Hangzhou

Major port city in Zhejiang on the East China Sea. The deepwater port at Beilun handles the largest container volume in China; the historic core preserves Tianyi Pavilion library and Ming-Qing merchant streets.

A small island in the Zhoushan Archipelago off Zhejiang, one of China's Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains and the earthly domain of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Zhejiang city in the Qu River valley, seat of the southern Kong family — descendants of Confucius who established a branch of the family mansion here in 1128. The Southern Kong Family Mansion and surrounding traditional county-town character give Quzhou a gentler, less-visited alternative to Qufu in Shandong.

Ancient Jiangnan canal city in Zhejiang, birthplace of the writer Lu Xun and associated with Shaoxing rice wine and traditional waterway culture. Stone bridges, black-awning boats, and the Orchid Pavilion calligraphy site make it a logical extension of a Hangzhou visit.

Coastal Zhejiang city famous as the engine of the Wenzhou model of private entrepreneurship. The Wenzhou diaspora is among the largest Chinese commercial diasporas globally.

Zhejiang county-level city hosting the Yiwu International Trade City — widely regarded as the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities — where tens of thousands of international buyers and traders source products from Chinese manufacturers across five vast district halls.

5d · Two days in Shanghai, a day and a half in Suzhou's classical gardens, then West Lake and Hangzhou.

7d · Hangzhou (Buddhist vegetarian temples) to Putuoshan (sacred Buddhist island) to Suzhou to Shanghai. A seven-day itinerary following the tradition of Chinese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, with reliable meat-free and vegan options at each stop.

7d · Suzhou (Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of Nets) to Yangzhou (Geyuan, Heyuan) to Hangzhou. A focused circuit around China's most significant private garden tradition, pairing the UNESCO-listed Suzhou gardens with the less-visited Yangzhou examples and Hangzhou's West Lake landscape.

10d · Beijing to Suzhou to Hangzhou to Shanghai, built around lift-accessible accommodation, manageable walking distances, gentler pacing, and accessible attractions. Designed for travellers in their 60s, 70s, and beyond who want to see China without the physical demands of the standard tourist circuit.

A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.

Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.

A steamed dome of glutinous rice layered with red bean paste and decorated with eight types of preserved fruits and nuts.

Yangcheng Lake mitten crab — the autumn delicacy of the Yangtze Delta. Eaten steamed with vinegar dip.