(Photo/Xinhua)
3 Six Harmonies Pagoda
Standing on Yuelun Hill, on the north bank of the tidal Qiantang River, the Six Harmonies Pagoda is another masterpiece built during the Wuyue Kingdom - this one designed to vanquish flooding and destruction from the Qiantang River. It was completed in 970.
The name Six Harmonies was given to characterize its purpose of restoring the balance between the heavens and earth, as well as north, south, east, and west. It was erected in the hope of combating the "evil" river's tidal action.
The brick-and-wood pagoda of today has been reconstructed several times. Large-scale reconstruction during the Southern Song Dynasty resulted in a brick structure. Wood adornments were added in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and subsequent renovations over the past century.
Today, the 13-storey pagoda commands a spectacular view of the Qiantang River and is an image of centuries-old majesty.
4 Leifeng Pagoda
On the south of the West Lake, Leifeng Pagoda is considered the top scenic structure around West Lake due to its stunning silhouette in the glow of evening.
For almost a thousand years the pagoda withstood fires and wars, but finally collapsed in 1924, due to the removal of bricks as souvenirs by locals.
Rebuilt on historic ruins, the pagoda was restored in 2000 in the style of the Southern Dynasty (AD 420-589) and opened to the public in 2002. The 71.7m-tall pagoda is eight-sided with five stories.
5 The Xixi wetland park
Xixi, located less than five kilometers from West Lake in the west of Hangzhou, is China's first national wetland park. The area covers about 10 square kilometers and it has been around for more than 1,500 years, although it was only recently revived to offer residents and visitors a green respite from the concrete of the city.
Despite its increasing popularity, the wetland's winding waterways, lush greenery and rich biodiversity guarantee serene spots amid nature.
Wetlands themselves are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems, acting as natural green lungs, water purification systems and flood control. But environmental degradation is threatening them worldwide.
More than 20,000 hectares of wetland in the country have disappeared every year on average in the past decade, the China Institute for Marine Affairs warns.
More than half of the country's inter-tidal wetland has also vanished, while the wetlands of the Yellow and East China seas have lost up to 90 percent of their natural function, the institute reports.
That makes the 226 plant species, 50 kinds of fish and aquatic animals as well as 126 kinds of birds in Xixi even more valuable.
Xixi's native vegetation consists of subtropical mountainous swamp and evergreen and deciduous, broad-leafed forest, watered by six crisscrossing rivers that also flow into the ponds, lakes and swamps.
