Shanghai Daily news

Get out of town and see a water town, go hiking amidst some beautiful natural scenery and enjoy the hot springs of neighboring Zhejiang Province this holiday season, writes Fan Meijing
Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival for Chinese people. Yet how to plan a holiday that's neither too boring nor too tiring but is both interesting and rewarding is always a tough task.
Here are some suggestions: spend three days with families, one day shopping, two days resting, and one day going a bit out of the city to step into history and nature, or to experience a healthier way of living - and we call it Shanghai Daily style.

Xitang water town
Xitang is like a museum of the folk culture in South China's water towns.
Located in the southeast of Zhejiang Province, the thousand-year-old Xitang, with its densely distributed rivers and lakes, is a typical ancient water town in South China.
Xitang was first built in Spring and Autumn Period (770-467 BC) at the boundary of Wu and Yue kingdoms. But development of the town dragged until the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) when some regular fairs were established. The fairs were constantly enlarged during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and gradually, earned great fame for the town.
Today's Xitang displays wonderful examples of natural sceneries and old buildings interwoven together. There are numerous waterways and narrow lanes and small but lovely houses stand on both banks. Well-preserved architecture built in Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties appears here and there. On the lakes, there are wooden fishermen's boats floating gently up and down.
Xitang is famous for its large number of varied bridges, lanes and corridors, as well as its rich cultural tradition. In 427 years from mid-Ming to late-Qing Dynasty, altogether 100 winners of the country's imperial examinations walked from the town's narrow paths and later onto a broad road of pursuing their official careers.
Some of their calligraphies, paintings and poets are kept and exhibited. "The town has almost all notable features of the southern China's water town - water and bridges, picturesque sceneries and excellent architectures, friendly people and their soft dialect, rich culture and delicious foods," says Shen Luyan, an official with Shanghai Tour Bus Center under the local tourism administrative commission. "It's an ideal place for holiday hiking."
Famous sites include Qilaoye Temple, Zhang Zheng Root-Carving Museum, Yellow Wine Museum, Wang's House, Xi Garden and Zui Garden.

Tour packages provided by the Shanghai Tour Bus Center
Date: daily, please call 6426-5555 for the exact time of setting off.
Cost: 120 yuan/person, including tour bus return tickets and entry fees for major sites (extra fees may be charged for some specific sights within the sites)
Bus stations: 666 Tianyaoqiao Rd, 640 Longchang Rd, 444 Jiangwan Rd E.

Haining tide
Haining tide, or Qiantang Tidal Bore, is a grand sight famous both domestically and abroad.
Owing to the convergence of Hangzhou Bay and the Qiantang River in Zhejiang Province with an outlet to the sea as wide as 100 kilometers, the tide goes upstream to the Yanguan section of Haining Town, which is less than 3 kilometers in width.
The tidal water is moved forward in a flow velocity of 10 meters/second and influenced by the sudden contraction between both banks, thus making the waves rise ceaselessly and surge ahead to form a great "wall."
People began watching the majestic tide in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and the event gained popularity since Song (960-1279). The tide appears two times per day, and the interval in-between is generally 12 hours. Every year, there are 120 days suitable for watching it. The strength of each wave depends on the influence of the moon and the sun.

Tour packages provided by the Shanghai Tour Bus Center
Date: daily, please call 6426-5555 for the exact time of setting off.
Cost: 118 yuan/person, including tour bus return tickets, entry fees for major sites and guiding service.
Bus stations: 666 Tianyaoqiao Rd, 640 Longchang Rd, 444 Jiangwan Rd E.

Wuyi hot spring
Wuyi in Zhejiang Province, a place renowned for its rich resources of underground hot springs, is a good choice for those have a few spare days for travel.
Located in central Zhejiang and neighboring Jinhua Town, Wuyi has a daily outflow of more than 6,000 tons of high-quality spring water, and resources in Pagoda Hill, Yuxingjiao and Xili are currently open to visitors.
The temperature of the springs there is between 42.6 and 44 degrees Celsius, which is suitable for bathing. The water is clear, achromatic, insipid and rich in carbonic acid, sodium and calcium. It also contains many micro-elements beneficial to health.

Self-driving route:
Follow Huhang Highway (Shanghai-Hangzhou) and then, change to Hangjinqu Highway (Hangzhou-Jinhua-Quzhou) at Xiaoshan. Then drive onto Jinliwen Highway (Jinhua-Lishui-Wenzhou) when approaching Jinhua and leave it at the Wuyi Exit. The distance is about 460 kilometers and the drive may take about five hours.
Accommodation: Visitors can stay at the Wuyi Hot Spring Tourist Resort, which was established by the provincial government in 1997. The 8.50-square-kilometer resort is divided into several sections including a villa area, a comprehensive service area, a recreational area and villages for sightseeing.
Estimated price for a two-day tour is from 250 yuan to 500 yuan per person.