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Hangzhou (Chinese: 杭州; Hanyu Pinyin: Hángzhōu; Wade-Giles: Hang-chou) is a sub-provincial city in China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 km southwest of Shanghai, the population in the city proper is now 1.75 million. By the end of 2003, Hangzhou had a registered population of 6.4 million including an urban registered population of 3.9 million. First built as a county during the Qin Dynasty some 2,100 years ago, Hangzhou became prosperous after the building of the Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). The city was the capital of Wuyue State (893-978) during the Five Dynasties Period and of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). It is one of the six famous ancient capitals of China. (The other five are Beijing, Nanjing, Xi$an, Luoyang, and Kaifeng.) Hangzhou has been called a "paradise on earth," with its picturesque West Lake and its many other world-famous sites. It is also noted for its silk industry, which has existed since the seventh century and still flourishes today. As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake (Xī Hú, 西湖) as the most noteworthy location.

China Public Holiday Calendar 2012

1. New Year's Day: Jan 1-3, 2012 (SUN-TUE)
New Year's Day is the first day of the year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome(though other dates were also used in Rome). In all countries including China using the Gregorian calendar, except for Israel, it is a public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the New year starts.

2. Chinese New Year: January22-28, 2012 (SUN-SAT)
For millions of Asians, Chinese New Year is more than one special day. Families spend weeks preparing for the big event - cleaning house,painting doors and windows red, and cooking special foods. Celebrations for Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, last a full fifteen days. (Date of Chinese New Year Day: first day of the first Chinese lunar month).

3. Ching Ming - the Tomb Sweeping Festival:  April 2-4, 2012 (MON-WED)
A gravesite picnic? Why not? The Tomb Sweeping festival is a time for families to honor the memory of their ancestors. Along with “tomb sweeping” - performing standard gravesite maintenance such as removing debris from the gravestones and replacing dead flowers - family members offer gifts of food, fruit and wine to the departed. After a formal ceremony, the food is shared among family members. Another tradition is to burn incense to ward off any evil spirits that may be lurking.

4. International Labour Day: April 29-May 1, 2012 (SUN-TUE)
Like most countries in the world, Labour Day is celebrated on May 1, and is a public holiday in China. In the 1990s, the Labour Day holiday was extended from 1 day to 3 days. The Chinese government made it a 7 day holiday by moving the prior and upcoming weekends together with these 3 days. The Labour Day holiday was one of the three Golden Weeks in China, allowing millions of Chinese people to travel during this period. But Starting January 1, 2008, China reduced this holiday period down to 1 day, while simultaneously reviving three traditional Chinese holidays: Dragon Boat Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

5. Dragon Boat Festival: June 22-24, 2012 (FRI-SUN)
There are few sites more spectacular than a fleet of painted dragon boats racing toward the finish line, with a drummer in each boat hammering out the rhythm for the rowers to follow. The Dragon Boat Festival is China’s oldest festival. Find out more about this exciting event and learn how to make Zongzi, the sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves that are an essential feature of any Dragon Boat Festival celebration. (Date: fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month).

6. Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival\National Day: October 1-7, 2012 (SUN-SUN):  September 30-October 7, 2012 (WED-FRI)
When the autumn harvest moon is at its fullest, the Chinese celebrate by lighting colorful lanterns and enjoying delicious mooncakes. Learn more about the legends behind the festival and try some mooncake recipes. (Date: fifteenth day of the eighth Chinese lunar month). The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on October 3, which is during the National Day holiday of 2010.

The new China was founded on October 1, 1949 with a ceremony at Tian’anmen Square, Beijing. The Central Government passed the resolution and declared that October 1 is the Chinese National Day. The National Day Holiday is a golden week in China. When the anniversary is a multiple of five (e.g. the 50th, 55th, or 60th), large scale official celebrations may be held, including an inspection of troops on Tiananmen Square.The year of 2010 is the 61th anniversary.

South Bus Station→ Hotel: No. K39, No. 39 North Bus Station→ Hotel: No. K555, No. 95 West Bus Station→ Hotel: No. K49 Hotel→Hangzhou Wulin Square：No. 151, No. 15, No. 555, No. Y2，etc /20 minutes Hotel→West Lake: No. 7, No. K7, No. U2，etc / 5—40 minutes Hotel→Xiaoshan Airport: express bus of civil aviation，gate of railway mansion, every half hour per shift, 45 minutes first bus 6：00, last bus 20：00 ￥20 Taxi：￥90—110 the First Bridge of Qianjiang River : the First Bridge of Qianjiang River—Fuxing Avenue—Zhonghe Viaduct—West Lake Avenue（from Xiaoshan, Jinhua, Shaoxing） the Second Bridge of Qianjiang River：the Second Bridge of Qianjiang River—Genshan West  Road—Huancheng East Road—West Lake Avenue（from Shanghai, Ningbo, highway of Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo） the Third Bridge of Qianjiang River：the Third Bridge of Qianjiang River—Qingjiang Road—Qingtai Street—Jianguo South Road（from Xiaoshan Airport）

West Lake, lying to the west of Hangzhou, is the most beautiful of the thirty or more lakes in China which bear the same name. Once a small bay at the mouth of the Qiantang River, it was separated from the sea by river sediment to became a lake. The lake with its islands covers approximately six square kilometers. The charming Solitary Hill Islets (Gushan) rises above the water in the north part of the lake, which is bordered by hills on three sides. The Su Causeway runs roughly north and south and the Bai Causeway east and west. The lake has several segments called the Inner Lake, the Outer Lake, Yue Lake, West Inner Lake, and Small South Lake. There are three islands in the Outer Lake: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (Santan Yinyue), Mid-Lake Pavilion (Huxinting), and Lord Ruan$s Mound (Ruangongdun). Dozen$s of historical sites are scattered about some fifty-square-kilometer scenic area around the lake. The wooded hills encircling the lake are studded with pavilions, towers, pagodas, and caves. Springs, steams, and pools are scattered among peaks, rocks, caves, and gullies. The "ten scenic beauties" of West Lake are generally thought to be as follows: Spring Dawn at the Su Causeway (Suti Chunxiao), Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor (Huagang Guanyu), Autumn Moon on Calm Lake (Pingnhu Qiuyue), Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows (Liulang Wenying), Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds (Shuangfeng Zhayun), Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (Santan Yinyue), Evening Sunlight at Thunder Peak Pagoda (Leifeng Xizhao), Late Bell at Nanping Hill (Nanping Wanzhong), Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard (Quyuan Fenghe), and Melting Snow at Broken Bridge (Duanqiao Canxue).