卷二 · Volume II
A short biography for each place; practical notes kept at the end.
Eight places are gathered in this volume. The approach is unusual: first what a place is and why it matters; only in the final line, when to go. Prices and routes change; mountains do not.
Mount Tianmu
Northwest Lin’an
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known for thousand-year-old cedar groves and Chanyuan Temple — the place behind the verse “a canopy of great trees, famed across the land.”
SeasonAll seasons; summer shade, autumn colour
NoteAbout 90 km from central Hangzhou; east and west scenic areas
Mount Daming
Western Lin’an
A high plateau a thousand metres up, a plank walkway bolted to granite cliffs, azaleas in spring, a ski field in winter.
SeasonSpring azaleas, summer cool, winter skiing
NoteReachable by cable car or on foot
Qingshan Lake
East of Lin’an town
A reservoir turned lake, metasequoia turned forest — trees rising straight from the water, reflections calmer than the trees. A greenway circles the shore for cycling.
SeasonBest in late autumn when the redwoods turn
NoteAt the town’s edge; Metro Line 16 reaches Lin’an
Zhexi Grand Canyon
Western Lin’an
A canyon built along a stream — Zhelin Falls and Jiange Pass stringing together deep pools and sheer walls. The green here belongs to the water, not the trees.
SeasonFullest water in summer
NoteA half-to-full-day walk
Source of Taihu
Northern Lin’an
One of Lake Tai’s first sources. The ravine is narrow, strung with clear pools and small falls — only at its end do you grasp that the vast lake begins as a thread of water like this.
SeasonCoolest in summer; clearest after rain
NoteGentle paths, easy for all ages
Zhinan Village
Eastern Lin’an
An ancient village at nearly six hundred metres, ringed by more than three hundred old trees. In late autumn — ginkgo gold, maple red, terraces amber — photographers call it one of East China’s most beautiful autumn villages.
SeasonPeak colour in mid-to-late November
NoteGuesthouses and farm kitchens in the village
Heqiao Old Town
Southwest Lin’an
A river-born old town of western Zhejiang. The Changnan stream bends here, and the old street still keeps its wharf-town layout — shops in front, river behind, steps down to the boats.
SeasonMost evocative at dawn and dusk in spring and autumn
NoteOpen freely; made for slow wandering
Qingliang Peak
Zhejiang–Anhui border
The highest peak in western Zhejiang, a national nature reserve. No cable cars — dirt paths and seas of cloud. One of the last large homes of wild sika deer in southeast China.
SeasonAutumn climbs; best odds of cloud seas
NoteA full-day climb; entry managed as a reserve
Details shift with seasons and management decisions; check official notices before travelling.