Banyan Tree Hangzhou

Location Summary
Known as ‘Heaven on Earth’ and one of China’s seven ancient capitals, history in Hangzhou dates back thousands of years depending on what you’re looking for. Flip back 7000 years and there is one of the first civilisations to cultivate rice; 5000 years and you find the last ancient jade carving civilisation in the Yangtze River Delta. About 2200 years ago, the city of Hangzhou is officially founded by Emperor Qin Shi Huang; while 1100 years into recent history sees it entering its golden age as the centre of the Southern Song Dynasty. Its first Western visitor – Marco Polo arriving during this zenith – describes it as ‘the most beautiful and magnificent in the world’. Poets, politicians, and philosophers came to visit; mesmerised, they stayed for the rest of their lives. In the words of famed Song Dynasty literary master and statesman Su Dongpo, Hangzhou is ‘always alluring’. Today, Hangzhou’s illustrious past still gleams in the reflection of its celebrated waters. The pearl that is West Lake, shrouded in legend, paints a different picture depending on where you are standing and when. Names like Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge and Lotus in the Wind in Crooked Courtyard evoke just some of the romantic stories engraved against the lake’s numerous scenic views. The classic world-renowned dramas of The Butterfly Lovers and Madam White Snake have their beautiful origins and tragic endings here, which is why Hangzhou is also China’s capital of love.

Directions to Hotel
The development is within a 50-minute drive from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. Banyan Tree Hangzhou is less than two hours’ drive from Shanghai and is located a mere 15 minutes away from downtown Hangzhou and the famed West Lake.

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