Zhejiang 浙江Zhèjiāng

About Zhejiang

Hangzhou's West Lake, ringed by causeways, pagodas and willows, sits at the heart of a province built on hills, tea and water. Longjing green tea grows on the slopes just outside the city, and the canal towns of Wuzhen and Xitang still keep their stone bridges and wooden houses facing the water. Farther out are the bamboo forests of Anji, the old literary city of Shaoxing and the Buddhist island of Putuoshan.

Zhejiang at a glance

Area

101,800 km²

Population

64.6 million 2020

Highest point

Huangmaojian Peak 黄茅尖1,930 m

Borders

Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai

Area, population and highest point from Wikidata; the population is the latest census or official estimate there.

What to eat in Zhejiang

• Dongpo pork (东坡肉)
• Longjing tea shrimp (龙井虾仁)
• Shaoxing rice wine (绍兴黄酒)

Places to visit in Zhejiang

• 

  West Lake 西湖

  The lake that taught China what a perfect landscape should look like

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Mount Putuo 普陀山

  A Buddhist island in the East China Sea, home of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area

• 

  Qiandao Lake 千岛湖

  A drowned mountain valley of 1,078 forested islands, an hour by train from Hangzhou

  Best time: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area

• 

  Wuzhen Water Town 乌镇

  Stone bridges and lantern-lit canals in a water town that's best after dark

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1 day, ideally with an overnight · 5A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Hengdian World Studios 横店影视城

  A working film backlot of palaces and old streets, run as a theme park

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area

• 

  Lingyin Temple & Feilai Feng 灵隐寺

  A working Chan monastery beside a hillside of 1,000-year-old rock carvings

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Half a day · National heritage site

Listed sites in Zhejiang

421 sites in Zhejiang are on the official lists, 17 of them rated 5A and 239 protected as national heritage. They are listed by city, with what each is and how to get there.

Cities and prefectures of Zhejiang

• Hangzhou 杭州 City
  Poets' lake, Song emperors' capital and the Grand Canal's southern end
• Huzhou 湖州 City
  Silk merchants' mansions, the Classic of Tea and the Huzhou writing brush
• Jiaxing 嘉兴 City
  Zongzi, canal towns and a tide that races upriver as one long wave
• Jinhua 金华 City
  Cured ham, palace film sets and a vast wholesale market for small goods
• Lishui 丽水 City
  Celadon kilns, sword-smiths and terraced hills in Zhejiang's far south-west
• Ningbo 宁波 City
  A Ming library, temples tied to Japanese Zen and a seafood-loving kitchen
• Quzhou 衢州 City
  Confucius's southern heirs, Danxia peaks and spicy rabbit heads
• Shaoxing 绍兴 City
  Rice wine, black-awning boats and the birthplace of Yue opera
• Taizhou 台州 City
  Tiantai's Buddhist mountain, a walled river city and cliff walks at Shenxianju
• Wenzhou 温州 City
  Volcanic crags, clear rivers and a city of traders with kin across Europe
• Zhoushan 舟山 City
  Guanyin's island, fishing harbours and lighthouses out in the East China Sea

Before you go

• Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
• Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
• Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
• Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
• Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
• When to go When is the best time to visit China?

On the map

Open Zhejiang on the illustrated map to see where its places sit, how far apart they are, and to add them to a trip.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)