都市·乐活  City and Leisure

今日西湖

The West Lake Today

西溪湿地

The West Creek Wetlands

杭城规模不断扩大，固定人口从上世纪80年代初的100万，增加了6倍，外来人口几百万。周边的农田和蔬菜基地都变成了高楼大厦，唯独西溪湿地得以保留。西溪湿地内原本有几个村落，种桑养蚕，盛产鱼蟹，果树以柿子树为主。政府保留了西溪湿地原貌，开辟成旅游景点。真是应了宋高宗的一句话：“西溪且留下。”

Hangzhou is expanding continuously. From a population of 1 million in the early 1980’s to seven times that, millions of people have come to Hangzhou from other places. The surrounding fields and vegetable patches have been replaced by high-rise buildings, with only the West Creek Wetlands being left untouched. There are a number of villages in the area, the residents of which are involved in raising mulberry trees and silkworms, fish and crabs, and growing persimmons. The government has kept the area in its original state, and also opened it up to tourism. Just as the Gaozong Emperor of the Song Dynasty said in the 12th century, “the West Creek area shall remain as it is”.

娟娟饭馆的老板是一对江山夫妇，为人勤快老实。饭馆开业多年，一直有好口碑，“杭城螺蛳王”就是饭馆的别称。老板娘娟娟认为，“食材是第一个不能马虎的地方”。他们家所用的食材，都是老板亲自挑选的，生怕客人吃到坏的。至于配菜，也是托人从江山老家采集运送过来的。很多人就是奔着叠螺蛳来吃宵夜的。

The Juanjuan Restaurant is owned by a hard-working couple from Jiangshan. It has been open for a number of years and has a great reputation. It’s also known for being the “King of Spiral Shells” in Hangzhou. The owners believe that they can’t skimp on ingredients, so they select all of them themselves, performing quality control. Even the vegetables are imported from their hometown in Jiangshan. The restaurant is a popular destination for midnight snacking.

办张公园年卡

A Yearly Park Pass

杭州的免费景点多，但有些还是要收费。对于杭州居民来说，办张40元的年卡是明智的选择。凭这张卡可以免费通行13个主要景区。如果对佛教感兴趣，还可以办张40元的庙卡。有趣的是，上海人也有权办理这两张卡。甚至有人戏称“杭州是上海人的后花园”——哪怕再不起眼的景点，你都能听到“阿拉上海人”的声音。

Hangzhou has a number of free tourist attractions, but there are some at which a ticket must be purchased. For a Hangzhou resident, spending 40 RMB for a yearly park pass is a good choice. With the card, one can enjoy free access to 13 different scenic areas. If you are interested in Buddhism, you can also spend 40 RMB to buy a Temple Pass. What’s interesting is that Shanghai residents can also obtain these two passes. People have previously remarked that “Hangzhou is Shanghai’s back garden”. You can hear people speaking Shanghainese at these attractions frequently.

西湖龙井，中国十大名茶之一，素有“绿茶皇后”之称，色绿、香郁、味甘、形美。细雨天里，临窗而坐，沏一杯龙井，手执书卷，静听窗外游丝般的雨声，欣闻龙井轻幽幽的茶香，实在是人生一大享受。如有机会来杭州，一定要到西湖的茶坊里坐一坐，品着西湖龙井，赏着西湖美景，诗意人生不过如此。

The Longjing Tea of Hangzhou’s West Lake is one of China’s ten most famous teas, and has the nickname “The Empress of Green Teas”. The leaves are known for four qualities: being green, fragrant, sweet in taste, and beautiful in shape. Sitting by a window on an overcast day, making a cup of Longjing Tea, with a book in hand to enjoy with the tea against the background noise of light rain outside is one of the great pleasures in life. If you have the opportunity to come to Hangzhou, you must visit a tea house by the West Lake and try some Longjing Tea while enjoying a view of the lake – a slice of the poet’s life.

