建于公元四世纪（魏晋南北朝时期）的灵隐寺，是中国最重要的佛教圣地之一。在二月的一个雾气弥漫的下午，这里一反往常的佛事氛围，更像是一场盛大的狂欢节。家家户户几世同堂聚集在此欢度春节。他们将大把的纸币投入大大的焚烧炉内，举着香穿过拥挤的人群，朝向在整座寺庙正中的80英尺高（24米左右）的佛像。他们边走边吃着成串的臭豆腐和煮玉米棒，不时还用数码相机记录下这里的一切。我和我的家人们大概是其中唯一可见的西方面孔，自然受到了不少相机的追捧——尤其是我那才蹒跚学步的孩子。一个在我身旁的抱着孩子的年轻妈妈还叫出了声：“看那儿，外国的小婴儿！”虽然这次庆祝活动只持续一个星期，但整个杭州城却会久久沉浸在这种愉悦的氛围之中。
杭州有着依山傍水的优越地理环境，又是困惑时冥思沉想、放松心灵的绝佳城市，历来在中国有着神话般的地位。在政治动荡然而文化极大丰富的南宋时期（公元12~13世纪），大多数有名的画家、诗人都曾居住于此。在宁静的西湖湖畔，柳树成荫，他们也在此寻求着一种超脱。而与此同时，在西湖附近寂静的小山顶上，有一些有影响的僧人也建起了内有高大宝塔的寺庙。
多少年来，全国各地的学生都在接受着诞生于这座城市的诗歌的熏陶中成长。其中有一首白居易的名诗，他是这么写的：“江南忆，最忆是杭州。山寺月中寻桂子。”（译者注：原文是这样截取的，原诗这一联应当是“江南忆，最忆是杭州。山寺月中寻桂子，郡亭枕上看潮头。何日更重游？”）
尽管对于外国游客来说，杭州并非是一个如北京城一样的常规目的地，但是杭州给所有远道而来的客人都留下了难忘的印象。正如马可波罗描绘的那样：“上有天堂，下有苏杭。”（译者注：此为我国民间谚语。马可波罗当时参照此只是将杭州、苏州分别称为“天城”、“地城”，原文引用或许有误。）
如今杭州已是一个拥有八百万人口的城市，然而外国游客依然为数不多。以2009年为例，杭州吸引了6300万游客——威尼斯也仅仅是每年2000万游客量——但其中只有5%的外国游客。
而随着大量奢华酒店的入驻以及沪杭高铁的通车，现在这种情势将有待好转。去年10月份沪杭高铁的全线投入运营，意味着上海与杭州之间的旅行时间已缩短至40分钟，而过去需要乘坐三个多小时的汽车才能完成一次行程。而这种在不消20美元花费的同时可享受到250米每小时的高速的旅程，本身也如同一场华丽的蒙太奇，给乘客展示了中国新旧之间的飞越（原始城市结构正在迅速地被新兴的千篇一律的城市构造而取代）。
在杭州这座不算庞大的城市中，既保留着湖水、古运河、远山，又快速成长起了新兴事物；在新旧元素的交相辉映中，一切都似乎在等待着客人们的到来。杭州都市快报的一名记者杨毅（音译名）带我游览了有着悠久历史的河坊街，街上随处可见木质茶楼。在随访中，我看到他神情中尽是对这里发展变迁的惊讶和自豪。“在这座城市的南端，以及这条河的对面，都曾经只是大片大片的农田。”他说道，“而现在我看到越来越多的建筑立于其中。”
即便杭州一度曾是混乱政治环境下宁静的隐身之处，在现在这个时间点上，它也不免被浓重的商业气息所覆盖。但无论如何，这座城市始终承载着厚重的精神，足以使日益增长的中国工薪人群也涌入这里来看那山寺宝塔看那一方湖水。
随之显而易见的是游客数量的激增，同时一些新的元素成为了杭州随处可见的风景。来自上海、天津、北京的中国游客们在自行车道（杭州提供出租每天仅需50美分费用的红色公共自行车）上熙熙攘攘骑行着；漂亮的仿古园林式餐厅——比如龙井草堂——为中国喜爱炫富的游客们准备了海参、清蒸河鱼这类高档料理；2009年开放的浙江美术馆为了吸引年轻参观者，也特意将立馆方向定位于重在当代、兼顾历史。
毫无悬念地，奢华酒店也纷至沓来。近几年来，香格里拉酒店、安曼居、悦榕庄以及四季酒店都纷纷在杭州开了第一家门店，悦椿也计划在今年开拓杭州市场。各家新的度假酒店都在杭州找闹中取静的地段：安缦法云度假酒店重新改造了一个靠近灵隐寺的茶庄，将其打造为提供SPA和茶点的简约型别墅群；悦榕庄则隐匿在中国国家湿地公园西溪湿地内；最近的入驻者——杭州西子湖四季酒店——则取址于西子湖畔，并在这占地四万平方米多的空间内采用了江南庭院式建筑风格。
但虽说闹中取静，我们在这些酒店的外围也可以感受到几分宁静。在一个简易的码头，一个中国老船夫带我们上了舢板——杭州的一种类似于意大利长平底船的传统木船。随着清泠的桨声，一路穿过石拱桥，经过满是竹子与杨柳的河畔；尖长的竹枝穿透过薄雾，山顶的孤塔守望着西湖，捕鱼的小船静止在水面，鸣唱的鸟儿小憩在柳梢头。整个行程中我们还经过了那些不易察觉的景点——曲院风荷、花港观鱼、断桥残雪、柳浪闻莺。
之后我们这一叶扁舟进入了湖中心。宝塔风格的游轮在水面上下浮动，当地人在三潭印月岛上，为游客准备了一些便餐。似乎每个人都渴望融入杭州的新诗情画意。
如果你去
到达方法
