Hangzhou Botanical Garden

• Hangzhou Botanical Garden is located northwest of West Lake. The entire botanical garden is filled with green plants, like a huge open-air plant museum. People usually come here during holidays to enjoy the scenery, take photos, and breathe fresh air. The most lively time for the botanical garden is during the plum blossom exhibition at Lingfeng in early spring.

Garden Visiting Tips

• The botanical garden has two entrances, north and south. After walking to the end of the archway marked "Hangzhou Botanical Garden," turning right leads to the North Gate (Yuquan Gate), and turning left leads to the South Gate. Both entrances allow self-driving into the park and have paid parking lots. Visitors need to walk to explore the garden. Although there are many signposts for tour routes, it is still relatively easy to get lost amidst the vast green background. Fortunately, it's a good place to wander around freely, which takes about two to three hours, so just allow enough time.

Seasonal Highlights

• Hangzhou's warm and humid climate ensures that the botanical garden has scenery to enjoy in all four seasons. The park is also divided according to different types of plants, such as the Acer and Rhododendron Garden and Peach Blossom Garden suitable for spring (February-March); the Osmanthus and Crape Myrtle Garden in autumn; and Lingfeng Plum Blossom Viewing in early spring (January-February). To the east of the office building, there is also a "Bai Cao Yuan" (Hundred Herbs Garden), which cultivates more than a thousand kinds of medicinal plants, including the "Eight Zhejiang Flavors." The bamboo area in the northeast corner of the botanical garden has large bamboo forests, which are especially tranquil in summer.
• Among all the attractions, the Lingfeng Plum Blossom Viewing area on the west side of the botanical garden is particularly worth seeing. The large-scale flower exhibition held here every early spring is considered a major event in Hangzhou. At this time, plum bonsai and various spring flowers bloom in competition, allowing for excellent photos.
• In addition to admiring plants, there is a rectangular spring pool called Yuquan near the Landscape Garden on the north side of the botanical garden. It is filled with plump black carp and red and yellow koi, making it a great place to watch fish and relax. It is also very popular with children, living up to its beautiful name "Fish Paradise" inscribed by Dong Qichang under the eaves. Nearby, the Han Meilin Art Museum showcases many works by Mr. Han Meilin. The first floor features various metal exhibits, and the second floor is a painting exhibition. If you are interested in art, you might want to visit.