每年夏天，杭州市都会开展“让洞于民，避暑纳凉”活动，将一些平时管制的防空洞开放给市民避暑。这项活动至今持续了13年。防空洞内一般都有桌椅、电视机、茶水。来纳凉的人多是当地的老人小孩和外来务工人员，并有保安维持秩序。据说这一惠民活动每年能节电80万度左右。

Every year in summer, Hangzhou puts on an activity called “Into the caves to avoid the heat”. The city opens up a number of underground air raid shelters which are normally closed. It’s already been going on for 13 years. Within the shelters there are tables, chairs, TV, and tea. Most of the people that come are elderly, children, or workers from other regions of China. There are security guards to maintain order. Apparently, these activities save 800,000 KWh of electricity that would otherwise be spent on AC each year.

开茶节

The Tea Festival

“茶为国饮，杭为茶都”，作为西湖龙井的故乡，悠久的茶文化历史积淀和浓厚的茶饮习俗氛围使杭州获得了“中国茶都”的美誉。茶文化和茶习俗早已融入了杭州人的血液中，每年一度的西湖龙井开茶节也已经成为所有爱茶人的盛大节日。你爱茶、懂茶吗？如果你也好这一口儿，一定不要错过这个美丽的节日！

“Tea is the national drink, and Hangzhou is the capital of tea”. As the home of West Lake Longjing Tea, a long history of tea culture and a strong preference for the drink among the local population have given Hangzhou the name “China’s Tea Capital”. Tea culture and tea-drinking customs are in the blood of people from Hangzhou, and every year there is a large “tea festival” for the start of the West Lake tea harvesting season. Do you like and understand tea? If this kind of thing is your jam, make sure to not miss out on this beautiful holiday!

每年国庆节一过，来自桐乡的翻丝棉大妈就像候鸟一样准时来到杭州，在老小区的弄堂口、花园旁空地上搭起棚子，戴上老花眼镜开工。不用打任何广告，熟识的老主顾都会带上丝棉袄壳儿，到老地方来找她们。“大妈，今年翻一件丝棉袄多少钞票？”“还是15块！”真是实诚的桐乡大妈，价格十年如一日!

Each year as soon as the National Holiday in early October ends, women who process silk floss from Tongxiang (Tongcheng County in Anhui Province) flock to Hangzhou like migrant birds, and set up small stands on the available ground in various complexes, put on their glasses and prepare to work. They post no ads, but their customers know where to find them. They show up, cocoons in hand, to have them processed. “Old lady, how much is the price this year?” “It’s still 15 Yuan!” These are very honest women – the price hasn’t risen in ten years!

红树醉西泠

Red Leaves at Xiling Bridge

西泠桥，枫树林，秋来霜红雾紫，鲜艳夺目。秋风渐起，午后漫步西泠。和暖的阳光恰好驱散了寒气，举目尽是明艳艳的橙红。在残荷凋零、叶落水寒的萧瑟秋景中，这是一笔浓厚的诗情画意。撷取枫叶把玩手上或压制成书签，把秋天融到书里带回了家，幽情耿耿撩人，别有趣味。

At the Xiling Bridge there is a forest of maple trees, and when autumn turns the leaves red and frost accumulates on the leaves, they are a sign to see. I take a walk at Xiling as the autumn wind blows. Warm sunlight drives away the cold in the air, and the scene is bathed in bright orange-red. The lotuses wilt, leaves fall down – the whole experience feels very poetic. One may pick maple leaves and play with them in hand, or press them into bookmarks, taking a piece of the scene home to keep.

交芦田庄位于西溪福堤南入口的西侧，在古色古香的高庄与蜿蜒曲折的溪水围绕下，这片净土自有其农桑耕植的情趣。它是以农事体验为主的农业生态休闲园。在这里，鱼塘密布，男耕女织。在现代化大都市中体验别样的古朴民间农活，未尝不是一件“偷得浮生半日闲”的美事。

Jiaolutian Village is situated on the west side of Fudi (the Embankment of Proseprity) in the West Creek area. It is an antique-looking village that contains a small creek which winds and twists through it, with the soil around it planted with mulberry trees. It’s an ecological park where one can experience agricultural activities. The pools are full of fish. Male residents are responsible for tending the fields and women weave. It’s a great place to take a half-day trip to experience a lifestyle from a simpler time in the middle of the modern city.

