Bizcations – How to Spend Your Night in Hangzhou

For anyone who’s spent countless hours on the ring roads of Beijing or Shanghai getting to and from meetings, working in Hangzhou is a welcome break. But if you spend all your time out in the new industrial zones and office parks, while Hangzhou is one of China's favorite cities, will be lost on you? So, close the laptops early and insist that your colleagues accompany you on a night out in Hangzhou. Club China takes you on a Bizcation to this beautiful city!

First stop – An Early Dinner of Hangzhou Delicacies

Book your table at 28 Hubin Road inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel for 5:30 sharp. The popular dishes always sell out for later diners and you’ve got other things to do after dinner.

At 28 Hubin Road you can sample some of Hangzhou’s signature dishes. Longjing xia ren, river shrimp cooked with local longjing green tea, is an all time favorite. Sweet with just a slight hint of green tea flavor, these always go fast. Perhaps the most famous dish at 28 Hubin Road is the Dongpo Pork pyramid. Beautifully presented in a meticulously layered pyramid, the fatty pork belly is cut paper-thin so it’s easy to pull away and eat, even for the most inexperienced of chopsticks users.

Second stop – A Spectacle: Impression West Lake

Even if you’re not a “show” kind of person, experiencing famous director Zhang Yimou’s (think staging of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony) outdoor performance will move you.

Presented on an open-air stage on the West Lake itself, Impression West Lake tells a traditional Hangzhou folk tale through an astounding array of lighting, music and hundreds of performers.

Third stop – Cocktails & Live Jazz

Just a few minutes walk from the Impression West Lake setting is the Shangri-La Hotel. If you’re ready to have a few drinks, chat and listen to some live jazz, head over to the Garden Bar. On nice evenings, their terrace is open and you can sit outside and enjoy views of the West Lake. You can end the night here or not…

Fourth stop – More Music

If the Garden Bar got you in the mood for more music, head over to the other side of the lake to the JZ Club. Established long ago as Shanghai’s paramount club for music, JZ has opened its doors in Hangzhou and is a great spot for late-night live jazz.

Fourth Stop (Alternative) – Lakeside Drinks & Snacks

If you’re ready to just chill out and relax over drinks and conversation, walk over to Xihu Tiandi (just a few minutes from JZ Club) to one of the many bars in the complex. Xihu Tiandi (based on Shanghai’s popular Xin Tian Di) is a lakeside pedestrian development that combined Hangzhou’s traditional garden architecture with modern elements to create a dining and entertainment venue.

Listings:    

• Hyatt Regency, 28 Hubin Road Restaurant, 28 Hubin Road, Hangzhou | bookings advised +86 (0)571 8779 1234
• Impression West Lake is performed nightly at 7:30 except in winter (closed January-March). Book in advance http://www.gotohangzhou.com/impression-west-lake.aspx
• Shangri-La Hotel Garden Bar - 78 Beishan Road, Hangzhou
• JZ Club Hangzhou – 266 Nanshan Road | open nightly 6:30pm-2:30 am | call ahead to find out who’s playing +86 (0)571 8702 8298
• Xihu Tiandi – 147 Nanshan Road | open daily early - late