Hangzhou & Huzhou

Hangzhou is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province. It sits at the head of Hangzhou Bay on China's coast between Shanghai and Ningbo. Hangzhou grew to prominence as the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last millennium, due in part to its beautiful natural scenery. The city's West Lake is its best-known attraction. The city of Huzhou lies at the northern edge of Zhejiang and from 2013 is on the tourist circuit thanks to the opening of the uniquely-shaped, donut-hole Sheraton Huzhou Hot Springs Resort.

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First glimpse of the Sheraton Huzhou Hotel, 27 floors and 321 rooms.

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Elegance at every turn inside the Sheraton Huzhou Hotel. Here, a girl plays a grand piano in the lobby.

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The Sheraton in Huzhou is such a striking backdrop that it is used in several wedding photo montages.

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Night is when the Sheraton Huzhou Resort really comes to life. Elaborate pulsating light patterns run up and down the length of the building for a few hours after sunset, delighting hotel guests and busloads of tourists as well.

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Traditional fishing junks line Taihu Lake in northern Zhejiang Province.

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Some snapshots from Hangzhou's famous West Lake.

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Su Causeway across West Lake in Hangzhou.

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Bamboo and bonsai garden along West Lake's north shore.

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Yue Fei Temple in Hangzhou, first constructed in 1221 to commemorate the exploits and house the tomb of the general who fought in the Southern Song dynasty against the Jin clan after the capital of China was moved south to Hangzhou.

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Ancient stone carvings along the "Peak Flying From Afar," a cliffside full of Buddhist carvings that is said to have magically transported from India to China overnight to show the power of Buddhist philosophy.

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Entering Lingyin Temple just outside Hangzhou. The temple's name is commonly literally translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat." It is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China and contains numerous pagodas and grottoes.

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In the Hall of Heavenly Kings on the Lingyin Temple grounds.

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Lingyin Temple's Grand Hall of the Great Sage, housing the largest wooden statue of Buddha in China.

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Inside the cavernous Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, shaped like a traditional Buddhist swastika. At the center where the arms of the swastika come together is a bronze canopy housing statues of four bodhisattvas representing the four cardinal directions. This is currently the tallest solid bronze structure in the world.

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Random snaps of some of the detail along the Lingyin Temple walls.

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Lingyin's Huayan Hall houses statues of the three sages of the Avatamsaka Sutra.

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Continuing upslope from Lingyin Temple one finds Yongfu Monastery.

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The Impression West Lake show is one of the top-rated attractions in Hangzhou with its dazzling lights, floating platforms, and a stage that sits just below the lake's surface to give the illusion that the performers actually walk on water.