排长队的李记酥鱼

A Fish Shop with a Long Queue

李记家的酥鱼卖二十来年了。李老板曾经在卤味店工作过，学到了很多做菜厨艺，加上他的妻子又有卖酥鱼的经验，夫妻俩索性开起小店卖起酥鱼来了。李老板多年研制的卤酱加上妻子的高汤秘方，正是他们家酥鱼独霸一方的秘诀，四面八方的食客纷至沓来。你看，这节假日，过来吃酥鱼的人排队都排到马路中央去了。

The Li shop has sold crispy fish for more than two decades. Boss Li used to work in a braised food shop, and learned how to cook. His wife had experience selling crispy fish, so the couple went and opened up a store to sell the product. Li used his experience at the braised food shop combined with his wife’s secret soup recipe to produce a new dish, and customers have flooded in constantly. After the holidays if you go by the shop you will see the queue of customers extending all the way into the middle of the street.

屏峰社区有一家素食餐厅，位置偏僻但生意红火。老板星星是陕西小伙，笃信佛教，为人爽气，还有一杭州人谢姐是其助手。餐厅食客多为来自五湖四海的打工青年。餐厅特色有三：一无招牌，初访者常以为不是餐厅；二无餐单，顾客随意配菜，老板随心烹制；三无柜员，所有菜价一律十元，由食客自行投钱结算。

In the Pingfeng Community there is a vegetarian restaurant that is a bit out of the way but always does great business. The boss is a guy from Shaanxi. He faithfully follows Buddhism, and is a bright and open-minded person. He has a female assistant who is a native of Hangzhou. Most of the customers at the restaurant are young people coming from all over to Hangzhou to work. The restaurant lacks three things that most others have: First, there is no sign. First time visitors may miss the fact that there is a restaurant operating there. Second, there is no menu, customers pick the vegetables for the boss to cook. Third, there is no till – all dishes are 10 Yuan, and customers retrieve their own change.

不知道是九月送来了暗香浮动的桂花，还是桂花带来了凉爽舒适的九月。在初秋的杭城桂花总可以“独占三秋压众芳”。作为杭州的市花，桂花有着富贵的寓意，象征友谊、爱情、荣誉和思念。“满觉陇旁金粟遍，天风吹堕万山丘”，赏桂花的最佳去处就数有着9000多株桂花树的满陇桂雨公园了。

It is hard to say if September brings about the floating fragrance of osmanthus blooms, or if the osmanthus blooms bring about the chilly comfort of September. At the start of autumn in Hangzhou one can always expect the fragrance of osmanthus. As the city flower of Hangzhou, the osmanthus carries connotations of prosperity, friendship, love, honour, and reflection. “Yellow flowers blanket Manjuelong valley, and as the wind blows their fragrance descends upon myriad peaks.” The best place for appreciating these beautiful blossoms is Laurel Park in Manjuelong valley, where over 9,000 osmanthus grow.

三十多年前，道路没有这么发达，从运河沿岸的小镇到杭州最适合的交通工具往往是轮船，小镇居民都希望有一天可以坐公交车去杭州。不曾想到的是，因为交通的便捷而一度被废弃的轮船，现在却成为了运河上一道亮丽的风景。运河水上巴士，为旅游的人们提供了不同的交通工具，也提供了不一样的人文感受。

Thirty years ago, the road system wasn’t as developed, and the preferred mode of transport for those who lived along the banks of the canal to travel from their small villages into Hangzhou was by boat. At the time, the residents of these villages all hoped that one day they would be able to take buses into the city. When this was implemented, the boats were more or less abandoned by the residents, but surprisingly became valued by others for the scenery that could be enjoyed upon them. Now the canal “buses” still run, and travellers choose to take these boats for a different kind of experience.

