Article Side

Online Article Directory!

Hello Guest! Login or Register to submit articles!

Home

Travel

Travel Tips

Hangzhou the West Lake Osmanthus Festival

By Lek Boonlert

| November 28th 2011 | Views:

loading

Hangzhou is a major Chinese city, close to Shanghai. It has over four million inhabitants. Tourists and visitors are attracted to Hangzhou by its spectacular natural beauty, including mountain ranges, natural forests and the world famous West Lake.

West Lake is the site for one of Hangzhou’s major festivals: West Lake Osmanthus Festival. The lake has a circumference of some 15 kilometres and is located in the historic centre of the city. It is made up of five smaller lakes: Outer West Lake, West Inner Lake, North Inner Lake, Little South Lake and Yue Lake.

Osmanthus are sweet smelling flowers that grow to some two to three metres in height. They are found in many Asian countries. The flowers bloom throughout spring, summer and autumn. The West Lake Osmanthus Festival celebrates the blooming of the flowers in September every year, generally for ten days around the middle of the month.

In Manjueling, thousands of osmanthus trees are planted by the roadside. Locals put up stalls along the road where you can stroll and drink tea while enjoying the wonderful sight of the flowers. The opening of the festival is marked by the tea courtesy performance using traditional dragon dancing. Tea drinking is a major feature of the festival.

Hotels in Hangzhou, advertised on DirectRooms, can be booked well in advance of the festival. You can find a hotel in Hangzhou close to the West Lake or the historic centre of the city.

Lek Boonlert - About Author:
Lek Boonlert is an editor and content reviewer at DirectRooms and is responsible for all Hotels in Hangzhou content.