大多数航空公司都有航班直飞上海，同时德尔塔航空也在协商计划开通从肯尼迪、圣弗朗西斯科和洛杉矶的国际机场直飞杭州萧山国际机场的航班。另外，从上海在虹桥火车站乘坐高铁即可达杭州（如果你之前要在上海停留数日的话，在火车站需要出示你曾入住酒店开具的发票）。
在杭州叫出租车是非常容易的一件事，也比较廉价，不过拥挤的路况会让你更倾向选择租一辆自行车（你可以在龙翔桥公交站租到一辆）。同时杭州也计划在明年建立一套新的轨道交通系统。
住宿
杭州西子湖四季酒店（灵隐路5号；86-571-8829-8888；fourseasons.com）双人间，381美元起；
杭州安缦法云度假酒店（位于灵隐寺背后的法云古村；法云弄22号；86-571-8732-9999；amanresorts.com）提供别墅出租，580美元起；
悦榕庄（86-571-8586-0000；banyantree.com）位于西溪湿地，为鸟群观察者提供双筒望远镜，有72个房间，提供别墅出租，540美元起。
游览指南
想要参观西湖的话，最有情调的方式莫过于坐一坐那种传统木质舢板船了（一个小时，需花费100人民币，参照6.40的兑率，即15.6美元）。在杭州任一个小码头都可以坐上这样的船。
灵隐寺（法云路1号；86-571-8796-8665；lingyinsi.org）是一个保留了在寺僧人的景点（你可以在每天下午三点半加入他们的法事）。在寺庙外有一个名为飞来峰的景点，内有大大小小400多个精美的石灰岩雕刻佛像。灵隐寺寺院门票：30元；灵隐寺（包括飞来峰）门票：45元。
此外还有六和塔。该塔既保存了宋代精美的砖雕艺术，又具有俯瞰杭州城的开阔视野。可谓不可错过的一大景点。
浙江美术馆（南山路138号；86-571-8707-8700；zjam.org.cn）融合了现代与传统的艺术，参观免费。
如果想在杭州品一品本地最知名的龙井茶的话，在种满茶树的山上的村子里，你可以在他们的集镇上品到纯正的龙井；或者你也可以选择去河坊街上一家传统的茶楼——太极茶道（河坊街184号；86-571-878-01791）来品味一番。
在龙井草堂的包厢里，也准备了来自杭州和上海的各式特色餐点（都是主人自己搜罗的），一份菜单上菜品等级从野鸭煲汤到卤蛋扣肉不等，共12道菜，两个人需消费1600元（译者注：龙井草堂包厢费最低即1600）。
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The Poetry of Hangzhou
By ONDINE COHANE
ON a misty afternoon in February, Lingyin Temple, a
fourth-century Buddhist site that is one of China’s most important
sanctuaries, felt more like a carnival than a place of worship. In large
multigenerational packs, festive families were gathered for the Lunar New
Year holiday, tossing fistfuls of ceremonial paper money into huge open fire
pits and waving incense sticks as they jostled through crowds on their way to
visit the 80-foot-high Buddha that is the building’s centerpiece. All the
while they were downing fried tofu on sticks and corn on the cob and taking
photos of everything on digital cameras. My family and I, possessing the only
Western faces in the crowd, qualified as a photo coup — especially my
towheaded toddler. “Look over here, foreign baby!” a young mother shouted as
she held up her baby next to mine. The holiday period may officially last
only a week, but the celebratory mood in Hangzhou seems to have permanently
taken over this ever more vital city.
