Natural Conditions

Monsoon and humidity that feature its subtropical climate bless the area with four separated seasons around the year. The city’s look therefore varies along with the change of seasons and weathers. With an annual temperature that reaches 18℃ and the relative humidity of 68% on average, Hangzhou has a total of 1520.9 mm of rainfall annually and enjoys 1665.5 hours of sunshine every year. Spring from March to May and autumn from September to November are considered to be the best time of Hangzhou for sightseeing. Rolling hills dinubate the city in mid-west and south parts, while interconnected rivers prevail in the northeast. Hangzhou embraces water resources in six forms such as rivers, lakes, bay, wetland and creeks. In the city’s wealth of tour destinations there are Xixi Wetland ( the first national wetland park in China ), Zhijiang Holiday Tourist Resort ( a state-level resort open to the public ), Qian Dao Lake (also called the largest reservoir along the coast of east China that, covering an area of 573 square kilometers, is well known as the most graceful waters in the country ), the beautiful West Lake nestled to the urban area and circled with verdant hills, the Grand Canal flowing through the city, and Qian Tang River galloping to the outlet afar. The West Lake and the two-river-and-one-lake circle (Fu Chun River, Xin An River and Qian Dao Lake) are the two state-level tour resorts in the city. Aside from them, Hangzhou also boasts seven national forest parks in Qian Dao Lake, Da Qi Mountain, Wu Chao Mountain, Fu Chun River, Qing Shan Lake, Ban Shan and Yaolin of Tonglu County, and two national nature reserves named Tian Mu Mountain and Qing Liang Peak.