Holiday guide for Dragon Boat Festival

G20 Summit travel route--Hangzhou and its surrounding area

An aerial view of Qianjiang New Town in Hangzhou.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The G20 summit will be held in Hangzhou on Sept 4-5 this year. The capital city of Zhejiang province is renowned for its natural scenery and Hangzhou has long been one of the most popular travel destinations in the country. Now, with G20 coming, a well-prepared Hangzhou is even more worthy of a visit.

For those who are interested in sightseeing near Hangzhou, here are our recommendations:

To the east of Hangzhou: Xikou scenic spot in Fenghua, Ningbo, about 40 km southwest of Ningbo. In recent history, it was home to Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, making it a treasure house for research into the history of the Republic of China (1912-1949). The scenic area of Xikou is 85 sq km and mainly comprises four attractions - the former residence of the Chiang family, the tomb of Chiang's mother, Xuedou Hill and Tingxia Lake.

The scenic area Xikou in Ningbo.[Photo provided to China Daily]

To the northeast of Hangzhou: Wuzhen in Jiaxing. Wuzhen is a beautiful area that is representative of Jiangnan (the area south of the Yangtze River) and its old towns. It was established more than 1,300 years ago and is seen as the "last site of waterside households in China". It has also been home to many famous people and is rich in culture and folk customs. It is surrounded by a canal and is crisscrossed by rivers, with an East Gate, South Gate, West Gate and North Gate. It has maintained a number of unique Jiang-nan-style residences that date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

To the north of Hangzhou: the Historical Cultural City Attractions of Huzhou. The attractions boast a Lotus Village, the Chinese Hu Writing Brush Museum, the Home of Chen Yingshi, Feiying Park, the Feiying Tower and the Temple of the Iron Buddha. It has a long and rich history with profound cultural connotations.