The Accidental Detour - Hangzhou, China

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Traditional wooden boats gliding through a narrow canal at West Lake, hills and bare trees reflected in the still water.

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Fell asleep on the HSR and woke up in Liyang, a town I’d never heard of and definitely wasn’t planning to stop at. Checked into a hotel which took a while because the staff had never processed a foreign passport before.

A building in Liyang at night with large red Chinese characters glowing against a dark sky.
A small golden puppy sitting on a red and grey pavement in Liyang at night.

Instead of rushing straight back to Shanghai the next morning, I decided to stop by Hangzhou. Had lunch there, and then headed to West Lake.

A set of hand-pulled noodles with crab broth and sides on a wooden tray, a camera visible in the background.
West Lake stretching out under a clear blue winter sky, willows and bare trees lining the calm shoreline.
A traditional multi-tiered Chinese pavilion standing over West Lake, framed by dried winter lotus stalks in the foreground.
Traditional wooden boats gliding through a narrow canal at West Lake, hills and bare trees reflected in the still water.
A row of tall plane trees along the West Lake causeway in winter fog, their bare branches catching the last of the afternoon light.

Then the sun started going down and I stopped walking. The light on the water, the willows, the mountains in the distance, I’ve seen a lot of things on this trip but this was different. One of those scenes that makes you feel like you stumbled into something you weren’t supposed to see.

A pink and purple sunset over West Lake in Hangzhou, weeping willow branches hanging over the still water with mountains silhouetted in the distance.
A lakeside pavilion and bare winter trees perfectly reflected in the glassy surface of West Lake at dusk.

Caught the train back to Shanghai after. Genuinely glad I missed my stop.

-- Zhun Hao

Published: Dec 28 2025
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