Ah, Hangzhou. I visit at least once every year. In the beginning, I used to check out the traditional Ten Scenes of Hangzhou, like West Lake and Su Causeway, but later on, I gradually became interested only in that string of New Ten Scenes up in the hills…

This time, I visited Dreaming of Tiger Spring at Hupao from the New Ten Scenes, as well as Inquiring About Tea at Longjing and Nine Creeks Meandering Through a Misty Forest, which I visit every time I’m in Hangzhou. Actually, Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong was sandwiched in between, but since it wasn’t osmanthus season, there was no “osmanthus rain” to see, so I skipped it~~~

Hupao is actually a spring, known as the “Third Best Spring Under Heaven.” It’s rare to encounter a scenic spot that requires an entrance ticket… The ticket price is 15 yuan. Allegedly, the spring water seeps through hard-to-dissolve quartz sandstone, containing only 0.02 to 0.15 grams of soluble minerals per liter. It is both sweet and sterile. Such water quality has health benefits, and countless elderly people come here to collect water; all along the way, you can see seniors carrying buckets of water down the mountain.

Legend has it that during the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty, a monk named Xingkong lived here. Since there was no water, life was very inconvenient, and in his desperation, he prepared to leave the temple. One night, he dreamed of an immortal who told him: “Tomorrow, two tigers will move the Tongzi Spring from Mount Nanyue here.” The next day, he indeed saw two tigers “pawing at the ground to make a hole,” from which spring water gushed forth. Thus, based on this legend, the place was named Hupao (Tiger Run), and two stone tiger sculptures were erected.

I’m not sure if this spring water is really safe to drink directly…

It is said that Ji Gong is buried here… hence the Hall of Ji Gong…

Master Hongyi, Li Shutong, was ordained as a monk at Hupao Temple, so there is also a memorial site dedicated to him here.

Actually, the environment here is quite nice, especially when there are no crowds. But just as I was leaving, tour groups started arriving, making it rather overwhelming… I had originally planned to have lunch at Jiangnan Yi, but upon arriving, I discovered it was gone and had been replaced by another shop… So I went to my backup option, Madeng Buluo. This restaurant is extremely hard to find. You have to walk up the mountain from the Siyanjing area, just keep walking and walking. Halfway through, I thought I had taken a wrong turn and even walked back down to try another direction… only to realize that was wrong too, so I had to walk back again.

Although not as packed as Jiangnan Yi used to be, there were still quite a few people inside. I casually took an outdoor seat, ordered two dishes, and enjoyed the self-service rice.

The Signature Lamb Chops are a must-order. They are delicious, very tender, reasonably priced, and served in generous portions—even this is just the small size.

Dengying Shredded Potatoes: The potatoes are sliced incredibly thin and then dry-fried. The taste is pretty good, though slightly oily; I had initially assumed they were simply stir-fried…

Also, the self-service rice includes corn, which is nice, but for a solo diner, having to get up and serve yourself isn’t exactly convenient. Moreover, the portion sizes are not small, so it would be better to come with a larger group. Although being up high usually means a better view, I found the scenery visible from this restaurant to be rather average. Maybe I was facing the wrong direction…

Photos in this post taken with Sony NEX-5R + 35mm f1.8, post-processed in Lightroom.

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Hangzhou Food, Hangzhou Tours, Jiangzhe Tours