傍晚去广场散步，远处传来神曲《小苹果》，脑袋里浮现出一群大妈整齐划一地跳着广场舞。慢慢走近，似乎不一样啊，怎么年轻人也在跟着跳，小伙打扮挺潮。只见他们随着音乐有节奏地跳着，步伐轻快，律动和谐，真是把广场舞跳出了民族舞的意思。原来广场舞不是大妈的专属，舞步也不再老套俗气。

When you go to walk around the square at night, you may hear the song “Small Apple” – China’s “Gangnam Style”, if you will. What one would normally picture is a large number of middle-aged women doing a coordinated dance in the square, as is common across China. Yet, when you slowly walk closer, you see that there are also young people in the group, dressed fashionably. As you see them dance to the beat of the music, steps quick, rhythm harmonious, the plaza dance seems more like a folk dance. It turns out that dancing in the public plaza is no longer the exclusive domain of old ladies, and is actually becoming fashionable.

一分钟前还是大都会里的琳琅满目，转过一个街角又变成了古色古香的红砖墙与青石路。之前还在踩着山间泥路上的青苔碎石，翻过一个山头又钻入了一方失修的古亭，坐在老式的方木墩上鉴赏亭心驻着的石碑。在杭州城里漫步，永远别去猜下一站你会遇到什么风景，因为它有千万张脸谱，谁也不知道它下一秒想为你展示些什么。

In a minute you can go from the dazzling metropolis, and taking a turn around a corner, you’ll be in an ancient-feeling scene of red brick walls and green stone roads. You might be walking over a mud road in the mountains, and green-moss covered cobblestone streets, and after cresting a peak, come upon a dilapidated old pagoda. Sitting on a traditional wooden bench, you can see a stone stele that evokes strong emotions upon looking at it. Taking a walk around Hangzhou, you never know what scenery you might come upon next, because it’s a city of a thousand faces. Who knows what the next moment may bring about?

每次经过浣纱路总会联想起词牌名浣溪沙，这么诗意的名字，一定会有浪漫的过去吧。询问浣纱路上一位坐馆老中医，言谈间颇多遗憾：“浣纱路原为浣纱溪填平而成。旧时浣纱溪自涌金桥下引入西湖水，流往市区主要做饮用水。溪两旁柳荫夹道，溪水清澈见底，岸旁埠头女人们的捣衣声说笑声，别是一种风土人情哦。”

Every time I go down Huansha Road I always think of a traditional Chinese tune name, Huanxisha – such a poetic name, it must have a romantic past. I asked a doctor of Chinese medicine about it, and he said with lament: “Huansha Road is the filled-in bed of Huansha Creek. In the old times Huansha Creek flowed from Yongjin Bridge into the West Lake, and was mainly used as a source of drinking water for the city. It was lined with willows, and the water was clear. You could hear the sound of women laughing as they washed clothes. It was really something.”

每一百个杭州人中就有十七个老人。他们不紧不慢,为这座城市虚掩上浮华的门。晨雾朦胧，他们在林间唱起遥远的歌谣。雨打红桃，他们蘸着西湖水在青石板上随性挥毫。在江南潮湿的阳光下，他们任凭时光从肩头流过，自提鸟笼，落下一地啼鸣的芬芳。他们拥着最朴素的生活和最美好的梦想，那是杭州最安宁的模样。

17% of Hangzhou’s native population is elderly. They are calm and cool, as flash and ostentation isn’t part of Hangzhou’s culture. In the mists of the morning, the sound of them singing traditional songs flows throughout the forest. When the rain falls upon the red peach blossoms, they write with brushes dipping with water of the West Lake on the green stones. In the moist air under the bright sun, they walk around, carrying birdcages and from which emanate all kinds of chirping sounds. They live simple and beautiful lives – they are the models of calm.

