West Lake Dragon Well Tea (Longjing Tea) 西湖龙井茶
Hangzhou Silk 杭州丝绸
Hangzhou has a long history in producing silk which covers 14 categories namely silk, satin, floss, slub, crape, damask silk, auze, voile and so on. It is far sold to over 100 countries and regions. In 1926 Du Jinsheng Brocade won a golden medal at Philadelphia International Expo in America with a multicolored brocade landscape picture. Along with Suzhou, Hangzhou silk is the best in the world and has been since the Tang and Song Dynasties, a period of over 1,000 years. In Hangzhou, the variety of silks available seems endless. Hangzhou satin is famous and one of the area's most successful export products. The layered weaving process is very labor intensive and produces fabulously luxurious fabric that feels great next on the skin. Also, Hangzhou has a great outdoor silk market called the China Silk City (Zhongguo Sichou Cheng) on Fengqi Lu that runs for two blocks.
Hangzhou China Silk Town 杭州中国丝绸城
Ties, dresses, tailors, scarves, suits, and a thousand other silk-crafted garments and handicrafts can be found at this textile extravaganza. This wholesale hub is frequented by in-the-know overseas importers and businessmen who drop in for the quality and the bargains. Take a look at the reasonably-priced satins and raw silks as your eyes dance over the sea of startling colors. Erected in 1987, more than 800 silk merchants now make China Silk Town their business headquarters.
Add: No.253 Xinhua Lu (at the intersection of Fengqi Road, Tiyuchang Road, and Xinhua Road)
Tel: 0571-85100192, 85172821, 85194679
Website: www.sinosilktown.com.cn (Chinese)
Hangzhou Embroidery 杭州刺绣
Hangzhou embroidery, while not as famous as Suzhou embroidery, is a combination of the four great styles of Chinese silk embroidery (Suzhou embroidery, Hunan embroidery, Sichuan embroidery and Guangzhou embroidery) forming its own unique and flexible style.
Hangzhou embroidery is divided into two main styles: "Court" and "Folk". The court style originates from the clothing and items used by the noble families of China. Dragons and phoenixes dance on the coats and tapestries, brought to life by gold and silver thread. Folk style embroidery abounds with more common materials and folk symbols like bats (for good fortune), deer or cranes (for longevity), or children at play (for childbirth and families). For shopping options, explore the Hangzhou Friendship Store, the Hangzhou Meilun Textiles Store, or the Hangzhou Silk Store for embroidery items.
West Lake Silk Umbrellas 西湖绸伞
Taking bamboo as frames and silk as cover, West Lake Silk Umbrella is called the flower of West Lake for its beautiful style. Now it has more than 10 categories including daily silk umbrellas, rainbow umbrellas, dancing umbrellas and acrobatics silk umbrellas, etc. Large attractions like Lingyin Temple or Tiger Running Spring both have merchants selling umbrellas. Also, Hangzhou Friendship Store is a good place to look.
Tianzhu Bamboo Chopsticks 天竺筷
Hangzhou's bamboo chopsticks are nice as souvenirs and are attractive craft items. They are made of bamboo from the Tianzhushan area of Hangzhou. As early as the 3rd to 5th centuries AD, peasants in the Tianzhushan area began making chopsticks. In modern times, production techniques have become highly advanced and refined. Painted designs and calligraphy can be added and the chopsticks can be inlaid with silver, ivory, bone or pearl at their ends.
White Chrysanthemum Tea 杭白菊
According to Chinese medicine, drinking Chrysanthemum Tea (Baijuhua Cha) cools and detoxifies the body. Along with varieties from Anhui and Henan provinces, Hangzhou's White Chrysanthemum enjoys an excellent reputation as the best variety of this herb.
Chrysanthemum flowers are usually about half an inch in diameter and white or slightly yellow in color and are sold dried in plastic packaging. Soak some dried White Chrysanthemum flowers in hot boiled water for a few minutes and you will have a cup of light, fragrant and slightly sweet Chrysanthemum Tea. Another way to drink the tea is to add a little bit of sugar for extra sweetness. Chrysanthemum Tea can be purchased throughout Hangzhou. Try your hotel's convenience store (if it has one) or a local grocery store.
West Lake Dragon Well Tea (Longjing Tea) 西湖龙井茶
West Lake Dragon Well Tea is one of the famous Chinese green teas which not only popular interiorly but also welcomed overseas. West Lake Dragon Well Tea is a flat shaped green tea looks like the sparrow’s tongue.
The production of Dragon Well tea began from 1200 years ago. The earliest dragon well tea is produced in the tea producing areas surrounding ancient “Dragon” well below the Lion Mountain of Zhejiang province. This tea can be bought throughout Hangzhou, but the best place to buy Longjing Tea is the Longjing ("Dragon Well") area of Hangzhou. The tea there is said to be the best Longjing available. Alternatively, the tea can be purchased around other Hangzhou attractions, but the quality of the tea might not be as good.
Meijiawu Village 梅家坞
Located to the west of West Lake, Meijiawu Village is Hangzhou’s quintessential tea destination. Its quaint alleys and hilly landscape make it the ideal location to watch a tea ceremony, learn about different varieties of Chinese tea, and pick up some invigorating Longjing for the road.
Add: Meijiawu Village, Hangzhou
Tel: 0571-87322067, 87096390
Hangzhou JieBai Department Store 杭州解百商场
Also carries a large selection of tea, though not as atmospheric as Meijiawu Village.
Add: No. 251 Jiefang Lu
Tel: 0571-87016888
Website: http://www.jiebai.com/shop/shop.php (Chinese)
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