Chenghuang Pavilion

Chinese name: 城隍阁（Cheng Huang Ge）
Location: Wu Hill 3, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, China
Opening time: 07:30-22:00
How to get there: Take buses No. 8, 35, 38, 40, 807 to Wushan Square Station.
Best time for visit: all year round
Recommended time for a visit: 3 hours

Introduction to Chenghuang Pavilion
Chenghuang Pavilion(or City God pavilion) is the landmark of Grand View of Wu Hill(吴山大观), one of the Eighteen Classic Views of West Lake Scenic Area. Wu Hill also called Chenghuang Hill. It is very convenient for tourist to view the Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill, one of Ten New Scenes of the West Lake. Located on the top of the Wu Hill in Hangzhou, Chenghuang Pavilion is an optimum spot for people to get a bird eye view of Hangzhou. It is an important part of the West Lake Resort and a showplace for the splendid history, culture and folk customs of Hangzhou.

Hangzhou Chenghuang Pavilion 

It is the fourth most famous tower of Jiangnan region. On the right side of Chenghuang Pavilion, it is the Memorial Temple of Zhou Xin, whose story has been narrated in article of Wu Hill Scenic Area. The origin of the Chenghuang Pavilion is quite culturally famous. Cheng and Huang respectively mean the city wall and the channel of outside of city. For praying for the security of the city, the relevant worshipping ceremonies, rites and activities appeared in the late period of Spring and Autumn. After the eras of Wei, Jin, South and North Dynasties, under the influence of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, the imagery of the city gods are mingled with the viewpoints of the Nemesis of Kindness and Evil, Rites and Moralities. Many famous or respected officials or officers used to be served as the city god after their death.

History and construction of Chenghuang Pavilion
The pavilion is huge and is a recent construction, having been built in the 1990's. It is an archaized seven-floor pavilion together with the underground and it is the symbolized building with a height of 41.6 meters. The whole pavilion is quite luxurious and featured of the architectural styles of Yuan and Ming Dynasties. It is the best site to view the places of interests of Hangzhou like the rivers, hills, lake and towns. The main top of the City God Pavilion is a cucurbit-style tip, and four sub-tops are the sculptures of phoenix. And the whole pavilion looks like a group of soaring phoenixes, also the sacred buildings of the fairyland. The second floor of the City God Pavilion is highlighted with a couplet written by Xu Wei(徐渭, a great poet, littérateur, calligraphist, painter and playwright of Ming Dynasty): 

八百里湖山知是何年图画- The 800-li lakes and mountains can tell when the landscape was painted

十万家烟火尽归此处楼台- The lights of the tens of thousands of homes are fully viewed from the pavilion 


The ground floor shows a huge wooded and colorized picture of Social Lifestyle in Downtown Hangzhou of South Song Dynasty, and on the opposite of this picture is a series of displays exhibiting historic celebrities, profiles of different dynasties in Hangzhou and ten folk fairy tales. From the third floor to the top, there are the view sites with the excellent leisure service equipments.  This enormous structure contains paintings depicting the city's past and other sights.

What to see in Chenghuang Pavilion
Chenghuang Pavilion is the best classic building on the top of Wushan Hill to overlook the grand view of West Lake Scenic Area, even the whole downtown area of Hangzhou. The spectacular pavilion stands on a very vantage spot on one peak nearest to the West Lake on the High Wind over Wu Hill. The central roof of the town god pavilion looks like a bottle gourd while the other 4 minor roofs around the chief roof look like phoenixes. The whole pavilion seems like a group of soaring phoenixes. The pavilion looks exactly like a building in paradise in every Chinese's imagination.
 

For Chenghuang Pavilion, the design, construction, architecture style take into account not only links the West Lake and the City, but also by the allocation of service facilities. In its first and second Floor, with a strong focus on displaying the characteristics of Hangzhou, the local history and culture and customs; in its third floor to the sixth floor, while leisure, viewing and access.

To be the main feature, there are luxury hanging lanterns, equipped with high-grade mahogany furniture, the third floor of the public tearoom, with stage performances; the fourth floor to Refreshments in honor of the guests; the fifth floor has a coffee shop; the sixth floor for the VIP reception and display of valuable products. 69 meters high on the top of the hill, and then on top of Chenghuang Pavilion lean on a railing overlooking the view of Fengtai, North Point Xizi lake, wave-ping as a mirror.

You may see the scenery as waves Adventure, East Vision Urban, high-rise Guangsha, and Clammy times than the scales, bustling markets, and a panoramic view. What is more, you will enjoy the feeling of seeing South view of the Qiantang River, the waves rolling in, disappeared in the cloud water is between; immersed in clouds of smoke. If the night in this view, the city lights flicker, and the sky become bright.

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