第一次走过四季青服装市场一定会被震到：满街的人，人行天桥上是人，往下走的露天过街地道是人，马路两边、马路中央都是人。各人不是提着各色大小包袋，就是推着各式大小拉车：平板的，有俩大轮子的；简易的，带俩小轮的，等等。车上载满包包袋袋，包袋里塞满各式衣裳……这里不愧是中国服装第一街。

I was startled the first time I walked by the Sijiqing Clothing Street – there were people everywhere, with people packing the pedestrian bridges, and underground passages. There were people on both sides and in the centre of the street. If people weren’t carrying bags and purses, they were pushing all kinds of carts, large and small: flat-back with two large wheels, simple with two small wheels, and so on. The carts were all packed with bags and packages, inside them all manner of clothes. This may be the street with the most clothes in all China.

阿敏经营着一家小酒吧，店面不大，却温馨有情调。杭城有许多这类很像家庭客厅风格的小酒吧，适合熟人朋友小聚。这个酒吧阿敏经营了十年，不管经济危机、金融风暴，它都不温不火地存在，让阿敏衣食无忧。阿敏说，她喜欢这种生活状态，赚不了大钱，但也没有压力。这很符合很多杭州人的生活观念：知足常乐。

A-Min runs a bar which is small but warm and colourful. Hangzhou has a number of these small bars that resemble restaurants operated out of a home that are suitable for small gatherings of friends. She’s run the bar for a decade already, pushing on through the financial crisis with stable business. She says she likes this kind of lifestyle – it may not be hugely profitable, but it’s stress free. This conforms well with the outlook on life that Hangzhou people have – be happy with what you have.

浙江科技学院坐落在城西小和山脚下。校园里有山有湖，真山真水，风光旖旎，不输给任何风景区。坐落在杭州的很多高等院校，得益于杭州得天独厚的自然条件，校园就像一座座公园。难怪有许多外国留学生来到杭州留学以后，就希望能留下来，一直生活在杭州。

The Zhejiang University of Science and Technlogy is situated at the base of Mount Xiaohe in the west of the city. The campus has lakes, real mountains and streams, and charming and gentle scenery that rivals that of any scenic area. Universities in Hangzhou enjoy excellent natural conditions with the campuses resembling parks. It’s no wonder that students from abroad who come to study here fall in love with the campus and wish to remain in Hangzhou.

城西的老居民都知道当年的学院路夜市。华灯初上，文一路、学院路口北行，总是热闹非凡。南来北往的小贩、一脸悠闲的市民、青春活泼的大学生、五花八门的廉价商品，到处都是生活的味道。当然，很多人来夜市转转，都是慕文教区美女如云之名而来。如今夜市搬迁，怀旧之人难免平添些许感叹。

The old residents of the western part of the city all remember the Xueyuan Road Night Market of years past. Under bright streetlamps, at Wenyi Road at the north entrance of Xueyuan Road, it was always a bustling affair. Merchants from all over, city-dwellers with relaxed looks on their faces, energetic university students, and all kinds of low-priced articles for sale – there was a feeling of vibrancy throughout. Of course, many of the people who came were there to see the famous beauties of Cultural District. As the market has now been relocated, it’s no surprise that many people sigh nostalgically about the old memories.

杭州的交通相当发达。地下有地铁和隧道；地面东西和南北都有交通要道；还有贯通南北和东西的高架快速道。设立了公交专用通道，配以足够的出租车，还配备了公共自行车。既有水上交通，也有绕城高速，加之以高铁和杭州萧山国际机场。然而，城市人口的剧增和中国人均第一的私家车数，却使杭州成了有名的“堵城”。

Hangzhou’s transportation infrastructure is well-developed. There is a subway and underground passages beneath the surface, and upon it there are bus routes running in every direction. There are also elevated carriageways that run throughout the city. There is a bus lane network and adequate taxis. There are also public bicycles available. There are ferries on the waterways, and an expressway that bypasses the city. There is the new high-speed rail, and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. However, added to the rapidly expanding population and highest rate of private car ownership in the nation, the city is still very congested.

