The cities and regions around the Hangzhou Gulf have abundant tourism opportunities. Eat fresh seafood in the Zhoushan Archipelago, pick juicy waxberries in Cixi and Yuyao city and visit ancient towns in Jiaxing and Cixi.

Visiting all the sites in one shot used to be difficult. When the Hangzhou Bay Bridge opens to traffic next month, the situation will change. It will only take two hours to go from Jiaxing to Cixi, Zhejiang Province, two cities located at the north and south sides of the gulf. There is no need to take a detour through other cities to cross from the gulf’s north to its south side

Hangzhou Bay Bridge

Hangzhou Bay Bridge crosses the Hangzhou Bay to connect Jiaxing and Cixi. The 36-kilometer long sea bridge is the world’s longest, and is the second longest bridge in the world after the Lake Pontchartrain auseway in the US.

The bridge helps shorten the distance between Ningbo city, Zhejiang, and Shanghai city by 120 kilometers. It releases the traffic pressure on Huhangyong Expressway, which is the only highway connecting Shanghai and Zhejiang Province.

South end: Cixi

Cixi has existed since Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BCE). Porcelain, reclaimed land and an immigrant history are its three main features.

The waxberry gardens in Cixi are a nice sight in early June. You can pick juicy waxberries and tour scenic spots. Every June, Cixi holds a waxberry festival. Dashan waxberry garden, Qiaotou biological waxberry garden and the other six waxberry gardens usually participate.

The Yue kiln remains is one of the birthplaces of Chinese porcelain. It was also the center of porcelain production in the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. There is a group of protective kiln remains that covers 30 square kilometers.

Among these remains, 11 are from the Eastern Han (25-220) and Three Kingdoms (208-280) periods; nine are from the Dongjin (317-420) and Nanchao (420-589) dynasties; 173 are from the Tang and Song dynasties. The Yue kiln is the most famous porcelain kiln site from ancient times, and Shanglin Lake is its birthplace. In ancient times, Yue porcelain was not only for Chinese officials and normal residents, but was also exported to foreign countries.

Today, you can visit the kiln remains in the Shanglin Lake area and see the birthplace of Chinese porcelain.