Hangzhou (杭州)
上有天堂
下有苏杭
West Lake (西湖花港观鱼)
Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang (浙江) province in eastern China, is located at the southern end of the Grand Canal (京杭大运河). Qiantang River (钱塘江) passes through the city, before flowing into East China Sea.
Hangzhou was once the capital of Southern Song (南宋) Dynasty.
West Lake (西湖) is the city's best known attraction. There are numerous historical sites and picturesque scenery around the lake. They have inspired renowned poets such as Bai Juyi (白居易)
and Su Dongpo (苏东坡), scholars and artists.
West Lake Cultural Landscape was listed as a World Heritate Site by UNESCO.
The city is also famous for longjing tea (龙井茶).
水光潋滟晴方好
山色空蒙雨亦奇
欲把西湖比西子
淡妆浓抹总相宜
－－苏轼
took a boat ride on West Lake in the drizzling rain
烟雨蒙蒙下江南
West Lake
西湖长桥
梁祝十八相送在此桥
Wansong Academy
Wansong Academy was the largest institute of higher learning in Hangzhou during the Ming (明) and Qing (清) Dynasties.
Legendary lovers Liang Shanbo (梁山伯) and Zhu Yingtai (祝英台) were said to have been studying in the same class in the institution for three years.
Wuzhen (乌镇)
Wuzhen (乌镇)---an ancient water village
in Zhejiang province
Suzhou (苏州)---Venice of the East
江南园林甲天下
苏州园林甲江南
Jiangsu (江苏) province is often called 'the home of fish and paddy' (鱼米之乡) because the land is fertile and the fish is abundant.
Suzhou, the capital of Jiangsu province, has over 2500 years of rich history. It is located in the south of Jiangsu province. Grand Canal runs through the city and links it to Beijing.
The city was home of a lot of wealthy landowning families. Many classical gardens were built by them around small ponds.
Ou Yuan (耦园)
Ou Yuan is listed with other Suzhuo classical gardens as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
小桥流水，江南人家
Qi Li Shan Tang (七里山塘)---姑苏第一名街
Suzhuo has been dubbed 'Venice of the East' for its canals and elegant bridges.
Suzhuo, noted for silk production, is China's second largest industrial city after Shanghai.
Han Shan Si (寒山寺)
枫桥夜泊
月落乌啼霜满天
江枫渔火对愁眠
姑苏城外寒山寺
夜半钟声到客船
唐----张继
Han Shan Si (寒山寺)
Han Shan Si (寒山寺)
Han Shan Si was named after the monk, Han Shan (寒山), who was attached to the temple.
Wuxi (无锡)
Tai Lake (太湖)
Wuxi has a history of more than 3000 years. The city lies to the north of Tai Lake (太湖 )---the third largest lake in China.
Fresh water pearls are cultivated in Tai Lake .
Wuxi is also called pottery city for producing zi sha clay teapots (紫砂壶).
Li Garden (蠡园）
Li Garden is a private garden built in the early 20th century. It is famous for its beautiful lake scenery. Three sides of the garden face Tai Lake.
Li Garden was named after Fan Li (范蠡---陶朱公).
Three-Kingdoms Movie & TV City
TV serial of 'a Romance of Three- Kingdoms' (三国演义) was filmed here.
Nanjing---Capital of Six Dynasties (南京---六朝古都）
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, is one of the historical cities in China. The city's name 南京 means 'southern capital'. Nanjing served as the capital of six dynasties and was the capital of Republic of China before the communist came into power.
Part of the Nanjing Ancient Wall, built by Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋)---the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, still stands in the city.
The most renowned monuments in Nanjing are the Ming Xiao Ling (明孝陵) and the magnificent Sun Yat Sen Mausoleum (中山陵) at the foot of Zi Jin Shan (紫金山).
Sifangcheng (四方城)
Si Fang Cheng was a pavillion where a splendidly carved stone stele, in memory of Zhu Yuanzhang, was erected.
The sacred way to Ming Xiao Ling (明孝陵)---the Ming Tomb built for Zhu Yuanzhang started from Sifangcheng.
In 1937, Japanese troops occupied Nanjing and carried out the brutal Nanjing Massacre in the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The total death toll was between 300,000 and 350,000.
Today Nanjing is one of the major industrial cities in China.
Changjiang Bridge (长江大桥)
Changjiang Bridge is China's first self-built bridge over Yangtze River in Nanjing. Construction of the bridge was completed in 1968.
Mochouhu (莫愁湖)
Shanghai--- Pearl of the Orient (上海---东方明珠）
Shanghai
Shanghai is the commercial and financial centre of China.
Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is the largest city of China.
Once a fishing village, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to its deep-water port and favourable location.
Shanghai was one of the cities opened to free foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing. It was then carved up into concessions run by the British, French, Americans and Japanese.
Later, the city flourished as a centre of commerce between the east and west and became the most properous city in the Far East in the 1930's.
Nanjing Road (南京路)---the most famous shopping strip in Shanghai
taking a boat cruise on the
Huangpu River
Puxi (浦西), the old town of Shanghai, is separated from Pudong, to the east (浦东) by the Huangpu River (黄埔江).
Despite the growing importance of the new financial district of Pudong, Puxi remains Shanghai's cultural, residential and commercial centre.
Cheng Huang Miao (城隍庙) shopping area in Puxi
Xintiandi (新天地) in Puxi
Xintiandi
Located in the former French Concession, this area was formerly called Shikumen. Shikumen was then refurbished and called Xintiandi.
It is one of Shanghai's richest and most vibrant neighbourhoods.
HSBC at the Bund
The Bund (外滩), located by the west bank of the Huangpu River, is the most renowned landmark of the city.
This historical waterfront dates back to the 19th century. China granted the land to the British after the Treaty of Nanjing and granted foreign merchants the right to reside and trade in Shanghai.
By the early 20th century, the Bund was known as the 'Wall Street of Asia'. Giants born there include The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and Insurers American International Group or AIG.
It was the hub of colonial life in Shanghai until the Japanese invaded the city in 1941.
The western appearance of the waterfront was seen as a humiliating reminder of the period of subjugation China suffered under the foreign powers. When the communist came to power, it attempted to rid the legacies of the past.
However, as Shanghai attempts to relaunch itself as one of the world's financial centres, the Bund is back in the spotlight. The government had spent huge amount of fund to restore the Bund so as to bring back a touch of its 1930's glamour.
Pedestrians and tourists stroll along the wider promenade between the colonial-style buildings in the Bund and the river. They look across the river to China's new financial centre, Pudong, where imposing skyscrapers have sprouted over the past two decades.
Pudong (浦东) as seen at night
the Free Standing Structure is Oriental Pearl Television Tower (东方明珠塔).
Oriental Pearl Television Tower is a symbol of the New Shanghai, a city struggling to regain its former glory.