对于很多道地的杭州本地人来讲，“闲”对他们至关重要。或许因为得天独厚的青山秀水，他们与生俱来一种淡淡的满足感，喜欢温和中庸，不喜恶语相向，玩到虚脱的事是绝对不干的。闲暇时喜欢逛逛西湖游游公园，看看花喝喝茶，打打牌搓搓麻将。难怪丰子恺会在《吃酒》一文里说“闲”是杭州人最佳的性格写照了。

For real Hangzhou people, “relaxation” is a key concept. Possibly because of the surrounding beautiful landscapes, everyone has a kind of relaxed satisfaction with life, and enjoys a moderate, friendly lifestyle, eschewing harsh words and conflict. Nobody “parties hardy” here. Popular activities for free time are walking around the West Lake, admiring flowers and drinking tea, playing cards and mah-jong. It’s no surprise that in his book Drinking, the early 20th century author Feng Zikai said that “leisure” was the true mark of a Hangzhou person’s character.

沿着钱江，顺着运河，绕行西湖，漫步湿地，想到卢梭《一个散步者的遐想》，充分说明了散步的哲学功能。散步不仅锻炼身体，灵感也会如电光火石般迸发出来。“水光潋滟晴方好，山色空蒙雨亦奇；欲把西湖比西子，淡妆浓抹总相宜。”这几句美轮美奂的诗句，一定是苏轼在西湖边散步时突然从头脑中迸发出来的。

Along the Qianjiang River, down the canal, about the West Lake, walking in the wetlands makes one think of Jean-Jacques Rosseau’s Reveries of the Solitary Walker. Walking not only is good for your health, it tones your senses, and provides flashes of inspiration. Su Shi must have thought of the lines of his famous poem when walking along the lake. “The brimming waves delight the eye on sunny days. The dimming hills give a rare view in rainy haze. The West Lake looks like the fair lady Xi Shi at her best, whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed.”

杭州是个现代气息和古典文艺相结合的城市，在车水马龙宽敞的马路背后还有蜿蜒曲折不为人知的小弄堂。杭州人真的很幸福，早上起来就可以在弄堂的拐角处喝一碗热腾腾的豆浆，抬起头就可以跟楼上敞开了窗户浇花的老大爷唠家常，身边会经过一群你追我赶上学校的孩子们，脚下躺着一只眯着眼睛晒着太阳的流浪猫。

Hangzhou is a city that blends the flavour of modern lifestyles with the traditions of times past, with large roads carrying large numbers of large vehicles, and small winding alleyways existing unknown to many. The people of Hangzhou are truly lucky. One can wake up in the morning and stroll through the alleyways drinking a hot bowl of soy milk, look upward to see an old man talking idly as he waters the plants outside of his window, pass a group of hurrying school children, and look down to see a lazy stray cat warming itself in the sun.

每逢酷暑，大大小小几十处免费爱心凉茶摊就会默默出现在杭城大街小巷，为路过的人们送上一份清凉。“我们茶摊由14位平均年龄超过60岁的老人轮流值守，两人一班，就想发挥点余热，做点有意义的事。”面对赞扬，江干区濮家新村爱心凉茶摊发起人、义务摆摊13年的王惠玲老人淡淡地说。

When the notoriously hot summers of Hangzhou roll around, a few dozen stands are quietly set up, small and large, on the large streets and narrow alleyways of the city. They give out a cup of cool tea for free to the passers-by. “Our tea stands are manned by 14 volunteers with an average age of 60, two people per shift. We just wanted to do something nice for other people” – Wang Huiling explains simply how he started the first tea stand in Pujia New Village in Jianggan District 13 years ago, in response to praise from others.

