with good Western food at fair prices (they have 3 RMB Tequila shots on Fridays, exercise caution); all the honeys from Zhejiang University across the street come here to drink after class, so the talent is very good (and will speak some English). After that, you walk fifty feet, take an elevator and you get to a throbbing dance club, with a reasonably-sized dance floor and lots of tables. Burton's/Coco Bananas is located at Huanglong Times Square at Wantang Road near Tianmushan Road.
Completing the Coco trifecta of Wantang Road is
Coco Jeff; sounds like the name for a gay bar, but it's not; it's kind of small, but the dance floor revs up, and it's new so it still draws in the talent.
There are a bunch of 'bars', if you can call them that, in or near the
Yellow Dragon Stadium on Huanglong Road that range from KTV to go-go girl spots (no strippers in China, allegedly) and hole in the wall drink spots. The talent is good but the night can run expensive.
A place I have yet to see but keep hearing about is the biggest bar/club in the city,
Boiling 100C on Hubin Road near the Xihu tunnel, but that's mostly because the foreigners I hear it from are (as the G would say) 'suspect'; douchey T-shirts, tribal tattoos and talking big games but going home to average-looking Chinese girlfriends, but I have heard that the place gets pretty wild on Thursdays and Fridays. I reckon I'll check it out sometime soon.
Suzie Wong on Wenyi Road near Gucui Road is pretty good but it's location is not logistically favorable (as in, if you stay near Xihu - as you should - you need a taxi).
So there are lots of clubs and things to do in the city at night...but in my opinion, the best talent available?
G-Plus and
Queen right spitting distance from the West Lake on Baochu Road...G-plus is a rave style place with glow sticks and House-EDM and Queen is a bit more grounded but still fun, and they're right by the lake, so it's very target rich.
Finally, if you like to get your Salsa on, peep
Night and Day on Nanshan Road up from Eudora's.
Budgeting:
This is a handy little section I am making from my own experiences in the city...bear in mind I live here and make a salary here, so I am extrapolating a little bit. I assume that this budget, which I will lay out, is for the traveler who wants a few things in a one week stay;
- A comfortable room.
- Airtight logistics.
- 3-4 Club nights.
- 1-2 Bar nights.
- To eat well.
Also remember, this is not baseline; this is balling. You can do the city on much less (or much more) should you choose, but this is just how I would do it if I had the option.
So with that out of the way...
1) Five days and six nights in the Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale, King bed, smoking room:
6240元 + surcharges,
Link
2) 3 Nights at any of Queen, Coco Bananas, Coco Jeff, Boiling 100, G Plus or the Yellow Dragon Area:
2400元 (bring
at least 500 a night).
3) Meals (weekly total):
1200元
4) General Shopping (if you're into that sort of thing):
3000元
5) Transport (taxis, bus):
300元
6) Miscellaneous spending money/slush:
3000元
TOTAL: If you want to do Hangzhou right, bang a few girls, party it up and have a great time, you should be bringing around
16000元. As of today, the current rate of exchange for the CNY is 1 CNY = 0.157626 USD, therefore 16000 CNY is about $2500 USD, which even after your flight (depends on which market you fly out of) is really not bad if you want to enjoy a crazy week in a strange place.
What is the absolute statistical
minimum you should come with if you want to have an at least good week? 8000 RMB, around $1250 USD.
To Be Continued...?
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