Xixi Wetland Hidden Gems — Hongzhong Bieye & Qingping Shan Tang Hike

Begin at the Jiaolu Tianzhuang (茭芦田庄) ticket gate on the western side of Fudi. Note: this is not an entrance to the paid area — turn right immediately before the ticket gate onto a narrow paved path that runs parallel to the channel. This path receives almost no foot traffic compared to the main Fudi causeway. The path follows the water for approximately 500 metres through traditional fishpond and taro field landscape — the same agricultural wetland scenery as the paid area, but empty and free. After 15 minutes you reach Qushui Nunnery (曲水庵 / Winding Water Nunnery), a 1,000-year-old Zen Buddhist nunnery that is the spiritual heart of the 'Winding Waters & Plum Blossom Search' (曲水寻梅) scenic view — one of Xixi Wetland's ten famous scenes. The nunnery is quiet and modest. Adjacent to it, the Xixi Morning Bell (西溪晨钟) is a 10.26-tonne bronze replica of the Ming dynasty Yongle Bell housed in a small bell pavilion — ring it for 10 RMB. The plum trees around the nunnery bloom in February–March, creating the famous plum-blossom-and-water scene. A small stone arch bridge near the nunnery makes a good photo subject.

Photo suggestion: Qushui Nunnery's stone arch bridge and plum trees — the 'Winding Waters & Plum Blossoms' scenic view.

Continue north along the path for approximately 700 metres. The buildings become more frequent and the path widens. You will pass Li E Er Gong Shrine (厉鹗二公祠), a memorial hall dedicated to Qing dynasty poets Li E and Hang Shijun, then arrive at Qingping Shan Tang (清平山堂 / Clear Level Mountain Hall). This was the private library and publishing workshop of Hong Pian (洪楩), a Ming dynasty (16th century) bibliophile and publisher from a prominent Hangzhou family. Hong Pian is famous in Chinese literary history for compiling and printing the Qingping Shan Tang Story Collection (清平山堂话本), the earliest known collection of vernacular Chinese short stories, which directly influenced later classics like Feng Menglong's San Yan collections and served as source material for Dream of the Red Chamber. The building is modest — a traditional Jiangnan stone-and-timber courtyard house — but its Ming dynasty architectural details (carved wooden lattice windows, stone door frames, the original well) are well-preserved. In spring (March–April), the crabapple (海棠) trees in the courtyard bloom spectacularly, filling the space with pink flowers against the white walls. The site receives very few visitors. Recommended for hanfu or Tang-style photography.

Photo suggestion: Qingping Shan Tang courtyard with crabapple blossoms — the Ming library's spring spectacle.

A short 800-metre walk north from Qingping Shan Tang brings you to Hongzhong Bieye (洪钟别业 / Minister Hong's Villa). This sprawling Ming dynasty estate was built in the Chenghua period (1465–1487) by Hong Zhong (洪钟), a Minister of Justice under the Ming emperor. The compound follows classic Jiangnan garden-villa design: multiple interconnected courtyards with white-washed walls, dark-tiled roofs, a central pond with stone bridges, and rockeries built from Lake Tai limestone. The rear garden has a two-storey building overlooking the water, and the entire estate is surrounded by mature trees. Today, the villa operates as a high-end cultural restaurant (Ming dynasty-themed, lunch 10:00–13:30, dinner 17:00–21:00) and the Yinwulu Tea House (隐雾庐 / Hidden Mist Hut), located in a thatched-roof pavilion in the garden. Tea starts at approximately 98 RMB per person — the Da Huan Xi ('Great Joy') black tea is the signature. The tea house is extremely quiet on weekdays. From Hongzhong Bieye, walk 5 minutes east to reach Fudi, then north or south to your preferred metro station.

Photo suggestion: Hongzhong Bieye's central pond with Taihu rockeries and thatched-roof tea house.