Hangzhou has always held a near mythical status in
China, both for its beautiful lakeside location and as a place for meditative
and spiritual retreat in times of trouble. During the culturally rich but
politically disastrous Southern Song period of the 12th and 13th centuries,
many of the country’s most famous painters and poets lived here, seeking
escape on the banks of the tranquil, willow-shaded West Lake while
influential monks established temples with towering pagodas in the quiet
hilltops nearby.
For generations, schoolchildren from all over China
have grown up learning verses that were inspired by this place. One of the
most famous poets, Bai Ju Yi, wrote, “Remembering the Fair South,/As always,
it is Hangzhou I most recall:/ Amongst the mountain temples/ I search for the
osmanthus petals/ From which the moon did fall.”
And although it has never been a common destination for
foreign tourists, it made a lasting impression on those who discovered it. As
Marco Polo described it: “In heaven there is paradise/ On earth, Suzhou and
Hangzhou.”
Today, though Hangzhou is a teeming city of eight
million, foreign tourists remain rare. In 2009 it attracted 63 million
visitors — Venice, by comparison, draws about 20 million annually — but only
5 percent were from outside China.
That is primed to change, with a raft of new luxury
hotels and a new high-speed train arriving from Shanghai’s gleaming Hongqiao
station. The train, which made its debut last October, means that the trip
from Shanghai to Hangzhou is 40 minutes, compared with the three-hours-plus
it used to take by car. And the voyage itself, which costs less than $20,
exposes passengers to a fascinating montage of old and new China (new
cookie-cutter cul-de-sacs emerge alongside derelict old structures that are
quickly being razed), all at 250 miles an hour.
Despite its size, the city is laid out well for
visitors, with the new and quickly growing part of Hangzhou separated from
the more ancient sites by a large lake and a series of medieval canals and
craggy hills in the distance. Yang Yi, a journalist for The City Express,
took me on a tour of the historic He Fang Street with its bustling wood
teahouses, noting his amazement and pride at the speed of development. “On
the south edge of the city there used to be only acres and acres of peasant land
on the opposite side of the river,” he said. “Now I just see more and more
buildings.”
But even if Hangzhou’s former status as a peaceful
refuge from the rough and tumble world of politics and business may be mostly
symbolic at this point, it still carries heavy spiritual weight and the
burgeoning middle class is streaming in to see the temples, lake and the
sheltered pagodas. To me, observing the first generation of domestic
travelers enjoying their leisure time and taking in the nationally beloved sites
was every bit as interesting as the sites themselves.
It is clear that tourism is booming and new attractions
are being opened to complement the city’s must-see staples: The city’s bike
paths (dotted with the bright red bicycles provided by the city for only 50
cents a day) are crowded with Chinese tourists from Shanghai, Tianjin and
Beijing; beautiful old-style restaurants like Dragon Well Mansion (notable
for its excellent local and organic ingredients) serve up dishes like sea
cucumber and poached river fish to well-heeled Chinese tourists showing off
newfound wealth; and new museums like Zhejiang Art Museum, which opened in
2009, mix contemporary work with traditional exhibits and calligraphy in a
bid to attract a younger crowd.
