From rugged mountains and jungles in the south to the north's mesh of waterways connecting prosperous cities and towns, Zhejiang offers travelers incredible diversity.
The undisputed crown jewel of the province, Hangzhou, is one of China's seven ancient capitals and home to romantic willow-lined West Lake. Hangzhou has long been cited by travelers as one of the most beautiful places in China—or anywhere else, for that matter. Indeed, Marco Polo paid a visit back in the 13th Century, describing it as "the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world." And the Chinese certainly agree, as the age-old saying has it: "In heaven, paradise; on earth Hangzhou and Suzhou."
Though a thoroughly modern Chinese city in terms of infrastructure and services, Hangzhou largely remains a city of temples and imperial grandeur, with peaceful West Lake at its heart and tea plantations nestled among the rolling hills of the outskirts—the Longjing Tea Plantation being particularly renowned for its delicate green leaves and pure "Dragon Well" water. Other Hanghzou attractions include one of the oldest and most important in China, Lingyin Temple, as well as numerous West Lake landmarks and scenic spots, many located on the former imperial island retreat of Gu Shan.
Ningbo, the region's major port before the ascendance of Shanghai, is a pleasant city where charming old lanes beckon beyond the city's modern industrial core. Superlative historical sites abound: Baoguo Temple is China's longest-surviving wooden structure; placid Moon Lake lies in sight of Tianyige Library, the oldest in China; and the ancient Buddhist monestary Tiantong Si is one of China's largest.
Ningbo is also the most popular jumping-off point for trips to the island of Putuo Shan, a gorgeous car-free island and home to one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains as well as an abundance of temples and shrines, all dedicated to Guanyin, goddess of mercy and Bodhisattva of compassion.
For an escape from the urban cacophony of China's east coast that doesn't require a boat trip, the Tianhe Scenic Area abounds in natural beauty, cragged peaks, caves and waterfalls. Another popular getaway is leafy Mogan Shan, a once-exclusive summer retreat for Shanghai's elite.
The ancient city of Shaoxing provides yet another chance to dip deep into Chinese history. One of Zhejiang's oldest, this city of lakes and canals is criss-crossed by picturesque classical bridges. Shaoxing also has a history of producing literary giants. Students of Chinese literature will want to visit the numerous attractions associated with China's Modernist master, Lu Xun, while others may simply wish to soak up the charming historical atmosphere and sample some famous Shaoxing rice wine.
Finally, travelers finding themselves in rugged southern Zhejiang down toward the Fujian border have plenty to choose from. The mountains of Yandang Shan and the backcountry of Jingning County offer dramatic views of cliffs and forested peaks perfect for hiking, all within easy reach of the pleasant port of Wenzhou, known throughout China for its excellent seafood.
Recent excavations have uncovered remnants of Neolithic settlements in the Yangzi (Yangtze) Delta every bit as old as those in the Yellow River valley to the north, unsettling the long-held assumption that Chinese civilization's singular origins are to be found in the loess soils of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan. Sophisticated farming communities existed in the area as early as the 7th century BC.
Still, the mountainous southern reaches of Zhejiang remained in the shadows of early Chinese civilization as dynasties rose and fell in the north, connected by a riverine network to vibrant merchant settlements in the vicinicties of today's Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou. The first dynasty to unify the Chinese world, the Qin (221-206 BC), extended their control deep into present-day Zhejiang. They were followed by the Han (206 BC-220 AD), though the resident Yue peoples, distinct in culture and ethnicity, resisted domination from the north, establishing their own kingdoms and fiefdoms. The most notable of these was the Kingdom of Wu (222-280 AD), one of the fabled Three Kingdoms.
The Yangzi Delta region's fortunes increased with the traffic on China's Grand Canal, which was constructed in numerous stages starting in the 5th century BC. By the time of the Sui Dynasty (581-618 AD), the canal finally connected Beijing with Hangzhou, ushering in a period of rapid growth as northern markets became increasingly accessible and silk, tea, rice and other commodities flowed forth from the south.
The center of traditional Chinese power and civilization fully shifted south in the 12th century when the Song Dynasty (960-1279), hard pressed by Jurchen invaders, moved their capital to Hangzhou. And though the capital returned to Beijing after the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Hangzhou remained a major cultural center until 1862, when the calamitous Taiping Rebellion claimed 600,000 lives and largely destroyed the city. This was also the era of increasing colonialist incursions in the Yangzi Delta region—the Portuguese established a trading foothold in Ningbo, while the British, French and Americans wrenched concessions from the failing Qing Dyansty (1644-1911) in Shanghai.
After the Chinese Revolution of 1911-12, the province fell into the hands of rival warlords before becoming a base of power for Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party, which may have had some bearing on both the punishment meted out by Japanese invaders during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and the region's tribulations during the Cultural Revolution, when Mao Zedong's policy emphasis on grain production and inland railroads diminished the importance of Zhejiang ports and waterways. Deng Xaoping's opening and reform policies helped unleash the region's traditional economic vitality, and today Zhejiang enjoys China's fourth-highest income level.