Hangzhou China 2016
Boats are all over the lake, even the cleaners are riding around on boats
Hangzhou is one of the most famous tourist cities in all of China, and thousands of people rush there each day, trying to take in the sights and have some fun on the lake. Hangzhou is really close to Nanjing, so I can take the train to the city and it only takes me one hour to get there. I have been to Hangzhou a few times now, but each time I take a trip there, it seems to rain. Trying to get photos in the rain is really hard, but you have to work with what nature gives you, so I spent the day exploring Hangzhou again.
I really hoped to get a good shot of this but I had the wrong lens and the weather was terrible.
The 1RMB Chinese banknote.
First up for me was to visit 三潭印月 (Santan Yinyue). This is one of the most famous places in Hangzhou, and this scenery is on the back of the 1 RMB banknote in China. However, the weather was terrible, and there were so many people taking selfies that it was hard to even get a good shot. But I was happy to just get a clean shot of the 三潭印月 without being pushed into the lake by a crazy selfie-shooting Chinese lady. I wish I had brought a longer lens than the 35mm Fuji lens that I had with me, though.
The foundation of the old pagoda
Because of all the rain and mist around Hangzhou, I decided to visit the 雷峰塔 (Leifengta) pagoda. The original pagoda is no longer there, but it was rebuilt during the 1990s. However, you can still see the original foundation of the old pagoda. Unfortunately, there is not much left of the original foundation because an old Chinese folklore says that if you had one of the bricks from this pagoda, your first child would be a male. As a result, the pagoda was slowly destroyed over the years, with many people taking home the bricks in hopes of having a male child.
The bricks from the pagoda
I wonder how often the money gets cleaned out, I guess there must be a few thousand coins thrown into the foundation each day.
It was raining so hard that I could not go outside to shoot the new pagoda, so I guess I will have to shoot the pagoda next time I visit Hangzhou. Next up for me was a visit to the Broken Bridge. This is my favorite place in all of Hangzhou, so I try to visit the bridge each time I visit the city.
The weather was terrible but it still did not stop a lot of people from coming out to see the bridge.
Broken bridge shot with Black and White film. I think this shot just looks so much better than the digital image.
I always carry a film camera with me, so while I was standing around waiting for the weather to clear up a little, I decided to shoot the same scene with my Fujifilm XT1 and my film Nikon FM to see what the difference was. I have always loved black and white film shots, so I am a little biased as to which shot I like more, though.
The bridge is just so popular.
This bridge is linked to the old folklore story in China about a white snake who married a farmer. It is a very famous story in China, and according to legend, on this bridge, the white snake, disguised as a beautiful woman, met the farmer for the first time and fell in love. This is the reason why this bridge is so popular with tourists who come to the city.
Climbing the hill and following this half-naked guy up the hill.
The rain cleared out in the afternoon, so I decided to go find a place called Beauty Hill. To get to the top of the hill required a cable car ride and a long walk up some hills.
Another good luck bell. I don’t waste my time writing any good luck messages on them as they are all over china and not all the legends can be true.
You must pay for your good luck at this lucky bell.
After you take the cable car, you are greeted by this bell and another legend about tying your names or wishes together and locking it to the railing. I have seen this kind of legend all around China, to be honest, but I love shooting things that are red in color, so I stopped for a few shots before I continued to Beauty Hill.
I was speechless once I arrived at beauty hill.
After all that climbing and hiking, I got to the top of the hill, and this was it. Beauty Hill…Talk about an all-time disappointment. I have no idea why people call it Beauty Hill or why there is a cable car to the top of this hill, but it was a complete waste of time. Don’t bother coming here; there is absolutely nothing to see except for some mud and a small notice board telling you that you have arrived at Beauty Hill.
China is the king of lights in their cities at night.
After climbing down from Beauty Hill, I decided to get some food in a coffee shop near the Broken Bridge again, and then it was time to catch the last train home. Hangzhou is a city in China with a very different vibe from other Chinese cities, and I think that is what keeps drawing me back. This will not be my last visit to the city, as I am always looking for an excuse to come back.
Shaun.