In 2015, I travelled to China, where, along with members of my dad’s side of the family, we took a trip to Hangzhou, a city in eastern China. Our trip took us to both traditional and contemporary stops, from marketplaces and temples to lakes and koi fish!
Our first stop took us through a street market on Tang Dong Street, or 街东塘 (read from right to left), which sits just east of West Lake in the province of Zhejiang. As we walked to the marketplace, we passed stretches of the river that the town was built along, and it was very peaceful, with calm waters reflecting the Oriental-style roofs and the scarlet lanterns hanging from them.
Once we reached the marketplace, however, a shock of color and light broke through the neutral tones of the streets. Bright neon signs adorned the way on both sides, advertising street foods like hot pot and barbecue. However, Tang Dong Street had more to offer than just food!
Being a cat lover, I insisted that we enter the Momi Cafe, a small cat-themed shop decorated with rainbow signage and string lights. The Cafe offered gifts like postcards (featuring cats, of course), and mugs with ceramic animals standing in the middle!
As we moved on from Momi, evening began to fall, and the colorful lanterns suspended from the Evening began to fall as we moved on from Momi, and the lanterns hanging from the roofs of the buildings were turned on, creating a beautiful array of shining lights beneath the darkening sky.
The next day, we continued to wind our way through the town, passing stone buildings and canals.
Our walk eventually led us along the river and to a public park facing West Lake.
The waterfront of the park was busy with boats, which frequented the middle of the lake and away from the shore, where lush green lily pads grew out of the water. A smaller park enclosed a section of the lake, where stone bridges and oriental gazebos were built on the water. Willows and lily pads grew in and around the shores of the lake, and hundreds of vivid orange koi fish thronged the water. There were many other visitors at the lake that day, and considering the beautiful natural scenery, it was easy to see why.
We moved on from the park, strolling along a stone platform next to the water, where another pavilion overlooked the lake. Long wooden boats with roofs waited just offshore, ready to take tourists on a trip on the lake. We continued to mosey along the banks of the river, enjoying the view of the calm waters.
After sunset, we visited a night market, moving through stalls selling different wares, like mini stuffed animals, sugar painted candy, and clay figurines of zombies and plants from the video game Plants vs. Zombies, which I loved at the time. The clay figures were incredibly detailed and accurate to the game, so I got a Kernel-pult plant, a butter-launching corncob.
We stopped at Honeymoon Dessert (满记甜点), a Hong Kong chain dessert shop, for traditional Chinese desserts, like sweet almond soup, fruit soup, mango and tapioca in coconut milk, and fresh fruit salad.
Our trip ended with a visit to the site of the Pinghu Qiuyue or 月秋湖平 (again, read from right to left) temple, which stands right at the edge of West Lake. The temple’s small garden is surrounded by verdant green trees and small stone ponds filled with tiny orange fish, all elements of a traditional Chinese garden.
The region of West Lake near the temple has a large stone bridge built over it, which reaches halfway to the opposite shore. There were also many boats available for hire for visitors to tour the lake themselves or with a guide. The smoky shapes of mountains in the background, reservoir of lily pads near the shore, and calm waters all created a tranquil setting perfect for an afternoon walk.
Hangzhou is a great place to experience both street life and nature in China: a visit to West Lake makes the perfect day trip for a short nature retreat from the busy street markets!
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