在杭州每次付钱找零都是给硬币，初来时不太适应，在北方钢镚儿是很少被使用的。后来了解到从1992年起，银行在个别城市开展试点，逐步实行壹元以下小面额货币单一投入硬币，使杭州率先实现了小面额货币的硬币化，所以，如果你来杭州旅行，记得准备好钱袋来装零散的钢镚儿。

Whenever you get small change in Hangzhou it will be coins. Outsiders might not be accustomed to it, as coins are rarely used to make change in the north of China. As the result of a program by the central bank started in 1992, for amounts of 1 Yuan and less, Hangzhou as more of less moved entirely to coins. Thus, when you visit Hangzhou, remember to bring a coin purse.

杭州首家“孝道文化展示体验馆”，位于皋亭山景区千桃园内，分为孝廉广场、文化长廊等展示区域。它以丁兰故事为创作主线，通过动态展示、互动参与孝道艺术文化等方式，展示中华孝文化发展史以及新老二十四孝的故事，突出杭州本土孝文化遗迹及民间的孝文化内容。周末就带上你的孩子去体验吧！

Hangzhou’s first “Cultural Experience Centre for the Confucian Doctrine of Filial Piety” is situated in the Peach Garden of the Mount Gaoting Scenic Area, and is divided into the Piet Plaza, Cultural Corridor and exhibition area. It centres around the story of Ding Lan as its main theme, and through a dynamic display and interactive cultural exhibits show the history of the development of the culture of filial piety and the old and new stories of the Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, showing the local cultural heritages and the cultural content of the concept filial piety among the local people. This is a great place to bring your child on the weekend!

2014年开始，杭州比以往更大力度地建设人行过街设施，包括天桥和地道。其他各大路口的天桥作用固然十分重要，但令人感受最深的莫过于医院门前的天桥了，且基本上都配备了电动扶梯。以往每每看到老弱病残患者在医院前的人行道上匆忙地赶着绿灯时，都会有种莫名的着急和担忧。我想以人为本便是如此吧。

At the start of 2014, Hangzhou entered into a new large-scale round of road construction, including that of pedestrian bridges and underground passages. The bridges at major intersections are still very important, but one of the most impressive is most of bridges in front of hospitals are outfitted with escalators. Old and weak hospital patrons previously had to wait nervously at a red light, but this kind of human-centric thinking has now provided them with facilities that allow them to avoid this discomfort.

虎跑泉水是上天的恩赐，和龙井茶是绝配，大伯大妈们凭着公园卡，提着大桶小桶，耐心地在一眼泉水前，排上两三小时的队。忽见一位排队的大伯，从容地拿着一个橘子，边剥边慢慢品尝，润喉、滋养、洗肺、消磨时光，都有了。再回家泡一壶龙井，听着越剧，嗑着瓜子，享受休闲时光。

Running Tiger Spring is a gift from heaven, which is matched with Longjing Tea. Old men and women, park passes in hands, carrying small buckets queue up in groups of two or three in front of the spring. I see an old man take out an orange and peel it. It looks sweet, juicy and healthy. It’s a good day to go home, make a pot of Longjing Tea, listen to an opera, crack sunflower seeds and enjoy some leisure time.

杭州有五个老城区，还有滨江等五个新秀。上城区是南宋皇城所在地，下城区是以武林广场为核心的市中心，江干区定位是新的中心城区，CBD钱江新城就在此。西湖区是旅游文教中心，拱墅区以前是工业基地，现在运河申遗成功，成为一张金名片。滨江区高新技术产业云集，有阿里、网易、三星、西门子、ABB等。

Hangzhou has five old districts, and five up-and-coming districts. Shangcheng District has the ruins of the residence of the Song Dynasty Emperors, Xiacheng District has Wulin Plaza as its centre. Jianggan District is the new city centre and home to the central business district. Xihu District is the centre of tourism and education, Gongshu District was once an industrial centre, and is seeking to have the Grand Canal recognised as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Binjiang District is an area where high-tech enterprises exist, such as Alibaba, Netease, Samsung, Siemens, and ABB.