Hangzhou Song Dynasty City (háng zhōu sòng chéng 杭州宋城) is located at southern-west part of the West Lake scenic area (xī hú jǐng qū 西湖景区). The north of it is Wuyun Mountain (wǔ yún shān 五云山) and Qiantang River (qián táng jiāng 钱塘江) is in the south. With a slogan of "Give me one day, and I will return you a thousand years", the Song Dynasty City is the largest theme park featuring the civilization of Song Dynasty (sòng cháo 宋朝) in China. It was invested and built by Hangzhou World City Song Dynasty City Zhi Ye Co. Ltd (háng zhōu shì jiè chéng sòng chéng zhì yè yǒu xiàn gōng sī 杭州世界城宋城置业有限公司). The Song Dynasty City was regarded as top ten beautiful sceneries in Zhejiang Province and one of the top ten new sights in Hangzhou City. In 2000, it was awarded as the first batch national four-A scenic area.

Sony Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) was the period of ripe feudal society. At that time, the development of economy, science technology and culture were stayed ahead in the world. Song Dynasty City just demonstrates the rich cultural contents during Song Dynasty. The main scenic areas in this city include the Reappearance Area of "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" (qīng míng shàng hé tú zài xiàn qū 清明上河图再现区), Nine Dragon Square Area ( jiǔ lóng guǎng chǎng qū 九龙广场区), Song Dynasty City Square Area (sòng chéng guǎng chǎng qū 宋城广场区), Fairy Hill and Wonderful Tower Area (xiān shān qióng gé qū 仙山琼阁区), Emperor Palace in Southern Song Dynasty (nán sòng huáng gōng qū 南宋皇宫区) and Custom Romance Street in Southern Song Dynasty (nán sòng fēng qíng yuàn qū 南宋风情苑区) etc..

The city is a natural integration of the "Two Song Dynasties culture" in West Lake. And the Song Cultural Tourism in Hangzhou is given the proper position. The construction of the Hang Zhou Song Dynasty City combined the realism and romanticism and functionalism methods. It originated from history but higher than history. According to the painting 'Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival' by famous painter Zhang Zeduan (zhāng zé duān 张择端) in Song Dynasty, a prosperous imitation for that time is presented just as the real one. It created a vast space with distinct hierarchy, lingering charm, rhythmic and ancient history for visiting and thinking. Based on the artistic Techniques of Chinese traditional hills, water and gardens, the city absorbed the bright, elegant characters from the West. So the city not only has the characters of primitive simplicity, gravity and preciseness, but also has inclusiveness and impact force. The large-scale Yingzhou Plunging Waterfall (yíng zhōu fēi pù 瀛洲飞瀑) creates a world with legendary atmosphere which brings a dynamic of life to the Song Dynasty City and forms a spectacular sight.

Walking through the tall city gate building, you can see a river running through the south and north. There are many boats shuttle back and forth in the river. Pavilions stand in the two banks of the river. Peddleries dressed in the cloth of Song Dynasty are running ancient wine shops here. Magic shows, folk dance, acrobatic display and the wedding ceremony in ancient China are often performed in the city. There is a waxwork art museum in Song Dynasty City in which displayed many famous people’s statues made in white wax. The size of the statues is almost the same as real persons. The art museum became a vivid classroom for visitors to comprehend Chinese history. The open of the snack street provides a best place for visitors to taste the local delicacies in Song Dynasty.

The Romance of the Song Dynasty (sòng chéng qiān gǔ qíng 宋城千古情) is a large stereoscopic musical drama which was wholeheartedly made by Song Dynasty City. The drama adopted the old stories and legends in Hangzhou City, integrated the world music with acrobatic art, applied the high technology to create a dreamy poetic imagery. You can have a strong visual impact. The drama can be compared favourably with Red Grindery (hóng mó fāng 红磨坊) in Paris and "O Show" in LasVegas. Till now, the drama has received more than ten million audiences and wins a large outpouring of favorable comments. It is a must for the visitors coming to Hang Zhou.

Civilization is the soul of Song Dynasty City. It makes its own exploration in representing the beauty of natural water and hill, beauty of gardens building, beauty of society humanities and the beauty of art and culture. The city surely becomes a historical one both for learning and recreations.

Song Dynasty City
Address: No.148 Zhijiang Avenue (zhī jiāng dà dào 之江大道), Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Admission fee: RMB 80
Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Transportation: You can take No. K4, 308, 504, 510 and 514 buses, or tourist line No. 4 and 5 buses to get there.