Hangzhou is extremely rich in tourism resources. Its unique environment endowed by nature and the culture accumulation of several thousand years, have formed many world famous natural, historical and cultural sights. There are two State-level scenic areas within the city area: West Lake scenery area and Fuchun river-Xin’an river – A-Thousand-Islet Lake scenery area. There is one State-level nature preservation area: Tianmu natural preservation area, two State-level forest parks: A-Thousand-Islet forest park and Daqishan forest park. These places are a galaxy of famous sightseeing tourism areas on the southeast China. West Lake, which is described as “Oriental Pearl “, is located on the east of the city proper, surrounded on three sides by hills and one side facing the city. Hangzhou, with its surrounding hills and numerous beautiful sightseeing places and the famous West Lake, ranking as one of the ten best famous scenic places in china.
The West Lake scenery area covers an 60 square meters, blending the famous scenery, historical and cultural sites, and hills and lakes as a whole. The “double ten scenic spots” add radiance and beauty to each another. In the scenery area, there are 5 places under the State Protection as the Cultural Relics, 25 places under provincial level protection, 30 places under municipal level protection. In the 1990s, Hangzhou have built many museums representing the Chinese culture: e.g : China Silk Museum, China Tea Museum, Hu Qinyu Tang Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum, Southern Song Porcelain Museum, Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors Museum, Liangzhu Culture Museum,etc. The places like Linyin Temple, Yue Fei Temple, Six Harmonies Pogoda, Huagang Park and the Running Tiger Spring are world-famous scenic and historical sites. The Qiantang Tidal Bore is the famous sight for viewing seasonal tide waves, which can be equaled to the sight of Amazon River. The Qiantang Tidal Bore has a history of more than several thousands years, and people’s enthusiasm for it never dies away. Those sights which are developed in recent years such as “Song Dynasty City”,”Future World”,”Children’s Park”,”The Square of Tai Temple Ruins “and ” Wushan Scenic and Cultural Area” which will be opened in the near future are becoming hot scenic spots for tourists. The total number of foreign tourists received in Hangzhou is five hundred and four thousand three hundred person/times, domestic tourists 21 million person/times.
In order to lay a better foundation to build Hangzhou into an international tourism city, Hangzhou city has set up a green land system, and the system of public facilities street sight, which will be harmonious with the various scenic spots and at the same time maintain its own specific styles, which will become new tourism resources and will be one beautiful view by itself. By the way of making the conferences (exhibitions) tourism as the main guidance, devoting major efforts to develop various tourist products, perfecting international and domestic exhibition facilities, establishing many-levels tourism and vocational net work, let Hangzhou become the important tourism and vocational resort in the east of China which could serve the Yangtze Delta and open to the domestic and international market .