Not surprisingly, luxury hotels have also arrived. The
Shangri-la, Aman resorts, Banyan Tree and Four Seasons have all unveiled
outposts in the last few years, and the Angsara plans to open a hotel this
year. The new resorts, removed from the new part of the city, have all positioned
themselves to be quiet enclaves in the hubbub: the Amanfayun resort has
reinvented a former tea village near Lingyin Temple and turned it into a
series of pared-down villas with a destination spa and dim sum restaurant,
and the Banyan Tree sits within one of the country’s most impressive wetland
parks. The newest arrival, the Four Seasons, sits on a quiet bank of West
Lake with over 10 acres of landscaped gardens and pavilion-like structures.
But even outside the hotels’ grounds, it is still possible
to find moments of quiet inspiration. From a simple jetty, an old Chinese
boatman took us out on a sampan, one of the traditional wooden boats that is
Hangzhou’s equivalent of a gondola. The sound of paddling was the only thing
we heard as we passed under stone-arch bridges and alongside banks of bamboo
and willow trees. Skeleton-like branches peeked out of the mist; high up in
the hills a lone pagoda kept watch over the lake; a fishing boat sat almost
motionless in the water; a songbird rested in a willow tree. We passed
secluded spots with names like Lotus on the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard,
Viewing Fish at Flowers Harbor, Melting Snow at Broken Bridge and Listening
to the Orioles in the Willows.
And then our lonely boat entered the main part of the
lake. Pagoda-style ferries bobbed on the water, locals were taking in the
sights of the smaller inner island of Three Moons Mirroring the Moon, where
some set up impromptu picnics. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to be a part of
Hangzhou’s new poetry.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
Most foreign carriers have flights to Shanghai, and
Delta is negotiating to have direct flights from Kennedy, San Francisco
International and Los Angeles International airports to Hangzhou Xiaoshan
International Airport. From Shanghai take the new high-speed train at the
city’s Hongqiao station (have your hotel purchase tickets ahead of time if
you are staying in Shanghai beforehand).
In Hangzhou, taxis are easy to find and cheap, but to
bypass the growing congestion rent a bike (you can pick one up from Lonxiang
Bridge bus station). The city plans to unveil a new metro system next year.
WHERE TO STAY
The secluded Four Seasons Hangzhou West Lake (5 Lingyin
Road; 86-571-8829-8888; fourseasons.com) has doubles from $381.
Right behind Lingyin Temple, Amanfayun (22 Fayun Nong;
86-571-8732-9999; amanresorts.com) offers villas starting at $580.
The Banyan Tree (86-571-8586-0000; banyantree.com) in
Xixi National Wetland Park has binoculars for birdwatchers and 72 rooms and
villas with rates starting at $540.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
The most atmospheric way to see West Lake is by a
traditional wooden sampan (they cost about 100 renminbi, or $15.60 an hour,
at 6.40 renminbi to the dollar), which you can catch at one of the city’s
jetties.
Lingyin Temple (1 Fayun Road; 86-571-8796-8665;
lingyinsi.org) is a working monastery for the monks who make their home there
(you can join them in their prayers at 3:30 p.m. daily). Just outside the
temple the over 400 carvings cut into the limestone known as Flying Peak are
just exquisite. Admission for just the temple is 30 renminbi; with access to
Flying Peak, 45 renminbi.
Another must-see is Liuhe Pagoda, with its beautiful
Song Dynasty sculptures and its excellent views.
Zhejiang Art Museum (138 Nashan Road; 86-571-8707-8700;
zjam.org.cn) has an interesting mix of ancient and contemporary art.
Admission is free.
For a cup of the tea that Hangzhou is famous for, head
to Lonjing, the village up in the hills surrounded by tea plantations that
serve their tea in the main square, or to Tai Ji Cha Dao (184 He Fang Road;
86-571-878-01791), one of the traditional teahouses on He Fang Road.
In individual dining rooms at Dragon Well Manor, taste
specialties from Hangzhou and Shanghai (all sourced by the owner), which
range from wild duck in broth to braised pork with free range egg in a
12-course tasting menu that is 1,600 renminbi for two.
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如此风波不可行
2013年1月2日星期三
杭州——如诗如歌般的城市
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